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Moral Essay No. 2.

[By Coleman Phillips.]

Every feeling of gratitude of the human heart, at present directed to Christ, can be better and more easily given to God, our Maker. We are all His children, and our eyes and brain, form, as it were a camera, placing us in direct touch with His infinite mind, which pervades the Universe. We but see and act as He wishes, yet has He given us the moral consciousness to know when to act rightly. For nineteen centuries we have forsaken Him, to worship one of His erring children, Jesus Christ, the creation of the Alexandrian creedmongers. Time it is to turn back to Him and bow our heads in all humility to the first Commandment, "Thou shalt have no other Gods but me."

The present inferior moral standards from the New Testament may be be divided into two parts (1) objectionable lessons (2) unsound doctrine. These should not be allowed in our Sunday schools, as they are detrimental to the childrens' welfare and harmony.

There is no hope of harmonious relations between capital and labour under present trinitarian standards. The classes are not equal when there is only one "lawfully begotten son of God"; the female sex is not considered in the Trinity, and the doctrine of the Virgin birth is contra virtutem.

The Anglo-Saxon work people very properly no longer tolerate gospel teaching. The Church, from its foundation has always joined the State in oppressing or exploiting the poor for war purposes and church aggrandizement, and unless its teaching is very materially altered it always "will do so. On the other hand the poor have always been foolish in bringing more children into the world than they could support.

What I have to say in this essay is not to give offence to anyone, but to ward off from New Zealand the grave future danger of religious intolerence and secterianism. I have no wish to see Roman and Protestant flying at each other's throats; and I respectfully contend that New Zealanders should abandon Trinitarianism in favour of God's simple worship. There is already keen rivalry between the sects, and many of the late second ballots were fought upon the sectarian issue.

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I object to no mans religion, Roman or Protestant. My objection is against the doctrine of the Trinity; (1.) As being beneath the dignity of mankind, seeing that we are all God's children, and; (2) As against the wants of the Britich Empire, seeing that the nations comprising it are but brother men and sister women who should worship God alike. There is but one God for any battleship or army corps, but He has no wish for men to slay each other. Our view to-day of the Creator is different to what it was and He must look with pity upon nations slaying each other. Who but the church has so hurled them for its own aggrandizement ?

What possible use is there for Peace Conferences at the Hague, or an Andrew Carnegie, or European Federationists to lessen armaments, when the policy of the chief christian churches is to keep nations not only divided from each other, but each internally torn with dissension and domestic strife, in order that they may rule. This is why I say now that the flag of Humanity must float above the Cross, in order to stop the rebarbarisation of Europe. To say it is not barbarisation, spending three hundred millions (one fifth of our income) annually upon the armies and navies as Europe is doing, is folly. Far better the poor to have a ghastly war every two or three years than that this awful expenditure should be annually incurred in the cause of peace.

We have an army of half a million christian clerics, the majority of whom are secretly glad to see the world in arms. The face of God is the mirror of joy, but Christianity revels in blood, misery, and slaughter. I charge the Roman Curia, not the Roman Laity, with secretly encouraging the Dreadnought policy to punish France for throwing off the christian yoke! I charge the Procurator of the Holy Russian Synod with sinking Russia in horror, shame and bloodshed, in order that the masses may be kept in ignorance. What I wish to tell the European Laity is that their present church leaders are not the gentle shepherds they wish to be taken for, but the most bitter enemies the Nations have; wolves in sheep's clothing, secretly delighting in the re-barbarisation of the Nations, because that is the only way for them to stop now the modern spirit of advancement and improvement, and the relegation of their gospel myths into obscurity. If this is not so, why have we a world in arms, with half a million clerics preaching peace two or three times a dry on Sundays ? And if they are not the guilty organisations I charge them with being, of what use are their hollow protestations to humanity ?

Poets, hymn writers, artists, sculptors, and now the press have all been urged to how themselves to a mistaken worship, and it is left to a few individual writers to proclaim the truth, and preserve human liberty and advancement. These only derive odium, and no personal advantage from so doing, but they carry out God's behests.

Sectarianism is not diminishing, but strengthening in New Zealand, and soon it will have the whole people in its page 3 horrid grasp. If we have shown the way in useful civil laws, and a wider Imperialism, let us try and amend the present inferior moral laws for all our good King's subjects. We are a new nation, and surely we can appeal for a wider religious cult !

