CHURCHGOING AND RELIGION [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
S1R,—Any careful and critical study of the New Testament will prove the three things which Mr. Smith denies and contradict the two he asserts.
r. Our Lord chose and trained 12 disciples, three especially. Why, if he had no desire to start a new thing? St. Matthew xi, 25 and St. Luke xx, 9 and many similar texts and parables show that Jesus claimed to be God's son, which means divinity. a. Historical Christianity did not start at the Resurrection. Acts i, at shows that the Apostles didn't think so. And why all those instructions on how to be good in all the Epistles if salvation was assured to the baptised ?
3. Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfil. Christianity never overthrew Judaism, but merely enlarged it. No sane Christian denies his religion's debt to Judaism. Misguided Christians have persecuted Jews but few, if any, who call them- selves Christians would deny that they were misguided.
4. St. Paul did think of Jesus as a great teacher. He would never have taught all that Jesus had done before him had he not.
5. The charges against Jesus were false. See St. Luke xx, 20-25. Jesus forbade his people to resist ecclesiastical and civil authority and taught them that to serve was better than to rule.
Mr. Smith must read his New Testament again.—Your
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