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THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1929.

GOD, PAIN, AND IMMORTALITY."

THE DEBATE ON "PAIN" WHICH RUNS THROUGH

THE BIBLE.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF MARTYRDOM,

CANON STREETER'S ABLE DISCOURSE

AT CATHEDRAL HALL.

Canon Streeter gave a very able address yesterday, before a large-audience-at-St. John's Cathedral Hall, on the subject of "God, Pain and Immortality." I do not propose," said "the speaker, to put forward any new solution of my own of the problem of pain, but to call your attention to the long debate on the subject that runs through the Bible."

The address in this form was more than ordinarily interest- ing and gave enlightenracht on many pointa which have puzzled both believers and non-believers with regard to the problem of the reconciliation of pain and suffering with the belief in "One God and He good."

The Bishop of Victoria (the Right Reverend C. Duppuy), in- troduced Canoa Streeter. "We had been fortunate," he said, in having in the last three years visits from three eminent Christian preachers, the Bishop of London, Miss Maud Royden, and now Canon Streeter. These visits tend to keep us in touch with the larger Christian movements and are a roal stimulus."

"

‘ONE GOD, AND HE GOOD."

Job, a Foetic Drama. The main point to grasp about the book of Job, said the speaker, was that it was a poetic drama, a problem play-like "some of the great Greek tragedies or Goethe's Faust." It discusses in dramatic form a fundamental moral issue,

WES B

15

The Pain of the Innocent. Old fallacies died hard and the notion that misfortune penalty was still alive at the time of Christ. A question involving both issues of this belief was pul to Him Did this man sin or his' parents that he was born blindi Christ answered neither, and on an- other. ocension raised the same question by reference to the tower of Siloam, and again answered it in the negative. In the Sermon on the Mount He said, "He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good."

Christ's own life raised the prob lem of pain and the innocent. It was not surprising that a large -part-of-the-New Testament was a reflection on the meaning of the Cross of Christ, and this reflection followed three main lince,

First that God, in the New Testament, was not A mere on- looker of the world's pain, but through the cross entered into it. Secondly, the suggestion, of the 53rd chapter of Isiah-the philosophy of martyrdom-was worked out in the particular case of Christ. Thirdly, that suffering faced in the right spirit might be made fruitful, and fertilise the soul by an inward ex- perience.

"By Suffering He Was Made Perfect.

Canon Streeter then went on to

Tho Amplify these three themes. conception of God in the Old Testa- ment was, be said, far removed from the philosophical conception. ef God in Greek, and to some ex- tent in Indian thought, of a passion- less remote entity. God of the Old Testament was very full of life, Buffering was not a thing wholly ex- termal to Him and in some sense He shared it. In all their affic tians He was afflicted," said Isiah. The Cross of Christ was the expres sion in time of something eternal in the experience of God.

NO

MAN IS A HERO

4

TO HIS VALET

BUT EVERY MAN WHO

USES A

"VALET"

AUTO-STROP RAZOR

CALLS

IT 4 HERO.

For it shaves him in half the time with the Minimum Trouble and the Maximum Ease."

Canon Streeter began by saying. that in the evening he was to speak about the conflict of science and religion. Apart from that question the most difficult of all problem was if one could reconcile the fact of pain with belief in a benevolent divine providence-" one God and

The real meaning of the Atone- ment was obscured for the modern He good." The problem of evil

The first scene was in heaven, a reader because it is stated in terms was from the intellectual' point of reception at the Divine Court, at of sacrificial rites, which for more than a thousand years have been view less pressing than the problem which Satan was present, not as

unfamiliar to the minds of people of good, it was more easy to ex- the opponent of God but as His in Europe. But to the Jews blood plain the evil in the world in the chief detective officer. The charac- was the symbol of life and the hypothesis that there was no bene-ter of Job was stated, giving the shedding of blood meant the offer- ing of the sacrifice of life. The volent God, than to explain the key to the plot of the whole drama, death of Christ was the logical con- good in the world on the hypothesis Satan says it pays him to be sequence of a complete offering of that there was no God. "I do not good," and the point there raised, His will to God, the expression of the philosophy of martyrdom. St. propose," the speaker continued, was important for, if in life pros- Paul though in one sense he re- to put forward any new solution perity was always the accompani-garded it na unique, did not regard ef my own of the problem of pain, meat of virtue and misfortune of it a different in kind from the heroic actions of other men who but to call your attention to the vice honesty would no longer be made sacrifices for a good cause. long debate on the subject that runs

In the epistle to the Hebrews, St through the Bible. There were, honesty but merely policy. Satan

"Whom the Lord he aid, certain special reasons is then in the next act allowed to Paul quotes which made this question one which bring on Job z series of crushing loveth the chasteneth," and he pro- pressed particularly strongly on misfortunes, but Job's reaction to ceeds to apply it to the case of the leaders of Hebrew religious them is the reverse of what Satan Christ who, he says, learnt obedi- ence by suffering. He was made thought. For more than 700 years said it would be. There follows an- before the birth of Christ there other reception in the Divine Court perfect by suffering." That clearly were only short intervals during and Job's conduct is reported upon. implied that Christ did not reach inevitable condition of loyal service. | LECTURE AT ST. JOHN'S which the Jews were not under the Satan says "You have only touch the full maturity of his moral The analogy between the soldier heel of some great and cruci warlded his property, touch him him- stature, as man, apart from this ex-

and the Christian was found in the The fact that it was New Testament; by the way in empire. The methods of rule of self," and is given permission to perience.

stated in that way was interesting which He faced sufering Christ these barbarians were oppressive afflict Job with boils.

