RELIGION AND POLITICS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 59, 3 December 1919, Page 12

RELIGION AND POLITICS

SERMON BY CANON TAYLOR, "Religion and Politics" formed the sub. iect of an interesting sermon delivered by Canon T. Fio'iden Taylor to a crowdcd congregation in the King's Theatre cu Sunday night. . Politics, said, the preacher, was the science dealing with-the organisation,, regulation, uud administration, of a Stale in both its external and internal affairs. Tlio happiness of a nation was bound up in its politics, but.many people could not unravel present-day. problems. Where a political course was followed repugnant to God's Wilt disaster must loljow. ".Morality. could not be divorced from politics, nor.could.morality.bo.divorced from religion. The laws of Moses were political. Because of the individual sulfrage, each had a moral responsibility in the public questions of tlie day, so it" did matter what, a people believed. The following main principles wcro Christian: (1) God must be 31vc.11 the first plaeo in national- life. ' 1 am afraid 01 tho man' who spends Sunday 111 political meetiugs," remarked Canon lajlot. ii - ligion must be given >ts duo plaro j n -national education. (2) All legislation must be based 011 tne foundation ot the brotherhood:- of -man -and not tor class. (3) There could be no such thing as unrestricted liberty, i-l) they had Empire obligations which could not no ignored. [0) The object of religion was to bring personality into a fulfilment of its possibilities. The object of true politics was to give to each-, citizen the power to develop • his latent possibilities - that ho might mako-his duo contribution to tlio State. So, the best politician was the man-who earned'out in lus.luo.tlio two great commandments—rlic man who v/as most selfless, the man who could feel the pulse- of - humanity, .tho 1111111 who desired the best for the community. •Wcro such men-rare? The .war. proved they were not rare, for . tho Army contained numbers of selfish men. VYoualso contain tho possibility of selflessness, remarked Canon Taylor in conclusion, lor you, too, are New Zcalandcrs.