Christianity or Secularism

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Excerpt from Christianity or Secularism: Which Is the Better for Mankind?: Verbatim Report of the Great Debate Between Mr. W. T. Lee (Representing the North London Christian Evidence League) And Mr. Joseph McCabe (Representing the Rationalist Press Association, Limited), Held at the Town Hall, Holborn, on Thursday and Friday Eve Mr. Lee: Mr. Chairman, Mr. McCabe, Ladies and Gentlemen, By Christianity I understand those Ideas, precepts, and doctrines given to the world by Jesus Christ, and which are made known to thought and proved to be applicable to life in the various books of the New Testament. These ideas, precepts, and doctrines embrace God and man, sin and salvation, time and eternity, and constitute a religion which has not merely a local or temporal meaning, but also a universal and eternal significance. In this religion God is represented as Perfect Father and Holy Love, and is declared to have expressed Himself in the wondrous life and work of Jesus Christ. This religion regards man as not only needing redemption, but also as having a value greater than that of worlds. Hence it addresses its appeals to man as man, without regard to culture, creed, or country, and aims to establish a kingdom of redeemed men which shall out-last time and transcend all material, social, and national limitations. This, then, is what I understand by Christianity. By Secularism I mean all those forms of thought and theories of conduct which have their origin and their end in this world, without reference to any other a - world whose substance Is material, and whose latent and active energies are mechanical. In a word, Secularism is a system of Naturalism - a system which looks on the world order as a closed circuit, and therefore rejects all ideas of God, Freedom, and Immortality as valueless and pernicious - denying the presence and action of Spirit in the affairs of men. It grounds its hopes for the betterment of mankind on the doctrine of salvation by organisation. Recognising that the natures of some men are radically corrupt. It gives these up to destruction. Thus Secularism in relation to God is Atheistic, in relation to nature is Materialistic, in relation to man is Pessimistic. This brings us to the word "man, " which, I presume, my friendly opponent will allow me to suppose includes woman. What do we mean by "man"? If we study men, we shall find that they appear to think, speak, and act as though they were rational, moral, and religious beings. They live not only in a world of things, but of thoughts, of feelings, of deeds, of worship. These thoughts, these feelings, these deeds, this worship, are hall-marks of personality, they not only exist, they have power, they have meaning, they have value, and cannot be made part and parcel of any world-order which is interpreted by mechanical processes alone. Man is more than a body energised by physical forces: he is a mind, a will, a person. With these interpretations before us, the question at once arises, is Christianity or Secularism the better for man? I suggest to you that the better system for man is the one which has done, is doing, and is likely to do, the most for man. As a matter of theory. Secularism should have done the most for man. First, because it is older than Christianity. Second, because it claims to have a firmer grasp on reality. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com