Moreover Christianity is too sad a religion. It is too full of sorrow—sorrow, sin and death. There is more light than darkness in the world : more sunshine than storm; more happiness than sorrow, and it is these great gifts of God the people want to be told of. Hope is our lifelong blessing, not sorrow. We have kept the Bible out of our schools so far. Let us continue to keep it, seeing that we can better train the children in truth, harmony and virtue; three lessons Trinitarianism does not inculcate. There is no room in the Trinity for a female, and the Churches have never stood for female rights.

The Hag of humanity must float above the Cross. Readily would I say, "Have the bible back in our schools, with all its human imperfections but the Cross is fatal to human progress and truth. There are a hundred thousand fallen women in London alone, whom the churches have never attempted to save, because the New Testament has never inculcated virtue; and its marriage law has not made for human happiness. The Salvation Army has done better rescue work than all the churches combined. We want to lead more inexpensive lives so that our young men and maidens may marry earlier and not fall away from virtue. Fatherhood and motherhood are holy things, and two or three children are God's blessings in any home, no matter how lowly. I write what I do to save my sisters from falling. Truly our moral laws have been too hard against those who have but obeyed, too blindly perhaps, Nature's laws. Christ's own birth, as I say, was contra virtutem. Moreover the utter sadness and despair of New Testament teaching is against God, who wishes us to be merry and joyful, or why has he given us laughter, which is often the best medicine ? What is more cheery than children's laughter ! And are they not God's gifts to us ? Yet the Churches manipulate the marriage laws for their own advancement. The sects are not to be allowed now to intermarry. And after death we are rigidly divided in our graves. Goodness, love and happiness form a better Trinity than that of the Cross. But what has the Book of Matthew to say regarding these great things ? Nothing ! Its whole gospel is full of devilry and gloom, and its divorce law is derided by the nations.

Now as to objectionable Gospel lessons, which should be excluded from our Sunday Schools.

