.jpg)
Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington N.Z. Vol. 10, No. 5. May, 7, 1947
[Introduction]
Professor Taylor's article in your issue of April 23 deals with an important question, but does not appear to me to do more than restate part of the problem. No honest attempt is made by the Professor to consider possible approaches to the question. He admits personal bias in his last paragraph, and then proceeds to make two definite statements. He adduces no proof for the latter one except the quoting of Russell and Whitehead, neither of whom, although eminent in their particular fields, can be called impartial or even remotely so when dealing with religious matters.
In his opening paragraph, the Profession states the fundamental questions, or some of them anyway. "Is there a God" is a question which must be answered if one is to have any logic in religion at all. The article fails to state whether attempts have been made to answer the question, and whether any success has attended such efforts. The way in which the article omits to draw attention to the endeavours in this field by men as eminent as the learned professor or even Earl Russell leaves the inference that the only satisfactory answers are supplied by faith alone. Later on an effort is made to whittle away the bases of faith, and this leaves an uninformed reader with the general impression that religious belief is after all an unstable and unreliable thing.
I have not time, and I do not desire to occupy the space to deal thoroughly with the article as it stands. It is a shallow treatment of what it admits is a vital subject, but it covers a very wide field, and therefore requires an extensive rebuttal.