FREEDOM OF THE AIR
Sir,-The letter of J.F. on this subject can be said to present the typically Christian egotistical outlook. It is not unusual to find all stations occupied in disseminating Christian beliefs, and, of course, all licensees bear the expense. The Christian arrogates to himself all that is noble, ethical and good; it is the wicked who hath said in his heart "There is no God." I have heard one of the "guardians of the people’s morals" in sermonising declare over the air that parents who do not bring their children up in religion run the risk of turning out a population of murderers, thieves, etc., notwithstanding that statistics show this completely the reverse of truth. Yet the radio "does not include in its functions the opportunity of scoffing at other people." Why then should it include the privilege to slander? Likewise, the radio has been used in a twelve months’ campaign to boost the Bible in Schools, even if mainly by innuendo and inference, but
supporters of the legal secular order have been conspicuous by their absence. The Churches may tell us what they believe. Does that entitle them to a monopoly of the air? When some of the ideas they propound are considered harmful by other members of the community, then, im all fairness, the right to protest should be granted them. Certainly it woyld be disastrous for the Churches to abuse their watertight privileges in attacking one another. The urge of self-preservation would prevent them doing this. By force of circumstances they to-day consider economics and sociology as coming within their sphere, which they certainly did not in my youth, a factor which was one of the main reasgns for my dissociating myself from them: G. B. Shaw is right in declaring that New Zealand is well behind the times. The more controversial subjects are discussed, the greater will be the, wisdom and understanding of the people. I would also point out that when a man disbelieves anything he does so because of a counter "belief," e.g. the earth is no longer flat "because we believe it to be globular," a person disbelieves the story of creation "because he believes evolution to be an established fact" and so with every other disbelief. . _ Our grandmothers firmly believed in devils, witches, fairies, hobgoblins, water sprites and the like, and as bitterly resented criticism and opposition as apparently does J.F. 7
FREETHINKER
(Milford).
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 290, 12 January 1945, Page 5
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405FREEDOM OF THE AIR New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 290, 12 January 1945, Page 5
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