\ The Clilheroc Advertiser & Times. February 21,19M J letters po u r in JNE ” was ll"‘ ,ialM,! O i- i . JI almost everyone’s lips in Clitheroe last -eek She w'aS illcnlioned in more tlian one sermon on Sunday, and


her views were (lise»isse<^ pubs and elubs, youth clubs and coffee bars. Praised for tlx; courage <>|; views, and pulled to pieces by some because •nid ci’h*c*si,ls» Elaine became ‘"news” in quite a big way. ^


° 1C,phe proof of all ibis was evident on Monday morning with a flood of i .. •


iL,. Editor. a Sek'ction of which, are published below.


° C1Mniv ueople have inquired at the olliee or from members of the staff, f iliov" c m meet Elaine to talk to her about her views—possibly in the hope of converting her l» their own viewpoint—and others possibly out o


^ ^ F h d n e ’s views will still continue to he p u b lish ed in the “ Advertiser •uul Times.” b u t jniblir'1)' will also he given to h e r critics o r su p p o r te rs .


In com] sympai


pOLLOWING initial article


her last


week on “ Is Heaven a Fairytale?” Elaine, the “Girl in the Shadows,” again enters the realm of controversy. In a n o th e r out­


spoken article in which she deals with the sub­ ject of “ Miracles,” she expresses her forth­ right views without


fear or favour. As p o in ted o u t la s t


week, the views of Ela ine, a 20-yenr-ohl


Clitheroe g ir l, whose identity is being k ep t secret, in fa irn e s s to h e r family, and because of h e r jo b , a rc n o t necessarily those of the E d ito r o r liis staff. Whether you agree with wliat Elaine says


Were they


Y)Q you believe in miracles.’ Or do you think, as I do,


that the so-called miracles were little acts of common sense, which probably you or i could have performed ?


Do you believe tn the Old Testa­ ment? Do you believe that two creatures called Adam and Eve walked about in a garden, while God busied himself making the


world in six days and then on the seventh day he sat down and rested?


You will probably answer "No.” and say that this story, like so many others in the Old


Iments WEDDINGS


A BEAUTIFUL


|OF D IAMO N D IT RINGS AND llNGS AND WILL


I) GIVE YOU ANY K n in choosing JR RING


CLITHEROE


You will probably also realise that stories like Moses on the I mountain, which was just a


Testament is just meant to be a symbol.


story-like way of saying that Moses had the wisdom and the power to write ten laws, are not acceptable to modern day thinking. The ancient Jews did not know how to explain the fact that a man could think of these laws, which were very wonderful to them, so they put forward a picture of Moses amidst God’s fingers writing with fire and burning bushes, and the like.


Perhaps you will wonder what l am trying to prove by telling you this, which you probably


realise already. The fact is this, if you believe that most or all of the Old Testament is symbolic, and just a wonderful story invented to put over an incident, then it is surely logi­ cal to argue that the same applies to the New Testament!


The New Testament, is just as much a mass of babylike sym­ bolisms as the Old; thus it follows that not all the stories that you


Human nature being what n is, nobody was willing to take out . his carefully wrapped-up por- I tion of food and shave it with j his neighbour. No, he had car- , ried it all that way, why should he share it.


your neighbour, the question of food arose.


. . . j


Children however are nearly al­ ways readv to shave, and so one little boy brough some food to Jesus. Seeing this action, and feeling rather ashamed of themselves the rest of the crowd began to draw out their carefullv saved portions of food and hand them round, after all no-one likes to be shamed by a child!


So. in tilts way everybody had.


However, afterwards when tne foui* disciples were writing the New Testament, there came the question of how to put this fact over to the ignorant people thev were going to visit and to whom they were going to preach.


their fill, and quite a lot of fragments were left on the grass. Do you see the implica­ tion now, this was quite a normal reaction.


Imagine trying to uxplain to a fiorco boarded Arab that it was done through lovo for a follow man! The disciples’ thoughts immediately turned to the idea they had been brought up under—symbol!


So now we have a wonderful story invented about loaves and fishes appearing from no­ where and the baskets not


going empty. A good idea, but nevertheless, only a fairytale.