1.	The No-License movement is a direct rebellion against Christ's encouragement of wine drinking. The children must be taught to entirely abstain from strong drink. This Mahomet taught.
2.	Christ came not to bring peace but a sword, and the Nations have been hurled against each other for centuries. It is absurd therefore to call him the "Prince of Peace," or page 4 to say that he loved his fellows; and no child should be so taught. He never truly loved his fellow men when he said "he brought the sword." The poor in all European nations suffer greatly from this teaching, and the consequent growth of armies and navies. Buddha and Confucius counselled peace, not war. There was not a battleship or standing army corps in all Asia until we forced these terrible things upon them. Under the Cross we are forcing every nation and colony to resort to arms. Our war tax here will be very heavy directly, and further raise the cost of living. There is no true happiness in men devoting their lives to war. The Nemesis of forcing China into Christianity, and a consequent war policy, will be a second Tamerlane. Is German armament directed solely against England ? How do we know but that the clerical party there, which supports naval expansion, is not urged on, as well as in Austria, Italy, and Spain, to build Dread [unclear: oughts] to crush France, seeing that Germany has no fleet in the Mediterranean. In this way the Church "brings the sword" upon any recalcitrant nation. In this way Trinitarianism is the canker worm of God. and the curse of the poor. Nelson's "Victory" cost £100,000. A Dreadnought two millions ! Are the poor twenty times better off now ? No I Indeed, no I God asks no Nation to light the other ! But France has to be punished and she will be.
3.	His command "to give all we have to the poor" is so opposed to justice that we have the curse now of "the trusts" as against his teaching. Buddha and Mahomet taught "Give the surplus you have to the poor." Why have not our capitalists been similarly taught ? It is the only way to make them considerate to others. Andrew Carnegie follows Buddhist teaching.
4.	The parable of the unjust steward thoroughly deserved the derision of the Pharisees, seeing that nothing more immoral could be taught by any man (Luke c. 16 vi. to II.) Under this teaching (granting of rebates) the trust monopolies have reared their hidious heads. How can the poor be content if capitalists grasp everything ? It is so easy to sink into poverty. Christ should have warned people how to avoid poverty, in place of encouraging them to become paupers.
5.	His parable "of the payment of labourers" was absolutely unjust, viz:—to pay all alike. No one follows it. We pay according to work done, or there would be no enticement to good work.
6.	His command to "Resist not Evil," is most harmful. Our duty is to resist evil all our days, to our dying breath.
7.	He taught the doctrine of non-resistence which places the meek at the mercy of the strong. Every boy at school should be brave, and resist wrong doing. His teaching should have been "Ye who are strong, be merciful to the weak ! Do not increase your strength to their disadvantage !"page 5
8.	His command "not to strike back, but to turn the other cheek," would only breed a race of bullies and cowards. The teaching should have been, "strike no one without just cause !"
9.	His encouragement of vagrancy : That New Zealand swaggers, without a swag, are the best Christians. This is as bad as hoarding wealth, and not dividing it with the poor. To be virtuous and happy one has to work for a living, seeing that wealth and idleness entail many evils. There is no record of Christ ever doing a single day's work, so that it is absurd to depict him with a carpenters kit in his hand. Between the ages of 12 and 30 nothing is known of what He did ? Fancy having a God whose whole life is so unknown ! Moses, Buddha, Mahomet and Confucius lives are well known, and they are not Gods. It is exceedingly doubtful whether Jesus Christ really lived here at all. (See the "Resemblances to Buddha" later on.)
10.	His teaching, "think not of the morrow;" 'shows anything but love for humanity, seeing we are all bound to teach our children differently. They must think of the future, so as to avoid the pitfall of poverty and to be good men and women.
11.	Improvidence and thriftlessness are special Gospel lessons. Children must be provident and thrifty. The command "to give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away," no one follows, as its observance would only create an army of loafers and spongers. Poverty is very rightly avoided and despised. Yet the whole New Testament teaching is one of pure vagrancy. England under "The Friars," who followed Christ's teaching to the letter, was a disgrace to human civilization. Wherein did he love humanity by giving such commands? The Sermon upon the Mount is absolutely impractical.
12.	His direct disencouragement of our laying up any provision for our old age, our parents, our wives, or children or times of sickness. We all very rightly disobey this teaching, in our life insurance societies, and savings banks and other proper ways.
13.	His command "Think not what ye shall wear," when we all do so. Even insects are beautifully arrayed by God.
14.	Similarly as to what we shall eat or drink, when our duty is to be very careful in that respect.
15.	His denial of his mother a most pernicious lesson; (Mat. C. 12 v 8.) Children should not be taught that, as their highest duty on earth is to honour and obey their parents. In face of this terrible lesson, no child should regard gospel teaching with anything but dislike.
16.	His cursing the tig tree because the poor tree had no fruit out of season. It is wrong to curse anybody or anything. Why the poor rig tree ?
