Placing Religion First

Chronicle (Levin), 11 July 1949, Page 4

Placing Religion First

'Religion is not an ornamental extra which can be added on to life after the economic and political needs of mankind have been met," said Rsv. A. Salmond, preaching in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Levin, yesterday. "The Old Testament insists that .while t'he economic and political sides of life are very important, and that man cannot live without bread and what bread stands for, man really needs God. The cry of the great prophets was that though Israel might achieve a time of prosperity, when everyone would have the food they needed, and when the housing problem was solve-d and when we'alth was' being, multiplied by good harvests, good trade and increasing flocks and herds, that was not all the nation required. If the nation achieved these things and forgot God, the shadow of disaster was already falling. Human life was spiritual as well as economic and political. "Not only di'd the prophets insist that man could not live by economics alone, but one of them. Haggai, who lived at a time when a brave attempt was being made to restore the life of a devastated and ruined Jerusalem, declared that the community that forgot God went mevitably pn to make a dangerous mess of its economics and politics. Haggai insisted that without a visible centre of worship, without some means by which a people could express and 'develop their relation to God, God was not being really honoured. The lives of many modern people seemed to declare Seek ye first the kingdom of econ-' omics and religion , will be added unto you if you like 'that kind of thmg.' Jesus said, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ah these things shall be added unto you.' "