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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 8, No. 11. August 8, 1945
[Introduction]
SCM members turned up in large numbers to support their speakers on the question of whether Christianity is the only solution to present-day chaos in society. A very lively debate, during which many speakers defended their ideas and many interjections kept the audience amused, ensued. Several solutions, other than Christianity, were put forward and these were ignored rather than refuted. There seemed to be some difference of opinion on the question of the right of Christianity to monopolise all the better traits of human nature. Following are precis of the various speeches:—
John Miller: The subject is more suitable to meditation in the silent watches of the night.
Roy Jack: Christianity implies recognition of a god. To suggest that Christianity offers the only solution is intolerable. Chaos did not disappear with the appearance of Christianity.
Alby Moore: Ethics a part of Christianity and cannot be separated from it. Faith is necessary to life. Man is a little organism crawling about the planet. "What is man without God?" Men are only equal in that they are brothers in the sight of God. The best man can do by himself is to get into scrapes. In the Victorian era Order was due to Christianity.
Tom Cockroft: With quotations proved to his own satisfaction that Christianity was a bad thing from a biological, sexual and psychological point of view. An "Ethical Jesus" is of no use to the church—belief in a god is fundamental to Christianity.