17.	His injustice to the Gaderene swine, by chasing the devils out of the afflicted men, into the pigs, and causing the latter to rush into the water and be drowned page 6 (Mat. C. 5 13.) No child need believe in devils, as there are none. African children believe the devil to be white.
18.	His constant reference to a personal devil or devils, whereas there is no devil, but ignorance or fear. Goodness is knowledge, and evil is ignorance. As we learn more of God's laws, evils disappear like fog in the morning sunlight.
19.	His constant driving out of devils, is the practice of African witch doctors. No medical man follows it, or even allows its correctness. It is quite wrong to injure children's minds by devil teaching of any kind. There are devil worshippers even in Europe to the present day.
20.	His constant reference to a distinct place of torment called Hell, whereas all sensible people have quietly dropped that teaching. Under the "Hell and Purgatory" dogmas the Clergy have levied their heaviest toll upon humanity. What joy of life can there be in Hell and Purgatory ? (The ladies are now forming optmistic clubs as a revulsion against Gospel teaching.)
21.	Similarly to a distinct place in the sky called Heaven, yet inconsistently saying that "Heaven is within us" (numerous pictures are extant of his ascending into Heaven.) God himself and Heaven and Hell are here. The children would grow into far better men and women if they were taught that New Zealand, or any special habitat, is their only Heaven and their only Hell, just as they make it.
22.	His command "to give our cloak if we lose our coat at law" is pernicious, and no one thinks of following.
23.	Similarly not one of us would go two miles if another forced us to go one. All such lessons are untruthful and therefore immoral. What true love for humanity is there in allowing some bully to drag us two miles when we refuse to go one.
24.	His advice "to cut off a hand or foot," and therefore go through life halt and maimed, was cruel teaching, and has been literally followed in scores of thousands of instances, entailing much human misery. (Mat. 18. 8.) The Spaniards, the true christian cross bearers, used to baptise the gentle inhabitants of South America, and then slay them in thousands.
25.	Similarly as to plucking out an eye (Mat 18 9), and cutting a man asunder (Mat. 24. 51.) This was pure savagery—Many of the first Caliphs actually had men cut in halves. The Roman Church also followed this immoral law to a terrible extent. Bishop Odo of Bayeux regularly plucked out the eyes or cut off one hand or foot of his English captives.
26.	Similarly as to his advocacy of torture (Mat. 18 34 .) The whole of Matthew is tilled as I say with cruelty, devils, horror, and torture. There is hardly a ray of joy or happiness to mankind in it. Yet it is upon this book that the doctrine of the Trinity is chiefly founded.
27.	Similarly his teaching "For unto everyone that bath shall be given, and from him that hath nothing shall page 7 be taken away" (Mat. C. 25, v. 29.) This was very cruel teaching for the poor. Why should those that have plenty still get more ? The teaching should be "Give to those who hath naught, and who are deserving of it."
28.	Similarly as to his curses, "Ye Serpents ! Ye generations of Vipers ! How can ye escape the damnation of Hell ?" (Mat. c. 23 v. 33.) Were such curses of benefit to mankind ? Children should curse no one !
29.	His teaching that "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living," is subversive of all feelings of reverence for our Creator. (Mat. c. 22 v. 32.) God is God of everything in the universe.
30.	His failure to condemn the practice of slavery led to all the horrors of the Negro slave trade. England and the Northern United States of America had to adopt a more moral humanitarian view (The Clerics say we are not to be humanitarian, but servile followers of this extremely bad teaching. They always stood by the slave owners. Yet slaveholder are usually themselves slaves.)
31.	His condemnation to hell tire for saying "Thou fool" is absurd. Nearly every child uses the term to another in perfect innocence. Indeed, he uses it himself (Mat. 23, 17), as well as his immediate disciples.
32.	His doctrine of Faith is totally opposed to our necessary enquiry into the Natural Laws of God, and threw Europe into a thousand years of darkness, from which it is only just emerging Christianity still wishes us to have "faith," and live in darkness and danger as at Messina and other Italian cities, where images of Saints were carried in procession to ward off earthquake damage. This, in place of building secure houses, properly wired or cramped with iron bands.
33.	His doctrine of the "Keys of Heaven," gives the Roman Catholic Church its claim for supremacy; divides New Zealand into two hostile camps of Roman and Protestant, and will cause our children, in coming years, to fly at each other's throats in civil strife, as has already been the case for centuries elsewhere. Children ! Love one another, no matter which Church your parents attend, and allow no Priesthood to divide you ! Whenever you are told such a one is a Wesleyan, or Roman, or Presbyterian, make friends with him !
34.	His utter want of any scientific or refined knowledge is very objectionable, as there is no incentive under the Cross for any child to be refined or scientific. Indeed scientific knowledge is tabood by the Church, which has always stubbornly stood in the way of human progress and advancement.
35.	His subjection of women. These have suffered for 1800 years in consequence. Never having had a wife, he could not appreciate a woman or a daughter's love. What her man (if he really lived at all) would have repudiated his own mother.