That is probably why the Jews do not believe that Jesus was the son of God, because they know their writers base their stories more on symbol than


U tS


ed for years are true. There are more reasons to prove that the New Testament contains just as much fiction as the Old, than there are to disprove


Starting from the beginning, you take a book containing the


it. . ,


window; CLEAN


Yet why? Look at the men who w r o t e It, simple peasants brought up under Jewish law, and taught that if you do not know how to explain some­ thing, then you use symbols. Jesus himself explaining to the peasants about treating your neighbour well, gave them a symbol of a man falling among thieves and a good Samaritan


life story of a man called Jesus, and because you have been brought up to it, you believe in the marvellous things that he is supposed to have done.


tyr'\kdy\j[-


lagic. You don’t need a |/indows - clean and Not a streak or smear


Ithout a bottle of prome, tiles, glazed


Iglc, too! You can mongers and


* helping him.


ou see the point of this, >on realise that this was Jesus appreciating that the ordinary people would not understand


him, and so put up a help them. This is exactly what


the disciples did when they


recorded the life of Jesus m •he New Testament. They


knew that ordinary people of many lands would not under­ stand their message, so they fell back on what they had


Now if you realise the implica­ tions of this, that the stor es


been taught from ing people to grasp something by putting it Into a stop' form-


of Jesus are Just images to try


and help the of old to understand, then you will want proof of whut I am


lELLIOW CLEANER saving. I


Take just one example at ran- riom—the feeding of the nvo thousand. Now although peas- ant<? were not very literate m • hose days, they did have, com-


™"s. STisMtwtnely unlike­ ly that on walking a Ion* to listen to some


would take no food with them them,


Presumably t t ^ ’U h lh em took a little food wnth them,


hungry. After Jes^ s® tai h tL which he would hove . ■ his usual theme of share


K


knowing that after the .walk and the speech they *oul


have implicitly believ­


You can do tins with all ihe miracles. Just look for a pet- fectlv logical explanation, and then realise that the miracu­ lous way tlie thing is explained is


on fact. ...............


through the pages of the bible, there is another example in


j u st symbolic. Flicking


At the end of the wedding feast let. us presume that after drinking tire strong intoxicat- wine of the enst, the wedding guests were either already or well on the way to being drunk. \nd after a strong fiery liquid,


the turning of water into wine, a so-called ‘'miracle.’'


The water pots of tire east are very porous, and so when the water was poured into them by the servants, particles of wine which had been soaked into tlie sides of tiro pots dur­ ing their last use, and had dried there, would melt and float out, into the water.


a milder wine with only a slight tang to it would be more palatable.


or not, you are bound to be interested, for there is no doubt the world of tomorrow— if the world is not blown to hits by the


present generation— belongs to Elaine and the thousands more like her. Their chal­ lenge to orthodox views demands a hearing and an answer.


and nothing she may say ’u subsequent articles will make - , change my mind. AlthoUrhs is a trine illogical at ton. y. take her seriously. She is h tuns out against irrelevant and supei ^ stitious props and many leadi = theologians in the Churd •" doing tile same (e.g. The Bishop of Woolwich, in “Honest 1°


AM in complete .symptuib with the “ girl in the shadows,


God ”). In' the Christian tradition


there aro many crude myths in the same sense as crude on — which need refining. Once they expressed realities to an ago which talked that sort o language, but now, unless they aro translated Into modern terms, people liko Elaine (or myself) cannot take Christi­


haps a clumsy way of putting li­ ds it cowardice or just human nature to bn afraid of death.'■ But it hits tile nail on the head, because fear of death is no. Christian, and feeling too import­ ant to die is even less so.


anity seriously. “ Are you a coward?'' is Pn;


| after death or not, with tne ‘crazy’ conviction that His death, in those circumstances, was better for His fellow men than His continued life. And this is the point: His only concern, liv­ ing or dying, was that His whole personality should be given for the good of humanity. Since then some men ar"


that He refused to entertain the natural but trivial fears of lm and death, and His freedom from such fears enabled him to live and die as He did, regata- less of whether there was any fife


The importance of Jesus is


we seek to find the way to thts j pence in Christ.


Mentioned in sermon


JN his sermon at Trinity Church, Clithcroe, on Sun­


day morning, the Rev. Ronald .loliling referred to “Elaine”


and people who shared her views. His subject was the local


mission of the church—wor­ shipping, teaching, social, and evangelical. “ As far as teaching is con­


cerned,” he said “ as long as there are young people like Elaine, the teaching mission is not complete. “ The place for Elaine, and


others like her, to find things out is the Church. “ The Pr e s s , television,


radio, and all means of com­ munication, should he used by the Church to spread teaching and proclaim the Gospel.” he added.


