NO DECISION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24414, 27 September 1940, Page 8

NO DECISION

BRITISH ISRAEL THEORY DEBATE IN TOWN HALL APPARENTLY A DRAW Whether Britain is or is not Israel is a subject that will no doubt be debated for a long time to come, as it has been for many years past, but there are at least two persons in Dunedin — and possibly many more—who have very definite views on the point. These two are Mr G. Steel Paxton and the Rev. H. Raymond Turner, minister of the South Dunedin Baptist Church, who discussed the question from the positive and negative hypotheses respectively in the Town Hall*last night before an audience of about 1000 people, but since there was no judge, and, consequently, no adjudication, it is not possible to say who won, although from the unbiassed reception given to both speakers, it would seem that the audience was pretty evenly divided. The Rev. R. L. Fursdon, of Caversham, who presided, explained that although the debate was billed as a public argument, it was really a private one between the two speakers, and was not sponsored by any authority. The question, which speaker's case was the more convincing, he added, must be left to the individual opinion of each member ol the audience.

Mr Paxton, who began by announcing that he had been disclaimed for the occasion by the Dunedin branch of the British Israel organisation, said he was sure that by the time he.was finished Mr Turner would realise that he had been wrong and. would thank God for opening his eyes. He then proceeded to trace connections between early names of Britain and references to Israel in the Bible, and quoted freely from the Bible in support of his arguments which, 1 claimed, showed that the British race fulfilled all that the inspired writers had said Israel would do - • u * "The British Israel theory as. the most cruel hoax ever. perpetrated J6n* ah. unthinking public," sfiid'Mr Turner, qpen : ing his side of'the. case.',. He pointed out that- in 1927'Bfitish Israel theorists had predicted that the next great war would begin in 1928 and end in 193,6. but when that failed to occur they had pointed out. that-what was meant was ho doubt economic warfare. It was significant, he: added, that Richard Brothers, the modern apostle of the British Israel theory,, had finished, his days in an insane asylum. It was laid down in the Bible that the unrighteous should not inherit the Kingdom of God, but even in New Zealand, which was a British country, unnameable sins were committed, so that theory could not be right. :. . .. "Doctors sometimes diagnose then own troubles wrongly," said Mr Paxton, when replying on the point of prophecy raised by his" opponent, and because one prophet is wrong it is not right to condemn them all." Mr Turner," in his reference to the British, nad practically stated that Britain could not win the war. he added, but to-day the British Israel theory was more evident than ever because that nation was standing aldne and it was the only one that was endeavouring to spread the Gospel. . "This is not a gospel of Christ, but a gospel that panders to the flesh; as such it can have ho true foundation, was Mr Turner's final statement. Organ solos were played during the evening by Mr Axel Newton.