A WORLD VIEW.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1581, 26 October 1912, Page 6

A WORLD VIEW.

4 THE PRESENT RELIGIOUS OTjTLOO.'C. A world-view of the religious situatiou was ottered by Ibo Rev. J. Morgan. GU> boii (chairman-elect of the Congregational Union, England), in a "Conference Address" recently delivered. Ho took a thoroughly cheerful view of the world situation as it affects religion. He -named four outstanding reasons for optimism. First, the trend of world politics was in favour of tho Christian campaign. All the world was eager for democratic, that was to pay European, institutions, and tho characteristic European institution of democracy was tho creation of tho Christian spirit and the Christian view of man. Second, the curve of world-thought was favourable to Christian doctrine. Material and nectanical philosophies had absolutely broken down. Tho dominamt names ill philosophy were those of Eucken and liergson, who held tho same view of tic universe as that for which Christians stcod. Third, tho influence of (lie great world religions outside Christianity vjus never so good and helpful as it was today. "I da not believe," said Mr. Gibbon, "that any religious creed which helps to nourish for a length, of time any measure of spiritual life in an individual or pooplo can bo wholly wrong, any more than a form of food winch helps men to vigorous work can be wholly corrupt and poisoiOil?. "But, fourthly, tho claim and fitness of Christianity to bo a world religion was never clearer than to-day. There were of course, unfavourable signs as well' There was the manifest indifference to organised religion, ••specially among voiii'c men and women of the best moral niul intellectual calibre; the emergence of other interests, like Socialism, so strong as to take the place of religion in many inind«and tho enormous dissipation o'f enerev duo to the divisions of Christianity "