登陆注册
5406800000199

第199章 GLADSTONE ON CHURCH AND STATE(25)

Again, on our principles, all civil disabilities on account of religious opinions are indefensible.For all such disabilities make Government less efficient for its main end: they limit its choice of able men for the administration and defence of the State; they alienate from it the hearts of the sufferers; they deprive it of a part of its effective strength in all contests with foreign nations.Such a course is as absurd as it would be in the governors of a hospital to reject an able surgeon because he is an Universal Restitutionist, and to send a bungler to operate because he is perfectly orthodox.

Again, on our principles, no Government ought to press on the people religious instruction, however sound, in such a manner as to excite among them discontents dangerous to public order.For here again Government would sacrifice its primary end to an end intrinsically indeed of the highest importance, but still only a secondary end of Government, as Government.This rule at once disposes of the difficulty about India, a difficulty of which Mr.

Gladstone can get rid only by putting in an imaginary discharge in order to set aside an imaginary obligation.There is assuredly no country where it is more desirable that Christianity should be propagated.But there is no country in which the Government is so completely disqualified for the task.By using our power in order to make proselytes, we should produce the dissolution of society, and bring utter ruin on all those interests for the protection of which Government exists.Here the secondary end is, at present, inconsistent with the primary end, and must therefore be abandoned.Christian instruction given by individuals and voluntary societies may do much good.Given by the Government it would do unmixed harm.At the same time, we quite agree with Mr.

Gladstone in thinking that the English authorities in India ought not to participate in any idolatrous rite; and indeed we are fully satisfied that all such participation is not only unchristian, but also unwise and most undignified.

Supposing the circumstances of a country to be such, that the Government may with propriety, on our principles, give religious instruction to a people; we have next to inquire, what religion shall be taught.Bishop Warburton answers, the religion of the majority.And we so far agree with him, that we can scarcely conceive any circumstances in which it would be proper to establish, as the one exclusive religion of the State, the religion of the minority.Such a preference could hardly be given without exciting most serious discontent, and endangering those interests, the protection of which is the first object of Government.But we never can admit that a ruler can be justified in helping to spread a system of opinions solely because that system is pleasing to the majority.On the other hand, we cannot agree with Mr.Gladstone, who would of course answer that the only religion which a ruler ought to propagate is the religion of his own conscience.In truth, this is an impossibility.And as we have shown, Mr.Gladstone himself, whenever he supports a grant of money to the Church of England, is really assisting to propagate not the precise religion of his own conscience, but some one or more, he knows not how many or which, of the innumerable religions which lie between the confines of Pelagianism and those of Antinomianism, and between the confines of Popery and those of Presbyterianism.In our opinion, that religious instruction which the ruler ought, in his public capacity, to patronise, is the instruction from which he, in his conscience, believes that the people will learn most good with the smallest mixture of evil.And thus it is not necessarily his own religion that he will select.He will, of course, believe that his own religion is unmixedly good.But the question which he has to consider is, not how much good his religion contains, but how much good the people will learn, if instruction is given them in that religion.He may prefer the doctrines and government of the Church of England to those of the Church of Scotland.But if he knows that a Scotch congregation will listen with deep attention and respect while an Erskine or a Chalmers sets before them the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and that a glimpse of a surplice or a single line of a liturgy would be the signal for hooting and riot and would probably bring stools and brickbats about the ears of the minister, he acts wisely if he conveys religious knowledge to the Scotch rather by means of that imperfect Church, as he may think it, from which they will learn much, than by means of that perfect Church from which they will learn nothing.The only end of teaching is, that men may learn;and it is idle to talk of the duty of teaching truth in ways which only cause men to cling more firmly to falsehood.

On these principles we conceive that a statesman, who might be far indeed from regarding the Church of England with the reverence which Mr.Gladstone feels for her, might yet firmly oppose all attempts to destroy her.Such a statesman may be too well acquainted with her origin to look upon her with superstitious awe.He may know that she sprang from a compromise huddled up between the eager zeal of reformers and the selfishness of greedy, ambitious, and time-serving politicians.

He may find in every page of her annals ample cause for censure.

同类推荐
  • 题侯仙亭

    题侯仙亭

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神异典二氏部汇考

    神异典二氏部汇考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 紫竹林颛愚衡和尚语录

    紫竹林颛愚衡和尚语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 喻世明言

    喻世明言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • When the Sleeper Wakes

    When the Sleeper Wakes

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 别让坏心态毁了你

    别让坏心态毁了你

    本书是让我们以一种平和的心态去对待生活中的拥有和失去,凡事看得淡一点。知足常乐,会让自己的生活轻松愉快;如果太贪心,总想得到很多又无法面对失去,那终究会成为生活的一种负荷与累赘,让我们疲惫不堪而逐渐失去人生的乐趣。既然这样,那么还是让我们正确地面对已经失去的,给自己一份愉快的好心情、好生活。如果您还是处于坏情绪的伤害之中,那么这本书已经衔着翠绿的橄榄枝向你走来!
  • 前妻不要跑

