LIFE AFTER DEATH.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5172, 31 August 1927, Page 3

LIFE AFTER DEATH.

CRITICISM REPLIED TO.

METHODS OF OPPONENTS.

Replying to criticisms of his address. on “Life After Death,” which appeared in a recent issue, of the Matamata Record, the Rev. E. Ward writes as follows :—

“The only value, ast far as I amt concerned, attaching to Mr John Draper’s letter in your last issue is that it aptly illustrates the method by which new creeds are supported. The process, seems to be thus : “1. Collect all Bible passages that can be pressed into use In support of your views.

“2.. Ignore or explain out of. existence all Biblical references to the contrary.

“3. Set at nought all modern learning Biblical or otherwise, contrary to your contentions. “4. Misrepresent all who do not think with you.

“As an instance of the latter method. take the following gem from Mr Draper’s letter: ‘Here we have an accredited minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ discarding or ignoring Jewish Scriptures and Apostolic writings for the Gospel of Flammarion.’ It is sufficient comment on the foregoing to point out that nobody of even the most meagre intelligence could possibly have found that in your concise and accurate- report of my address. That report made it, perfectly clear that Flammarion preached no Gospel, but that he merely recorded facts and made what seemed to him the inevitable conclusions therefrom, and also that I did not endorse his conclusions. I merely told my hearers what they were. Your report also made it clear that Flammarion’s writings on the subject under discussion were addressed to people of open mind, of which number Mr Draper obviously not one. As for Mr Draper s ‘proofs’ from the literal reading of the Authorised version of the Hebrew Scriptures, that man does not- possess a spiritual body, it is sufficient to say. that he can just as readily prove from the same source the ancient geocentric cosmology which placed the earth a&_the centre of the universe, the Siun with the other heavenly bodies revolving round it. I believe it is on record that those who first opposed that view of the universe got dealt with somewhat harshly because it was ‘contrary to the Bible,’ yet astronomical sciencei prevailed. The point is one that Mr Draper would do well to lay to heart.”