HOW RELIGION GREW VIEWS OF RATIONALIST

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 966, 8 May 1930, Page 7

HOW RELIGION GREW

VIEWS OF RATIONALIST

CLERGY TAKE UP CHALLENGE At the conclusion of his address in the Town ITall concert chamber last evehing on “The Origin, Growth and Decay of Religion.” Mr. J. G. Langley, an Australian Rationalist, invited clergyman in the audience to reply from the platform to his remarks. The challenge was at once taken up by the Rev. W. Lawson Marsh, the Rev. C. B. Jordan and Mr. A. Miller, a theological student. The outcome was that Mr. Langley and Mr. Lawson Marsh will debate “The Historicity of Jesus” on Sunday afternoon. BEGINNING OF RELIGION In his lecture Mr. Langley spoke of the beginning of religion. Modern theologians considered that the Old Testament was a progressive revelation of God. The speaker preferred to say, however, that the Scriptures were valuable because they “showed the evolution of the idea of God” among the Hebrew people. Illustrating the origin of religious ideas, Mr. Langley referred to “nature myths.” An example was the death- of a great chieftain-hunter among a hunting people. They would Jong for his return when they - failed in the hunt. They would imagine his spirit as being of use to them. To gain his goodwill they would offer sacrifice to it, and upon success in the hunt would credit his spirit with assisting them. It was from such ideas as this, said Mr. Langley, that the idea of sacrifice, sometimes of human sacrifice .arose. Some Christian customs owed their origin to pagan eras, the lecturer remarked. The feasting dnd the custom of kisisng beneath the mistletoe were a transformation of the orgies which had marked the celebration of the shortest day when the sun was regarded as a deity. SfYnilarly the idea of the Resurrection at Easter had arisen, Mr. Langley believed, from primitive mans’ celebration of the return of life to nature with the coming of spring.