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New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 663, 21 March 1952, Page 5

Sir,-D. Martin says faith is sufficient, and proof not necessary. This may be true of some, but others seek and find. ‘There was no mystery before the Christian era. The Bible gives proof of this. Two thousand years ago Christ came to teach

a riew religion. It was a way of lite embodying service to humanity, individual freedom, kindness, love and mercy. He constantly demonstrated the use of spiritual gifts, and said his followers would do greater things. Some centuries after the Crucifixion the Christian Church’ was established. A church council met at Nitea and built up a religion with no resemblance to the teaching of Christ. At this time, tens of thousands of natural mediums were put to death. If not, they "would have exposed the false religion established. As the centuries passed, learned men in science and literature became aroused by the reports of psychic phenomena, which they patiently investigated. They gave to the world their findings that death was not tha end. "

THE STUDENT

(Wellington).

Sir-Father T. A. Johnson says: "Every living thing has a soul"-plants, animals, man. Terrible thought; as I toddle up arid down the bowling green, I trample on millions of liying souls! Some of Father Johnson’s main points: Soul gives life (is life), is independent of matter, and the nature of souls may be. judged by their manifestations through matter; every soul acts according to its nature;"souls live for ever. Reasonable inferences from this seem to be: The great totality of what is hor-

rible and repulsive beneath the fair exterior of what we call nature is the result of souls acting according to their nature. The chronicle of abnormalities, brutalities, cruelties, degradations, lusts, oppressions, persecutions and slaughter which makes up the history of mankind is the result of souls*acting according to their nature. If souls live for ever and pags’ to another life, this makes moonshine of the" doctrine of reward and punishments in that life. For where is the justice, love or mercy in punishing in another life a soul that acted at¢cording to its nature in this life? Moreover, if God is prevented from putting into effect his allegedly kind intentions towards man by the action of souls in this life’ (as even. bishops attest), he will still be prevented by those souls in another life. In brief, as souls live for ever and act according to their nature, any future life will necessarily be a replica of this life. I have not the slightest wish to live this life again; if I were offered the chance to live my personal share of it over again, I would refuse.

J. MALTON

MURRAY

Oamaru).