36.	His law of divorce "the woman, not the man to be divorced for adultery; the husband, not an independant page 8 judge, to grant the decree." Divorce also only to be granted for one sided adultery, and not for cruelty, incompatibility, or desertion. Every true woman should recoil with indignation from such a command. As a result we have the far too easy divorce laws of the United States. The world simply recoils from such teaching. We have now the Roman and Presbyterian Priesthoods prohibiting mixed marriages. The proper answer to that is for the different States not only to cancel the clerical licenses to marry, but to forbid them becoming Registrars of births or deaths. The whoie of these are civil rights, with which the clergy has nothing to do. They arrogate these rights to themselves, for clerical domination, but the people will do well to keep their necks from the clerical heel. The Roman Laity in New Zealand, are as good staunch men as any in the British Empire. It is their Priesthood, equally with other Priesthoods I object to, as anxious to bring this fair new land under the clerical heel.
37.	But the most shocking teaching was that of division in the family, viz : that the father should be divided from the son, the mother from the daughter, the mother-in-law from the daughter-in-law, and that a man's foes should be of his own household (Mat. 10, v. 35-36) No human teacher has ever said worse than that. Dumb animals are more loving to their offspring. Children must obey and reverence their parents and live in harmony with their fellows.
38.	Similarly his offer of a "hundred-fold and eternal life" to anyone "who would forsake brethren or sisters, father or mother, wife or children to follow him," was the most awful bribe ever made to the human race. Let no child follow it. Any cleric teaching such a doctrine can only feel himself a degraded human being; contemptible in the sight of his fellow men. Let no child aim at being such a preacher, or joining such a Ministry. How can it be said that New Testament teaching is superior to that of the Bible, because it shows more love to mankind, in face of such a deliberate bribe as this to break up the home ? The clergy condemn the Bible because the lex talion is—(an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth)—is preached, in a few verses. The Psalms of David contain no such doctrine. Why condemn the whole book, on account of one of its laws, and extol the beauty of Christ's teaching in condemning his own mother, and tearing parent and child, or husband and wife asunder ?
39.	In the parable of the "Talents" usury was directly and specially encouraged (Mat. c 25.) This is a very bad moral lesson. The Bible showed far more love for the poor in speaking against usury and decreeing a jubilee year.
40.	The clergy now call Christ the ideal socialist and depict Him with a modern carpenter's kit in his hand, in order to capture trade unionism. But it has not yet been shown that he really followed his trade. His father was the carpenter. He appears rather to have followed the true vagrant life, prophesying—("Nowhere to lay his head")— page 9 to his poor mother's intense sorrow and regret. Trade unionists cannot trust the clerics in this matter, who will naturally say anything to advance their special religious organisations.
41.	He did not marry; a very bad example to mankind. Young people should marry as soon as they ran reasonably afford to do so. No unmarried person knows the real joy of wife, husband and children, and the holiness of fatherhood and motherhood.
42.	He preferred the company of wine bibbers and sinners to honest people. People should keep away from drinkers and sinners, as they will do them no good. What do they think of public house loafers to-day ?
43.	He lived upon the hospitality of his friends and would even take food from an enemy. It is better to be independent and earn your own food supply.
44.	He abandoned John the Baptist, and fled directly that teacher of his was imprisoned. It is better for people to be loyal to their teachers and never to desert a friend !
45.	When he wanted an animal to ride he did not consult the owner. Our social laws severely punish anyone stealing a horse or mule.
46.	He preached forgiveness, yet damned his enemies. Children will do well not to think bitterly of anyone, and try and conquer hate with love.
47.	The lesson "If a man come to me and hate not his father, mother, wife, children, brethren and sisters, yea his own life also, cannot be my disciple," should certainly not be allowed in our Sunday Schools, as the most degraded races of mankind, posses higher moral teaching. An Australian Aborigine was never taught to hate his father, mother, wife and children. Where is the love in this ? How can men be expected to attend Church where such teaching is given as Holy Gospel. Even, the women will see directly that such lessons are injurious to their children.
48.	His claims (A) That all things are delivered to himself alone; (B) To be the only true Mediator; (c) That God revealed himself only through him; (D) That every power is giuen alone to him; (E) That he was equal with God; (F) That everything, God could do he could do; (G) Higher knowledge; (H) To be king of men's consciences; (I) To alter the moral law of the Ten Commandments; (j) That no man could convict him of sin, etc., are all quite untenable and unworthy to be taught in the Sunday Schools. Dr McConnell of All Souls Church startled the Episcopal Congress in Boston lately, by stating, "that nothing but a tissue of lies was taught in the Sunday Schools and strongly combated the opinion of Sunday school committees, "that it was unsafe to teach otherwise." There is no danger in teaching God's love and saving grace for us. The danger lies in continuing Christian paganism, blood-thirstiness and sectarian enmity. The German Emperor prides himself upon being a Christian clergyman, and doubtless the Russian Emperor does the same. Thank God, our good King Edward never essays such a roll. The Church of God is for the whole earth, not for any one page 10 people or sect. The teachings of Buddha, Confucius, Mahommed, and others are vastly superior to gospel claims—and in ssme things they are worse. But God's love for us is superior to all. It is this Old Testament love the clerics preach now, yet tumble over each other in calling It Christ's.
