Freshers on Deist

Dear Sir,—That faith requires no prior knowledge is one conclusion to which "Deist" comes. We would, however, like to ask this question: "How can one have faith in something about which one knows absolutely nothing?" We believe that Christian faith is the result of experience based upon a sound knowledge of Christian belief and practice; and that this faith, rather than morality, is the greater force. For, if a man under strong temptation thinks that moral rules are just a human convention, he will be less likely to keep them than a man who feels sure that God gave the Ten Commandments and is the supreme upholder of the moral order.

What higher code of morality can one have than that represents in Christ's command: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

—Two Christian Freshers.

(Abridged).

More on Deist

Dear Sir,—I would like to touch on one aspect "Deist" brought up. He has drawn our attention to the authority of the Bible; he compares the Bible with other religious books, and with Shakespeare. He seems to be of the opinion that Christians base most of their confidence in the authority of scripture from the fact of its age, the nature of the traditions it has initiated, and its recognised literary value. But do they? There is no "proof" of its authority.

The Bible is a record of events which took place in history, events which have not been disproved and which archaeology is constantly reiterating. As such there is value tn it even to the non-religious. But to the Christian it is more than this. It is a book of human experience. It's not possible to think of the Bible's inspiration in mechanical terms, but In terms of the experiences of men and women—men and women with all the doubts and objections that we face now, but who have proved (not with slide-rule and compasses, but in the grit and grind of hard living) that God not only is, but that He can be trusted. If Shakespeare and Milton equal the literary output of the Bible, so what? Christians value the Bible not for its literary merit but for its religious truths. Perhaps "Deist" is not prepared to accept the testimony of one person who speaks of a certain religious experience. But when countless numbers of men and women from so many walks of life and at different periods of time each in their own style tell of the same religious experience, there must be some preparedness on our part to hear their testimony, and when this experience is reiterated in one's own life, the validity of it is assured.

When we compare the books of other religions such as the Koran, we see a notable difference. These writings are not the record of God's reach down to man but of man's endeavour to find God, hence the mysticism and confusion which prevails in many of these writings. "Deist" and I will differ here because if he's a true "Deist" he won't accept the idea of a self-revealing God, but let him look at the lives of those who claim to have this revelation. See how their experiences, though different, tell the same story. It's not enough to say they were all prejudiced by superstition. The apostle Peter for instance was educated. They have proved to themselves and to many others, that this God, whom "Deist" tacitly admits exists, has, and will reveal himself to man.

Too Bloody !

Dear Sir,—I wish to comment on your short-story "The Rat" by W. P. Airoteiv. I cannot understand why such things are allowed in your newspaper. "The Rat" shows the bloodiness of your mind.

On Deist Again

Dear Sir,—I was interested to read in a recent issue of "Salient" "Deist's" article on the Christian religion. The writer raises many questions which have been, and are being asked by many university students.

"Is there a God?" There is a universal inherent belief in a supreme being, right from the naked, nomadic tribesman to the highly sophisticated New York socialite. But can we prove there is God? It is impossible to get God, put Him in a test tube, and prove His existence by chemical analysis.

A spiritual God can only be found by a spiritual method—faith. But what is faith? The Bible says that faith is "the substantiating of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Faith is not opposed to facts as was once thought hut it Is merely complementary to facts, and facts are complementary to faith.

Some say that they cannot believe the Bible because of scientific inaccuracies in the Bible and say that they are positive proof that the scriptures are not divinely inspired. True, there are statements that do not stand up to close scientific scrutiny but that does not prove that the Bible is not divinely inspired. It is not a scientific text book. The Bible is a collection of books written in the language and in accordance with the concepts of various ages. So that the people of those ages could understand them — not V.U.W. professors.

And so while it is scientifically fallible, the Bible is spiritually infallible. However, there are in the scriptures many scientifically accurate statements and Inferences which were generally unknown at the time. For example, the book of Job, which was probably written about 3500 years ago, alludes to the sphericity of the earth.

