PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY

Chronicle (Levin), 14 February 1947, Page 8

PROGRESS OF CHRISTIANITY

—Press. Asso'eiali&ri.

BISDOP AND MsP. VOIGE OPPOSING VIEWS

Bv** Teiectrdvh-

NEW PLYMOIJTR, Feb: 12: A elash of opinioli Oii whether Chris tianity has advanced m the iast 5 years was revealed at the goldeii .jtlbi iee celebrations of t3t. PetUr's Ohtil'Ch; fataraimaka, aiid St. Paul's (JhUrcti; Okato." The Bishop of Waikato, the Rt Rev. C. A. Ckerrington, t^iks it hits,-but-Mr. E. B. Corbett, Al.Pqasserts that it has not, holcfing ' that it is bbing assaulted strongly by Cdnimunistn. In Tiis- «erinoii at tSt. Paul's ChUreb in the morning, Bishdjl Cherfihgtoti sani he co.nsidered Ghristianity had ad vaneed with the years and that at pre sent relig,ion was stronger thail it Wa? 50 years ago. It. was statdd that feWei persons attended chureh Iiow thail formerly, he said. In the old days there was nothing to do but tb gb to chureli. During lnodeni times buses vvere ruh ning every day and jicbple eould gb; out of town very easily. Ili addition more entert.ainment was provi'ded uii Sun days. About the time when the ehur'ches at Okato and Tataraimaka were buili, seientists elaimed that the ofigiits oi the world eould be adetjuatel.y explained by seient'e, the Bishop said. They de . elared that there was nothing spifi tuiti eonneeted with the fohriation 6i tlie world. Now, however, .the'position wa:s rcversed, with seientists adniittiiig thai there seemed to be some spiritual guirl ance to the existence and meariing Of lii'e. "We can say 'thank you very mUch, but we knew all along'," said Bishop Cherringtorf, but ho submitted that ii was an advance that seientists did admit the tehehings of the chureli. Disagreement with the opinion that Christianity has inereased in streriglh was voieed hv Mr. Corbett; speaking ai a garden party in the afternoon. ' Hc pointed out that at the inauguratioil of the building of the chureh 50 years age one of the deacons was a tattooeu Maori. Another Maori donated the bell for the new St. Paul 's Chureh. It was now many years Since there had been a Single Maori inside the building, Mr. Corbett declared. There. was not one Maori in* the tlistrict who attended the ehureli. A eertajin form of "tohungaism" was still prevalent among the Maori people, and it was this that waS keeping them from atten'ding ehurehes preaehing the Christian faitht At present the greatest onslaughi against Christianity fOr moi*e than 100 years was taking place, he eontinueth The ereed of Communism was taking th"e place of Christianity., Tlie doetritu! of Communism was pernicious and entirely atheistic. Mentioning Bishop Cherrington's re mark that there was more foi* people tb do (b'.ring mod'ern times than formerly'-, x\Ir. A. Gray, people 's warden, pointml out that it was niuch more easy, beeause of modern travelling facilities; for the laity to attend -church than ir was 50 years ago.