49.	The absence of merriment, joy and happiness from Trinitarianism, as I have repeately said, is non ethical, seeing that God wishes us to be really merry. Instead, the churches rule by threat, tyranny and fear, the very garb of some of its nuns being a shame in God's sight. No woman should be compelled to submit to so much suffering all her life, as to see nothing but funereal trappings surrounding her. Our duty is to be optimistic and not to look upon the darkest side of life. Matthew contains 44 references to the devil—a non-existent being. The Bible Society is absolutely unjustified in distributing such a book among ignorant nations. England's great task is to uplift the dark races; not to sink them lower into devil worship or fear.
50.	The absence of any law of land sub-division from Christ's teaching, and the Christian Church is highly immoral, and the chief root of non-harmony in the classes. It would have been quite easy for him to have commanded the excellent law of "land sub-division at death (Gavelkind)" ruling amongst the Teutonic Nations in his own life time, had he been a good law giver, which he was not, as hardly one of his commands bears modern investigation. Instead, Pope Hildebrand (Gregory VII) insisted upon feudalism in Europe, which directly led to all the horrors of land accumulation in Britain and the oversea dominions, so that the Roman Church is directly responsible for all the land evils Australasia suffers under now. The atrocities of Ireland would never have happened had it not been for the essential christian teaching of feudalism, which has ruled now for nearly eight centuries. The land never sub-divided amongst the people. Hence their rebellions. But they should have rebelled against their priesthood, not against England, seeing that Gregory VII had brought on the huge estates. No one else is responsible but the vaulting ambition of that one Pope. Not one of the Christian Churches has ever asked for land sub-division, or the abolition of the drink traffic; or the amelioration of the lot of the poor; proving that there has never been any true love for humanity in New Testament teaching, (See Gravelkind, trans. N.Z. Inst. Vol. XVI, 1883.)
51.	Patriotism is entirely absent also from Trinitarianism. There is nothing in the New Testament about it. People are taught to be loyal to their church before being loyal to their King. Why should they not first be loyal to the King ?
52.	Paternal and ancestral reverence is also absent from the New Testament, as Christ totally ignored his father Joseph, and denied his mother Surely a spirit of patriotism and reverence for our parents should be taught the children in our Sunday Schools ?
53.	The total absence of any moral precepts inculcating education or mental improvement is greatly against the Gospels. Under Confucius the whole Chinese nation improved page 11 itself in this respect, and then remained stationary : proving that the good in any religious cult only lasts a certain time. Whatever good there was in Christianity ended when William the Norman conquered England, for it was about that time Pope Hiidebrand brought in all the evils of land accumulation—or feudalism—from which the Anglo-Saxon people have suffered since. It has been not only powerless, for but absolutely hostile to human good since. The charge against it at present is that Europe is reverting to barbarism. Not, a single one of the churches has attempted to stay the reversion. A mistake has been made in New Zealand in allowing the Roman Catholic Priesthood to establish separate schools, which enables that body to apply it's old, old maxim "Divide to Rule," and so keep the people at enmity with each other. It is manifsstly unfair to the Roman Catholic Laity, thus to mark their children for separation among their school fellows. The Church policy of keeping each nation at enmity, and the people of each individual nation in domestic enmity, has succeeded admirably, and the only hope for escape is for all peoples to abandon Trinitarianism, and turn back to the worship of God, as inculcated in the Bible. Protestant clergy in New Zealand, should combine to keep the schools strictly secular, and refrain as much as possible from Trinitarian teaching in their pulpits. If they do not care to do that, let them at once declare themselves Roman Catholic, and then we shall know how we stand in educational matters. What they are doing is to bring in the "Nelson" system, which simply means all the evils of denominationalism. The more religions any people are, the greater number of criminals they furnish. The ratio of criminals in the United States of America is, 2.7 per 1000 including the clergy; but among the clergy themselves the ratio is 13.3 per 1000, or very nearly five times as many. In 1898 the criminal convictions in New Zealand were 26.92 per 10,000 (practicelly the same as in America) under secular, education : and 66.00 for New South Wales under denominational or theological education, or 2½ times as many. No clergyman should be elected upon any school committee, or entrusted with the education of the young until Trinitarian doctrines are abandoned. At present they only make hypocrites of the children, as two thirds of them don't believe, or do not understand the pagan myths they teach.

