Flowers of Freethought (Second Series)Foote, G. W. (George William)
Religion
Flowers of Freethought (Second Series)
Foote, G. W. (George William)
Free thought
Mr. Keir Hardie calls himself a Christian. He does not say, however, if
he believes in the supernatural part of the Gospels. Does he accept
the New Testament miracles? Does he embrace the Incarnation and
Resurrection? If he does, he is a Christian. If he does not, he has no
more right to call himself a Christian than we have to be designated a
Buddhist or a Mohammedan.
The Christianity of the schools, Mr. Keir Hardie says, is dead or dying.
By this he means "the old theological sects." But here we should like
him to be more explicit. Does he think there can be a Christianity
_without_ "theology"? Or does he mean that the "sects" comprise all
persons who have more theology than himself?
But if the Christianity of the schools is dead or dying, the
"humanitarian Christianity of Christ is again coming to the front." Now
what _is_ this humanitarian Christianity of Christ? Upon this point Mr.
Keir Hardie throws but a single ray of light. "The whole of Christ's
teachings and conduct," he says, "proves that he was intensely
interested in the bodily welfare of those with whom he came in contact
as a preparative to their spiritual well-being." This is a clear
statement; all we now want is the clear proof. Mr. Keir Hardie should
give it. We believe he cannot; nay, we defy him to do so. It is idle
to cite the so-called "miracles of healing." They were occasional and
special; they had as much effect on the "bodily welfare" of the Jewish
people as tickling has on the gait of an elephant; and as for
their being a "preparative to spiritual well-being," we may ask the
"humanitarian Christians of Christ" to tell us, if they can, how much
of this quality was afterwards displayed by the ladies and gentlemen
who were the lucky subjects (or objects) of Christ's miracles. Mr.
Keir Hardie might also recollect that the said miracles, if they ever
happened, are of no "bodily" importance to the present generation.
Humanitarians of to-day are unable to work miracles; they have to sow
the seed of progress, and await its natural harvest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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