CHRISTIANITY AND ChURCH Sra,—In your issue of August 21St you
publish a letter from Lady Cynthia Colville in reply to one from Canon England in your previous issue. Her argument appears to be that because "The Faith" (that is, I suppose, orthodox creeds and doctrine) "has been tested by 2,000 years," it is at least as likely to be true as any newer beliefs. This seems to imply that orthodoxy has come triumphant through the test. But to many people it is obvious that this is not the case, and it is simply because orthodoxy has not stood up to the test that it has ceased to exert any great influence on the lives and conduct of the people of today. Surely we are not asked to agree that either the needs or the knowledge of today are the same as those of the days when the orthodox creeds -were first formulated. Even if those creeds did in fact represent the beliefs of a large body of people at that time, why should they represent the beliefs of everyone for all time? Has advancing knowledge and experience nothing to do with beliefs? Did God reveal Himself completely and finally and utterly at one period only of the world's history?
I suppose no one doubts that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. It does not seem to me to be stretching that idea too far to say that religion and creeds and church organisation were all made for man, and not man for them. It should not be an impossi- bility to slough off the many creeds and dogmas that have collected around the Christian religion in the last 2,000 years, and also the many vested interests, and go forward to the pure religion actually taught by Christ Himself. Not impossible perhaps—but very difficult. And those who have the courage and independence to try to find the way deserve the help and encouragement of us all.—Yours faithfully,
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