BISHOP'S PASTORAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2321, 1 December 1914, Page 6

BISHOP'S PASTORAL

ON THE BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS QUES« : ' TION. At the Anglican Churches throughout New Zealand on Sunday evening was read the following pastoral issued by the Bishops of New Zealand in connection with the Bible-in-schools question and the approaching general elections: "BIBLE-IN-ST iTE-SCHOOLS LEAGUE. "Pastoral from the Anglican Bishops to the Members of their Flock in. £ the Present Crisis. - si "We, the Primate and Bishops, feeling deeply our responsibility to God anj to thoso members of the body of Christ committed to bur care, do hereby .maka our solemn appeal to them to put religious principles before party preferences in the exercise of their rights in the election of members of Parliament. "That we are driven by Parliament itself to adopt tliis course is shown' by a brief review of the history of this movement Ever 6ince the enactment by Parliament of a Bill which excluded the Word of God from the public schools and divorced the teaching of religion from the education of the children of the people, the conscience o£ the majority of the people of this Ghris--tian country has been wounded and their religious convictions have been outraged. Speaking for our own communion, we say that unceasing efforts have been made from that time to 'obtain an amendment of tho Act by the removal of these disabilities-. Few, if any, meetings of our representative Church Assemblies ■ have ' taken placo since that date without vigorous discussions on this subject, ending with petitions to Parliament to, • afford relief; ' and we are aware' that similai - dissatisfaction with a merely secular system ' has also been strongly expressed by other domoninations These petitions* and representations were cither entirely ignored by Parliament, or received the somewhat contemptuous answer that, as the plans put forth, by: the several bodies, were not identical, Parliament would not oven take the subject into consideration until the religious bodies had them; selves agreed upon the conditions under which such instruction- should bo given. Agreement has been arrived at by the representatives of 75 per cent', of the people of this country, who have adopted a plan, which by almost universal and unchallengeable'testimony has been proved to work well wherever it has been applied; but the Parliament of .this democratic country appears disinclined to afford tho-parents and people generally an opportunity; of expressing their judgment upon it.

"We, therefore, your spiritual guides, deeply convinced of the paramount value of religion to any : nation, in relation to the prosperity and happiness of its people, and above all, remembering the injunction of Christ to put first the Kingdom of-God and His righteousness, do under these circumstances earnestly and unhesitatingly exhort you to mako the religious interests of the country the first ■ question by voting only for members of Parliament- .who will 1 pledge themselves to vote for the 'Religious Instruction Referendum: Bill' which passed its first reading last session. More than 150,000 electors have asked that the question in the Bill should be submitted for the decision of tho people. "And we are your servants' in Christ, (Signed) , • : "S. T. Dunedin, Primate. ■ > . "C. Christcliurch. "A. W. Auckland. "T.H.Wellington.- , "W. Walmslcy Waiapu. ■ "23rd day of November, a.d., 1914."