    前妻不要跑

    日报社记者赵勇为了彻底摆脱前妻,决定给前妻介绍对象,看着前妻跟自己的好兄弟出双入对,他竟然醋意大发,不惜兄弟反目,势要追回前妻!
  • 原来我们都错了

    原来我们都错了

    不要让那些对你有致命影响的谬误像寄生虫似地附着在你的头脑深处,使你生活的每一步都异常艰难。本书就是在深层透析人生的各种思想谬误的基础上归纳出了65个我们常常选入其中或即将陷入其中的误区编写而成的。正被各种谬误或观念折腾得屡做屡败的朋友们,相信本书一定能帮助你从困境中走出,继而像哥伦布发现新大陆一样,真正发现并切实感受到人生的幸福和快乐。
  • 世界名人成长历程:创造成功的经济学家(4)

    世界名人成长历程:创造成功的经济学家(4)

    三十六行,行行皆有状元;而商场亦如战场,瞬间便又是另一翻风云。“创造成功的经济学家”为我们隆重讲述了商界名人们的成长史,品他们于商海间的每一个决策后的那份坚定和执着。
  • 盛宠之老公难逃

    盛宠之老公难逃

    当腹黑轻狂地他一步步地引诱冷清单纯的她。他和她的故事从这儿开始。她,是军区声名显赫的第一女少将。她,低调,冷清,拒人于千里之外。却惟独面对他时,方有丝丝柔情。他,是军区声名赫赫的铁血少将。他,凌厉,沉默,掩不住的周身的肃杀。也只有她,能唤起他内心深处的点点温柔。军区首长的女儿,令人艳羡的红三代,显赫的家世,带给她的只是年幼时的孤寂,年少时的无奈和成长后的心酸。在她立功升职时,也是别人打击她的最好的嫉妒借口。即便是她的父亲,也是以此否认她所有的努力。他是年幼时保护她的大哥哥。是她进军区后的课后指导‘老师’。也是她这一生逃不开的结。
  • 这样鼓励孩子最有效:最完美的鼓励式教育法

    这样鼓励孩子最有效:最完美的鼓励式教育法

    给孩子一个赞赏的微笑,就像阳光照耀含苞欲放的花蕾:给孩子一句鼓励的话语。就像甘露浇灌干涸开裂的土地。父母们要意识到“教育不等于教训”后者只能成为前者的障碍。事实上,全世界最优秀的孩子都是被“鼓励”出来的,鼓励教育是第一家庭教育,它能使孩子获得勇气、自信自主性和上进心这是成功的重要基石。
  • 你是我久等的归人

    你是我久等的归人

    本书共选了陈麒凌18篇短篇小说。每篇所描写的感情类型都有不同,有大学生纯纯的爱,有刚步入社会青年青涩的爱,有对信仰的尊敬,有对父母深切地关怀,有对故乡真切的怀念,也有对社会不公平待遇的反应。每一个故事的人物形象刻画鲜明,没有千人一面,每人都展示了独特的个性。语言简洁质朴,贴近生活,是一本写满作者真诚的小说集。
  • 中国历史名人之四

    中国历史名人之四

    公元581年,隋文帝杨坚夺取北周政权,建立隋朝。589年灭陈,统一中国;隋的统一,促进了边境同内地、台湾同大陆的联系。然而,隋炀帝奢侈腐化,苛酷无比,弄得民穷财尽,终于爆发了隋末农民大起义。隋唐时期科学技术有很大的发展。唐代的诗歌,在我国古代的诗歌艺术中发展到了高峰。其中最杰出的诗人有李白、杜甫、白居易;唐代的散文也有很大成就,韩愈和柳宗元是其中杰出的代表。唐代的艺术达到了很高的成就,不论在绘画和雕塑方面,都出现了许多优秀作品,出现了许多优秀的艺术家。
  • 日久成婚

    日久成婚

    陆锦溪做梦都没有想到,订婚三年的未婚夫顾亦航,跟自己的堂姐陆晓云在一起了。这时间也是三年,而她居然都没发现!更可恶的是,他们还盘算着要霸占她的钱,打算娶了她,然后陷害她,让她净身出户!她一怒之下就嫁给了未婚夫有权有势的小舅舅薄煜韬。成为渣男和姐姐的舅妈,以长辈的身份膈应,报复他们,还阻止姐姐进门。天天得意的在渣男贱女面前晃悠,得瑟。有事没事就喜欢啪啪啪的打他们的脸……复仇后,小舅舅借着酒劲,又把她给呵呵了。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 凰帝招夫

    凰帝招夫

    作为南国的第二任女国君,赵向零刁蛮且任性。骂朝臣,踹武官,简直是手到擒来。作为众人口中暴戾的昏君,她过得比谁都开心:没事喝喝小酒,调戏调戏良家国师,开心的时候斗鸡、斗蟋蟀,不开心的时候踹个国师进池塘......怎么了,你还想要造反不成?造反朕不同你计较,但是要说朕受死,朕可就记下了。朕乃皇上,自然高高在上。爱卿,还不给朕乖乖跪下?===本文纯情一对一,【嚣张精分女暴君】&【冷艳低调人妻臣】作者百万完结作品《百医百顺》《君心可策》