Let anyone quietly read the Gospels at home for him or herself, apart from any cleric, and see whether the above objections are not fully justified. At the same time all the good teaching we find in them (mostly borrowed from other teachers, especially Buddha, and interpolated by subsequent dishonest clergy viz., the Alexandrian creedmongers), we need not give up. That is ours by right, and we can certainly take any advantage from all previous human philosophy. Whatever good thoughts Christ gave utterance to, these also are ours. He was only a Jewish peasant and the philosophy ascribed to him does not approach that of Moses or David in the Old Testament. There is not a newspaper in New Zealand which does not utter at times page 12 equally good thoughts for our guidance. But we do not deify the newspapers ?

Furthermore, I do not say there are no good men in the ranks of the clergy. There are many such, but they would be far better Ministers of God than of Christ, if allowed so to be by their Bishops, Presbyteries or Assemblies. But they are not allowed, they are compelled to bend the knee to a most harmful Trinitarianism, harmful in the light of modern thought. This is God's earth, not Christs'. The nations are God's children, not Christs; and we should have but the one Church and the one God.

Resemblances to Buddha.—Of all the ancient philosophers Moses stands pre-eminent; Buddha and Confucius following next in importance. The creed mongers of Alexandria, who chiefly wrote the books of the New Testament, in the opinion of able critics manufactured Jesus Christ from start to finish by plagiarizing Buddha, but their alterations and departures, as I have above shown, will not bear modern criticism. There were the two Trinities (Brahma Vishnu and Siva; Father, Son and Holy Ghost.) Both had genealogies from Kings. Both had virgin mothers. Both promised salvation. The conception of each was announced by a divine messenger (Platos' mother, Perictione immaculately conceived him by Apollo—the Goddess mother of Æneas often appeared to him. The Roman Rhea Sylvia by Mars, etc., etc. Homer and Greek history are full of immaculate conceptions.) Both were visited by wise men with gifts. Both were presented in the temple. Both children grew and waxed strong in spirit. Both discoursed before teachers. Both fasted in the wilderness. Both were tempted. Angels or devatas ministered to each. Both bathed in the rivers for baptismal purposes. The mission of each was proclaimed by a voice from Heaven. Both performed miracles. Both sent out desciples. In calling these deciples the command of each was "Follow me !" Buddha preached on the Holy Hill, Christ his sermon upon the mount. The phraseology of both sermons is practically the same. The story of the Prodigal Son is in both scriptures, so is the account of the man born blind. In both the mustard seed is a simile for littleness. Both referred to the house or city built upon sand. Both speak of the rain which falls on the just and unjust. Both received distinguished visitors at night (Nicodemus and the wealthy man.) A conevrted courtezan follows each. Each has a traitor. Both made triumphal entries. Both proclaimed kingdoms not of this world—(their fundamental error, as God, Heaven, and Hell are here.) The eternal life of Christ is the same as the eternal peace of Buddha. But Buddha never made the terrible list of 53 blunders I have referred to above in his dealing with humanity. It was left to the plagarist creed mongers of Alexandria to compose the four Gospels and Acts, and the slightest investigation shows what slovenly, illogical and conflicting writers they were. Christ's genealogy is utterly different in the Gospels, and the account of his burial and ressurection from the four books, would not be accepted as evidence by any J.P. in New page 13 Zealand. From start to finish the Alexandrian creed mongers purposely jumbled their work so as to cover their plagiaries from Buddha's life. The nations should therefore alter the date of the world, by conceding to modern knowledge, and cease counting the years from New Testament history. In place of B.C. and A.D., I advise adding to our thousands, in deference to former human history, the figure one; thus making the present years 11,909. That would throw back human history another ten thousand years, which it should be.

Buddha's gentle teaching and avoidance of war, was not acceptable to the fierce Alexandrian zealots, who specially brought the sword in their gospels, and well have the Christian and Mahommedan Churches followed their lead. It was the black Monks of Alexandra, the followers of the creed mongers, who tore the gentle Hypatia limb from limb, as the New Zealand clerics would tear me to-day, for writing as I am doing, save that I am protected by section 150 of The Crimes Act, 1908." There is no love for humanity in the New Testament or the Churches of to-day. (The Salvation Army is an organisation especially humanitarian.) Our Liberal legislation in New Zealand is humanitarian; but by no process of reasoning can we say that Christ's teaching, to give all we have to the poor," "not to lay up anything for our wives or children," "to despise our mothers," "I do not bring peace but a sword." "To break away from our parents, wives, and children" so as to be the foolish followers of absurd commands—by no process can we say that that teaching is humanitarian.