NON-CONFORMITY.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 27, Issue 6, 1 June 1937, Page 7

NON-CONFORMITY.

Dear Sir, I am indeed very sorry that I have hurt the feelings of your correspondent who signs himself "Layman." But has he ever really considered what an abominable thing JNTon-Conformity is m this world? In our Lord's most heartfelt prayer on the night of His betrayal, His great petition for His followers was "That

they also may be One m us; that the world may believe . that Thou hast sent Me." Surely it is hard to imagine anything more distressing than that men should call themselves Christian, and yet deliberately break away from, and institute sects to rival, arid compete with Christ's Holy Church, His Bride, and His Body —"the fulness of Him which nlleth all m all." (Ephes. i, 23.) Of course, I know that the majority of nonconformists to-day are non-conform-ists mostly because they happened to be born that way, and have been brought up on the excuses of those who were responsible for the original schism of their own particular sect. One has a great deal of sympathy for them, and realises it must be very difficult for them to repent of the sins of their fathers. But nevertheless the fact remains that non-con-formity to the Catholic Teaching "of the Church must always be a terrible sin. lam only too well aware that "many Church of England adherents are married to Non-Conformists, and (m some cases) find them very much more God-fearing people than many Anglo-Catholics." This knowledge makes me very sad," but it does not non-conformity right. May I ask "Layman" to consider that the Christian life is a "Way" (Acts ix, 2 and xxii, 4). Belief alone, m the Lord Jesus, if not accompanied by obedience to the Church which He founded and left with us here m earth for our help and guidance, can never accomplish anything for us. To me it seems a contradiction of terms, for surely belief implies obedience. Christ came to give us a "Way" which would lead to the salavation of our souls. How can "Layman" possibly sincerely imply, as his letter seems to imply, that those who will not conform to this Way are as good as those who profess to, but fail? I would far, far sooner fall m the Way than be found dead amongst those who uphold any other way of their own. However, Sir, I am afraid I intrude too much upon your space. If "Layman" cares to write to me, and enclose a postal order for Is 3d, I will gladly send him a little book which deals far more fully with this question.—Yours- faithfully, C. G. G. SALT.