"Deist" says, "I believe that to expand the personality of God beyond that of a creator introduces too much of the element of supposition." And that is true if we try to reason with our own intellience. But if we accept the Bible as being inspired of God, then surely there need not be just a vague conception of Him. It distinctly tells us that "God is a spirit." Failure to realise this fact is, I believe, partly why we have so many professed atheists in our midst. Some of them have the idea that God is supposed to be a benign old gentleman while others have the idea that God is supposed to be a terrible tyrant. When the Bible says that God is a spirit, it doesn't mean that He is a wispy spiral of vapour. Obviously, such conceptions of God can only lead to scepticism or atheism.

Many look at the world and ask, along with Deist, 'It God is a loving being why is there so much sickness, famine, hatred, sorrow, and general misfortune in the world today?" To answer this question we must try to get a correct conception of God. He is, as we are told, a God of love; but he is also a holy God. Also, He cannot force man to do anything against his will.

But man has sinned and has thus severed himself from a holy God who cannot tolerate sin. The misfortunes in the world is the price for sin. But God, in his loving capacity, has provided a solution—His son Jesus Christ, through whom we may obtain salvation.

"Deist" uses the term "Christian" rather frequently, but he fails to define—whether inadvertently or intentionally I cannot say—what a Christian is.

The Bible teaches that a Christian is one who has a personal trust, apart from meritorious works, in the Lord Jesus Christ, as delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification. And so I put forward a question for all of us to ask ourselves, "Am I a Christian or am I not?"

What "Salient" Saw

A certain Exec, member placed sixpence in a Salient honesty box, took a copy of Salient, and read it from cover to cover—then he took back his six-pence, returned the copy of Salient, and walked off!

Manners ?

Dear Sir,—I always thought that schoolboys cared little about good manners but I had hoped that two or three years training at University would eventually transform them into young gentlemen. What a disappointment though. The least thing one expects from a young man when he nearly knocks one over is an apology. This, however, was too much to expect from the young gentleman who practically knocked over my girl-friend and me as he rushed through the narrow corridor swinging his bag wildly.

I am quite well aware that the younger generation thinks that to let a girl go first through a door is too old fashioned; I want to tell those particular boys that we do not expect them to open doors for us always. There is however quite a difference when one Is carrying a heavy bag and two heavy volumes in her other hand, and the young man in front of her just leaves the door to swing full in her face.

Another awkward situation is the Cable Car. You enter a compartment where seven young men lounge luxuriously on the seats while two girls are engaged in a lively conversation. Your bag is full, your feet ache, but you have to be careful not to step on any stray feet which are stretched out in all directions.

At last someone pats you on the shoulder and you think that some kind soul has thought of you, but instead you see a smiling face looking up at you, saying:

"Give me your bag, honey, or would you rather sit on my knee?"

Of course you turn down the offer.

Some people might think I am too old-fashioned, or that I expect too much from them. Perhaps I do. But let those who care remember that a gentleman always has advantages over the others.

Not in Exam Time

Dear Sir,—The penalty of paying a fine for overdue books is indeed a very good idea. We must always keep an eye on the books we borrow from the library. However, do we have time to do this when exams, are on? That is the time when we want many books.

And since the librarian never stops us—we are tempted to take more and more books out until the day when the books are all overdue and the victim is fined a terrific sum. But some times we may be so preoccupied that we neglect the reminders regarding overdue books. Or when we move to a new place and, because of the exams., we sometimes forget to inform the librarian.

The belated reminder reaches us perhaps after a long time, consequently, In some cases the fines may mount up to more than the actual cost of the book, so that it is doubtful whether we should return the book at all, and pay the tremendous fine, or keep the book and refuse to return it.

The system is supposed to stop students being book-lovers. But if it is enforced during examination times it is surely a money-making racket?

—Lee.

[Surely, it is simpler for the students to notify the librarian of their changes of address than for the librarian to try trace the activities of several thousand readers?—Ed.]