Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

13 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

Man's Antiquity.

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

Man's Antiquity. ADDRESSES BY ME. J. T. LLOYD. Under the auspices of the local Branch of the N.S.S., Mr. J. T. I I-oyd, ex-Pres- byterian minister, London, addressed two meetings at the New Theatre, Aberdare, on Sunday. In the afternoon the chair was occupied by Mr. Garrett, Mountain Ash. Mr Lloyd took as his subject, Theology Discredited." What had Orthodoxy to say, he asked, concerning man's origin? It claimed to give exact information on the point. According to the account, man came to existence by a special creative act of God. Dr. Light- foot, a great scholar, had proved to his own satisfaction that man wa.s made at 9 o'clock on a Friday morning, October 23, 4004 years B.C. (Laughter.) Let them try to realise that 6,000 years ago the universe was not. All was nothing, and nothing was all. But what were the facts? According to the testimony of science, there were indisputable evidences that man had been living upon this earth not'lees than 100,000 years. In Egypt and Babylonia there flourished a highly civilised community 10,000 years ago. Man's great antiquity was one of the best attested facts of science. As to the earth's age, Prof. Turner, a mathematical as- tronomer, had fixed it at 60,000,000 years. Orthodoxy had been discredited with re- gard to man's pact history. What had it to say of man's destiny? It stated that when men died they were divided into two great companies—those who inherit- ed everlasting life, and those who were taken to everlasting punishment.* It was passing strange that this doctrine of im- morality was conspicuous by its absence in the Bible. There were several pass- ages in the Scriptures which directly stated that everything ended with death. Neither philosophy nor religion had ad- vanced one scrap of evidence in favour cf the belief in a future world. Questions were invited at the close, but only one, of a political character, was asked. Mr. Lloyd, in reply, said that Socialism had absolutely nothing to do with either Christianity or Atheism. He had his own idea as to Christianity in its rela- tion to Socialism. A vote of thanks was proposed to the lecturer, and Mr. T. Bennett, Mountain Ash, seconded. In the evening Mr. J. T. Lloyd gave another address. The chair was occupied by Mr. George Lewis, who dwelt briefly on the aims of the National Secular Society. Mr. Lewis stated that the Rev. Cynog Williams, who had attacked the N.S.S., had refused to accept a challenge from that Society to a debate. Mr. Lloyd spoke on "Religion and the joy of life."1 He observed at the outset that a well-known divine and professor of theology, when once asked "What is the object of existence?" answered, "I have not the slightest idea." All the philosophies and theologies could be summed up in those words. Life might be crowded with sufferings and sorrows, but we still clung to it. The majority of people were under the impression that it was better to be than not to be. What made life worth living? Was it not the amount of happiness we derived from it? The seeking of pleasure was denounced by some as paganism. He resented that imputation. Even Christian teaching ex- horted us to be joyful and happy. What was happiness? It was never obtained by giving reins to illicit appetites and passions. Sensuality invariably ended in misery and pain. Happiness" did not involve immunity from pain and respon- sibility. Altruistic service was some- times referred to as the object of life. But doing1 good was only one method of making the ways of life pleasantness and peace. Again it was held that the ob- ject of life was work. But did men live to work or work to live? We worked be- cause it was necessary in order to pre- serve life. If we lived wisely and well we would find that there was in life un- speakable joy. The more life we had the gl eater became our capacity for life. It was the stirring, strenuous fight for per- fection that was enjoyable, not the at- tainment of the perfect ideal. Life was a struggle and to struggle was life. There was a strong dash of cruelty in competi- tion. But there were indications that the struggle of the future would be co- operative. At any rate there would be a continuous struggle against vice and for virtue. The tiger and the ape must be worked out of human life. The masses of the people were crushed under the spurning heel of ignorance, superstition, and oppression. Woman was dragged into the court and punished, while the man, guilty of the same offence, was al- lowed to go scot free. (Shame.) That existed under our Christian civilisation. These iniquities would yield only to the most persistent campaign. The highest type of happiness was impossible without realisation of the solidarity of the human race. The theologians held that the family was the oldest institution. But scientists told us that a period existed when there was no such thing as marri- age. Woman was the spoil of the victor. Children knew only their mother, and seldom met their father. This knowledge of the mother tended to soften, sweeten, and humanise their nature. Gradually the family came into existence, taking the. place formerly occupied by the tribe. It was at this period that real civilisation commenced. Britain was now a nation of comparative peace. But it was only the dawn of the better life. There was an awakening of the working classes. At the same time they were witnessing the breaking down of national and racial barriers. The West had been forcing its way into the East. Now however the East was forcing it way into the West. Beware of the yellow peril," was. the cry. "Beware of the yellow press" he would add. When truth appeared super- stition must go. when the people would rise the priests must fall. The passing of the Deceased Wife's Sister Act was the deadliest blow aimed at Clericalism. But a deadlier blow would be secular educa- tion. (Hear, hear.) The lesson they had to learn was that all men and women ought to live together as brothers and sisters in Mother Nature's roomy house. Referring to the ethics of Secularism, the speaker said that they were as old as Plato, Buddha, and even Confucius. It was said that this ethical teaching was also found in Christian teaching. True, but it was mixed up with a vast amount of alien matter. Now a great revolution was taking place in theology inside the churches. Mr. Campbell and others were trying to capture the adherents of Labour and Socialism by declaring Socialism and Christianity to be identical. But Christ- ianity was' not Socialism, but an abso- lute divine monarchy with God as mon- arch, and the archangels and angels as a Royal Family and Ministers of the Crown. Earth wag simply regarded as a training ground of heaven. A good Christian made a bad citizen because he ignored the interests of this world and concentrated his attention on an invisible world. The greatest service was the service of man, and what was wanted was a higher conception of the dignity of life on earth. The higher the life was the greater. the joy attached to it. (Ap- plause.) In answer to a query by Mr. Tom Bcwen, Mr. Lloyd said that the Rev. R. J. Campbell and other new theologians were rendering more service to the cause of Freethought than all the Secular Societies. Other questions were answered by Mr. Lloyd.

[No title]

Orthordoxy v. Science.

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Attack on Socialism.

'~.1 Labout, Jottings.

iHirwain.

Trecynon.

Abernant.

Aberdare.

Aberaman.

A WORD TO LADIES.

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