The Recent Riot in Constantinople.

Manawatu Herald, 5 November 1895, Page 3

The Recent Riot in Constantinople.

The Armenian riot in Constantinople is a theological fracas. The ory of JUJ Liberty or death " means to the Armenians the right to serve God in the'fflode they think the correct one. The Turks deserve to bo well trounced' for. .denying their fellow subjects what they claim. That they should dare to do bo isun illustration of the *iia^btobaVw«yifoU©vp when a State attempte'nofc only to govern it people tnt to make them subscribeJfe&'ereed also, or to pay for the jjftjpagjftjon of that creed. The facts generally teach the moral that the State, as a State, must not teach any religion but the true one if it teaches religion at all. And as the Stase cannot tell which is the trua religion— for this cannot be determined* by counting noses— it should teach no religion whatever, subsidise no religion whatever, favor no religion whatever. As illustrating tbe utter impossibility of dis«. covering-the true religion by taking a vote, wia i only necessary to add that Christianity, as compared with non-Christian systems is hopelessly in the minority. But we do not because of the fact that Paganism or heatheniejpjis superior to Christianity because the latter is in the minority! To argue to that effect cv would be exceedingly stupid. As St. Paul puts it, " spiritual things are ■pirituaUjLJiiscerned." The ballot box ccarn r make them neither make thtm better nor worse, and each man •hould be left to judge for himself so flfpw^qvtbing beyond mere moral jttMioiPtiWMg, Thefolloy?iQg

gives the numerical strength of Christianity as compared with all the other religions i— The population of the earth is estimated at fifteen hundred millions, distributed as follows iEurope, 9Sl,SooiOqp ; Africa, 127,---000*000 j Asia, 854,000,000 j Australia, 4,780,006: America 138,870,---000} total, 1, §00.000,000. The leading religions are represented by the following figures ; Protestant Christians, 200,000,00 f ; Roman Catholic Christians, 1^.5,000,000} Greek Catholic Christians, 166,000,---0 total Christians, 500,000,000. The new Ministry is a purely Kadical one. Jews, 8,000,000 ; Mahomedans, 180,. 000,000 ; Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, &c, 812,060,000; total non - Christians, 1,000,000,000.-— Napier Telegraph,