RELIGION AND THE B.B.C.
Sts,—The recent letter of Mr. Armstrong, the President of the Methodist Conference, evinces satirical Sympathy with the R.P.A. membership figures. Having regard to the fact that the Christian churches only claim so per cent, of the population as church-goers, I feel that rationalists can also afford some sympathy with Mr. Armstrong and his friends. Now what is the 90 per cent, of non-church-goers reading and thinking while the to per cent. is attending the churches?
Should I exaggerate if I said that certainly more than to per cent. of them are reading and thinking about literature based on historical and scientific knowledge utterly devoid of supernatural content? Ration alists may well be content with a condition of things which is dead growing daily. With Mr. Armstrong we may sincerely regret that mor of the 90 per cent. are not with him or with us. Indifference is surel the evil of the present day.
Mr. Armstrong believes in counting heads and thinks rationali numbers are small. Does he realise that even in. these times publi acknowledgment of rationalist views often costs loss of income, p fessional promotion and social amenities? Most rationalists hold th views and their tongues. Doctors, lawyers, town clerks, &c., and a who receive appointments from elected bodies, with rare exceptions, at well advised if they keep their opinions for private rather than publi consumption. I joined the R.P.A. about forty years later than I wished to. Onl when my political career was ended, social boycotting had become amusement instead of an annoyance, and my income was assured coul I afford to. I wonder if it ever occurs to Mr. Armstrong to reflect the fact that nine out of ten defenders of faith are in receipt of incom paid them because of their faith, while nine out of ten rationalists suffe some kind of material loss by public advocacy of their views.—Yo
&c., ATHELSTAN RENDALL. Guysclifie, Bury Road, Branksome Park, Bournemouth. [This correspondence is now closed.—En., The Spectator.]
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