There was a good deal of cant

was made perfect. and unjust and the Hebrews gained

Christ healed disease, proving an Acute experience of the fact of

talked about the good effect of

that He did not suffering which though true in one

think pain of itself to be a good thing, but the sense was untrue in another.

power to react to suffering in the super animal way was two-thirds of what was meant by the Grace of The animal God." To endure with cheerful. Rose was, ensier when doing a heroic reaction to pain was resentment, depression and deterioration; but action, when it was a duty, but mah was more than animal and it it was far more difficult to endure was open to him to react in a the kind of suffering which in super-animal way, and only then did capacitated for work and made the suffering become a thing, which sufferer a burden to others. But purified the soul and enobled the history had shown that it was pos- character. This super-animal reac sible and a person who lind over- tion had been in all ages the come pain was a focus of inspira. tradition of the soldier, and the Ition.

evil.

The third act takes place on earth again, and shows the visit of Job's three friends. They say God Earlier than any other race they is just and therefore you must have hed arrived at the idea of One God done something wrong to be so and He good. Pain and evil were, punished." Then follows a dialogue the speaker continued, only a prob- in which the friends ram home their lem if you held such a belief; they point and Job answers every one existed in any case, but it was with the same words, No, have hard to understand why they exist-done nothing to deserve this." ed if you believed in one bene In the marvellous description of the wonder, beauty and majesty of the created universe which follows argument is attempted, but the impression, left upon the mind is that the power responsible for all this must be right, though the in

volent God. If there were

gods some good and some evil, or o God at all there was no reason.

to suppose that everything should work out for good or for human happiness."

telleet of man cannot understand how.

"Whom the Lord Loveth He

Chasteneth."

Group, or Family Responsibility.

Because they had this idea of one God and He pood the first solution of the problem clearly formulated by the prophet Amos, who was the

That, said Canon Streeter, closed hrst to set down his philosophy in writing, was that the great cala-the first chapter of the debate mities, famine: oppression. etc., which explained pain as penalty were a punishment for sins com-for sin. The next chapter attempt- mitted. At this period the Hebrewsed to find a different explanation were still in that stage of develop- and two were put forward, one in ment when men thought of the Proverbs, Whom the Lord loveth tribe or family as the unit of moral he reproveth," and the second in responsibility. There were stories the 53rd chapter of Isiah. The in these earlier Biblical writings Christian Church had always seen which showed that the Jews be in this chapter a portrait painted lieved it to be in accordance with hundreds of years before of the life Modern justice that the descendants of a and character of Jesus. inen who had done wrong should scholars regarded it as a poem on be punished-that the sins of the the problem "why, do the righte fathers should be visited on the ous suffer" Both these solutions children, and of the ruler on bis were, he thought, partly correct. people. The problem of recon- In a flash of insight Isiah had got ciliation of God and pain was then down to a fundamental principle simple.

of life which was later expressed in the life and character of Jesus, what he would call " the philosophy of nartyrdom."

Reward and Punishment Proper- tionate to Deserts.

»

The second stage was reached at

The Philosophy of Martyrdom. the beginning of the Babylonish exile. In Jeremiah it was written It was a fact, said Canon In those days they shall no more Streeter, that in all ages in all xay the fathers have eaten sour places the progress of humanity grapes and the children's teeth are had been bought at the cost of the set on edge." The individual was blood and tears of the finest of the responsible, not the family or race. The discoverer of new truth, group. Ezekiel took up that point the champion of righteousness. was and elaborated it. Behold all commonly treated as an enemy of Bouls are mine

the soul his kind." Abuse and at times death that sins, it shall die. He pro- had been his reward, though years recded then to work out that idea later people had "built monu- in detail, and the general moral of ments. to the man their fathers his teaching was that reward and stoned." It was only at a fairly punishment were proportionate to late stage in their history that the the deserts of each man. This Hebrews came to have belief in a philosophy was an advance in the better life beyond the grave., "Ob. analysis of the problem of pain, viously that belief had an import- for Ezekiel asserts that the moral ant bearing on the problem of pain responsibility is with the individual, | because it carried it into a larger not with the group, but his conclufiold: If this life were only the Ision that in this world a man auto, first act of a play, we could not matically gets what he deserves expect to find the meaning and was not borne out by the facts of solution of everything quite clear; life and the book of Jety was it would not be a good-plas-if- written. RA A criticism of the views everything were clear and the whole expressed by Ezekiel.

plot revealed.

Sufering and Character. Suffering did not iteclf elevate character, apart from the way in which it was faced.

Obtainable from All Leading Stores and Pharmacies.

HALL,

At St. John's Hall, Hong Kong

cight, University, last

Crunbuz Streeter spoke on Religion and Science in Conflict." Mr. S. I. Boxer was in the chair, and a fair number of students, men and women were present.

The speaker gave his lecture under three main hendings, viz., Science a result of Enquiry," Religion and Science in Conflict,"

Materialism."

and

After the lecture, Canon Streeter in answer to a question put by one of the audience, intimated that his lectures would soon be available in

book.. form, "by means of which

the lectures could be fully digest-

cd."

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