RELIGIOUS OBJECTORS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 100, 22 January 1919, Page 8

RELIGIOUS OBJECTORS

Sir, —In your article ; on religious objectors in your issue of January 15 you say, "No-atheist' can.' profess religious scruples." I think that depends on how "atheist" and "religious" are defined. Religion is such a vast-and complex thing that I do not. think tne definition need necessarily include any belief in a God, particularly' as the Buddhist religion is nearly aways regarded by Westerners', as frankly atheistic, and despite that always recognised as a religion. A man may be an atheist because the evidence of a God's, existence is not clear or consistently the same over the whole world. But for ail that he may have the strong human yearning for the f'i'fioiid ..behind phenomena',' and iu- : stincts that,,as Gilbert. Murray says, "are in origin the groping of a lonelysouled gregarious animal to find its herd or its herd leader in the- great spaces of the stars." An atheist may havo the yearnings without the belief in a God, but that is not the whole make-up of religion. Systems of conduct in this life are a .great part of religion and different religions are much hearer related in this respect. Coufucius's teaching of conduct may not differ greatly from Christ's or fromthat of the stoic, Marcus Aurelius.Un atheist may find much of Christ's teach, ing beautiful and acceptable, just as a Christian does, and he may feel the religion of love quite as strongly as 'any Christian without being tied to creeds. If ho is a deep thinker and really concerned, he is essentially a searcher after light and .truth... He sees that the main fact of the moment is that one life at a time is sufficient to make perfect, and only the-individual high conduct of each can make it,perfect. Ho knows that, love is the greatest .thing in the world, aud-that here andnow we have the precious'opportunity to love one another. His religion is to leave the world a little better than he found it, and to do his good acts impersonally for the sake of goodness anoV humanity and without any expectation of future rewards. He knows that "the kingdom of lovo is within" and that the only excuse for our existence here is the amount of love and fellowservice we give to our fellow-men. I can imagine that such an atheist- hold-' ing these religious sentiments and absorbing, moreover, all the sweet reasonableness of Christ's peaceablences and non-resistance might find it impossible to go and slaughter,his fellow-men. He might truly feel that no fighting is of any avail till love conquers everything at the last, when wars will be impossible.

I do not think I sympathise with the conscientious objectors' point of view, because non-resistance does not seeuv to work in this wicked world, but it seems only just that they should all bo judged according to their_ moral objections and not their theistic beliefs, since it is the moral 'attitude of men that most affects the ' welfare of our State aiid not the differing faiths in the unknown Personality behind the terrible curtain enclosing our little life. —1 am, etc., 0.H.H.. Pahiatua, January 20.