Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-16
NEW TEXT FOR
MIND OF YOUTH
Unique Catechism Issued by a
British EducationaIist
THAT TEACHERS MAY USE
Intended to Afford Scientific Basis
for Religious Education.
MAN AND THE MANY PITFALLS
How He May Define Right From
Wrong-His Duty and Path
to Self-Control.
MAN AND THE MANY PITFALLS

| LID, F.R.S., prlnclpai OF the university
of Birmingham, has issued the text of a
catechism which he read before gathering
of non-conformst ministers in London and
| which is designed for the use Of teachers
interested in the education of the young.
In the preface Sir Oliver says: From the
viewpoint of a teacher and trainer OF
teachers the following clauses have been
drafted by me as affording partially scien-
tiic basis for future religious education:
| "Question-W ~ are you?
! "Answer-A being alive conscious upon
| this earth. my ancestors having assembled
| by gradual processes from the lower forms
of animal life and with struggle and suf-
! fering become man.
"Question--What, then, is meant by the
fall of man?
| "Answer-At a certain stage of develop
| ment man became conscious of the differ
ence between right and wrong so that there
after when his actions fell below a normal
standard of conduct he felt ashamed and
| sinful. Nevertheless the possibility Of the
| fall marks a rise in the scale Of existence.
Creatures below this level are irresponsible,
|
said to have no conscience.
Distinctive characteristics.
"Question-What is tt distinctive charac-
| ter of manhood?
"Answer-That he has responsibility for
| his acts, having acquired the power Of
choosing between good and evil with free
| dom to obey one motive rather than an
other.
"Question-What is the duty of man?
"Answer-To assist his fellows, to de-
| velop his own higher self, to strive toward
good in every way, open to his powers and
generally to seek to know the laws Of ma
| ture and obey the will Of God, in whose
| service alone can be found that harmonious
| exercise of the faculties which is synony-
| NOUS of perfect freedom.
"Question-What is meant by good and
| evil?
| "Answer-Good is that which promotes
| development and is in harmony with the
will Of God. It is akin to health, beauty
and happiness. Evil is that which retards
and illustrates development and Injuries
! some part of the universe and is akin to
| disease, ugliness and misery.
"Question-How does a man know good
| from evil?
"Answer-His own nature when uncor-
rupted is sufficiently in tune with the UNI
verse to enable him to be we'll aware Of
what is pleasing and displeasing to the
| guidingr split, of which he himself should
| be the real, effective portion.
| Inception Of Evil.
| "Question-How comes it that evil ex-
| lists?
| "Answer-Acts and thoughts are evil
| when they are below the normal standard
attained by humanity. The possibility of
evil Is a necessary consequence OF rise In
| the scale of moral existence, just as an
| organism whose normal temperature Is Tar
| above absolute zero Is necessarily liable to
| a damaging. deadly cold but the cold Is
not in itself positive or created thing.
"Question-What Is sin?
"Answer-Sin is the deliberate, willful act
Of free agent who sees better but chooses
worse and thereby acts injuriously to him
self and others. The root of sin Is selfish
ness, whereby needless trouble and pain are
| inflicted on others. It is akin to moral
| suicide.
"Question-Are there beings lower in the
scale Of existence than man?
"Answer-Multitudes; in every part Of
| the earth where life is possible we find 1t
developed. Life exists in every animal in
| the EARTH the air and the sea, and in every
species Of plants.
"Question-Are there beings higher in the
| scale of existence than man?
"Answer-Man is the highest of the
jewellers on the planet earth, but the earth
| Is only one Of many planets warmed by the
sun. The sun is only one Of a myriad OF
| similar suns which are so distant that we
| hardly see them and group them indiscrimi-
nately as stars We may be sure that in
I some Of these innumerable worlds circulat-
| ing in distant suns there must be beings far
| higher in the scale of existence than our
| selves. Indeed, we have no knowledge
which enables us to assert the absence Of
| Intelligence anywhere.
| "Queston-What caused and what main
| tains existence?
| "Answer-Of our own knowledge we are
unable to realize the meaning Of the orig
nation and maintenance. All we can ac-
complish in the physical world Is to move
things about by means Of our bodily organ
| ism and then leave them to act on each
other. But we conceive that there must be
| some intelligence supreme over the whole
process Of evolution or else things could
not be as organized and as beautiful as
they are
A Higher Power.
"Question-Is man helped in the struggle
upward?
| "Answer-Man did not bring himself into
| existence, nor can he unaided maintain his
existence or achieve anything whatever.
| There is certainly q power in the universe
vastly beyond our comprehension. We trust
and believe 1t to be q good, loving power,
able and willing to help US and all crea-
lures, to guide us wisely without detriment
to our incipient freedom. This loving kind
ness surrounds US every moment. In It we
live and have our real being. 1t Is the MAIN
spring of love. Joy and beauty. We call 1t
| the grace Of God. It sustains and enriches
all worlds 1t may take multiplicity Of
forms, but its essence and higher meaning
is especially revealed to the jewellers on the
earth in the form Of the divinely human,
perfect life Of Jesus Christ through whose
spirit and living influence man may hope to
rise to heights at present inaccessible.
"Question-How may we become informed
Of things too high for our own knowledge?
l An should strive Tn Ian n, from