............. ........................................ for my neighbour, otherwise “ I ’m


alright Jack." Now as to what is this Heaven,


minds the things that matter most we shall do well to remem­ ber that they are things we shall delight to remember for all rime No-one is ever truly man or woman until they have found some-one to possess and adoie. to whom all the latent powers of love and service can be ex­ pressed. I am not here concerned with sex. important as this is, and I would remind you here that Marilyn Mtmroe d ie d because she was without love, the other matter could not have been


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a great problem to her. The more we search, the more


we find that the things of great value in our lives aro the attri­ butes of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. We can very easily suffer the torment of a mental hell, m fact so many do. This agony in nmnv cases is stronger than the fear of death. There is no reason by which we are prevented from knowing of the joys of heaven, they are within our grasp now. I t comes so very near to the votmg in heart as they begin the experience of love. Christianity is the sublimation o£ this very love, extended to all men. No one knows belter than we who pro­ fess to some faith, how little we do, and how much we dream. There is a life of wonder and revelation open to us all. and we o0 to church to gain the strength


D. LORD &


5 MOOR LANE, CLITHEROE Telephone Clitlicroc 488


women have been sufficiently in­ fected by his freedom to stake their lives on that sort of love, and have been prepared to be taken advantge of and even kill­ ed, to show how seriously they tke other people. iTo refuse to be a ‘ door-mat ’ is to lack the


| with a tang of wine probably ! would taste heaven-sent. There ! again tire disciples put this i act of common sense on Jesus’s part into a miraculous story. Let us remember that Jesus we.s an intelligent man. and could reason these things out.


Thus when the drink was taken lo the governor of the feast who had been drinking the strong fiery eastern drinks for quite a time, the cool water


others and free of fear about our­ seflves,ives, we realise that out- l IUWf,


like this, concerned only for


others, regardless ol' tiro conse­ quences. This is what Jesu, meant by saying that we fini our true selves only when we It: ourselves he lost for His sal­ ami ihe Gospel’s. This means that the Churn


So let us hope by now you rea­ lise that both testaments were not meant to lie accepted at face value. They are just images to help ignorant tribes­ men to understand the file of


Christ,


Now, two thousand years lator, lot us hope that we have pro­ gressed a little from the ignor­ ant tribesmen, for we are


classing ourselves as boing as ignorant as they were if we accept the symbol and not the point behind it as being the truth.


Just ponder this before you go to sleep tonight — Have two thousand years of generations missed the plain human facts of these stories while grasping at the mesh of legends that surround them? Have we, like they, been led on to believe in a character surrounded by un­ truths? Will I lead my child on to believe this?


Reached many doubters IT was most refreshing to read


question " IS HEAVEN A FAIRY TALE?". I am sure that she has reached into many a doubt­ ing heart and gained the res­ ponse “ hear hear.” I personally


feel that she has done us ail a great service by expressing publicly what many people have


secretly felt for years, even people within the church. I t is about time that this subject was given an airing and Elaine has made a splendid start. This ought to be a matter for serious discussion and Elaine has thrown


the challenge. I admire her pertinence and


wish more people would come out into the opon about their doubts. It would help to clear away many misconceptions and


tim of the confused and senti­ mental conceptions which have


been passed on to her. My main criticism of her well


help us to be rid of some of the sentimental thinking about death and belief in lifo beyond the Brave. Elaine appears to be the vic­


that we need of fife in living fo* I


re dispensable, and we find tf-G'i',knowing who you really want yourself


t,


answer llv


known, to


dignity of Christian love). If we have the courage to live


I still don’t know all ttie answers, but whereever is it, God is there and Hell is where God is not, and both of them begin here and now in this fife. Remember Mariey’s Ghost. "We wear the cimins we forged in life’’ he said to Scrooge. And we do forge chains . . . stop me. I am start­ ing on a sermon. G. K. Chester­ ton said "When death finds me, as find me he will, he will not find me dead.’’ I hope yon will live all the days of your life. Blaine. Peter Pan once said “To die must be an awfully great adventure "—don't you think so Elaine? Of course some people are afraid to die. but I have known many who welcomed friend Death, and many who have smiled at his coming.


It is difficult trying to


answer your questions Without know, make


call on your


minister or vicar and bring your pals.


is not true to Christ when ;t stands against the world, saying


in efieet, “We shall be alrtgfc in Heaven.” The Church can only be true to Christ when It if completely absorbed in the world's life, as He was. free of all self-interest or desire for self-preservation, so Unit even death, with all its finality, hold? no fear.


Jesus believed in and taught His disciples to expect a continuing life with Him, I cannot lightly dismiss Jesus. God has more wonders to unfold to us than our simple humanity can appreciate, so when this world is no longer big enough to contain all His love, truth and Glory, He receives us to Himself. God bless and keep you


Finallv. and this is it for me. Elaine.


makes this attitude possible, but | sheer self-sacrifice here and now. i for the well-being of others. Tilts is what Jesus meant by seekin? tile ‘Kingdom of Heaven.'


If is not ‘pie in the sky' wiiicii j


Gospel, it must stand here, and alongside Elaine and those lik*’ her, then we shall find that v'f have more in common than the extremists at either end ran possibly imagine.


If tlie Church is to defend us


Congregational Church, Clithercc.


Rev. ALAN GAUNT. Hell?


the soul can be found at a post­ mortem but neither can "a heart of love ’’ or “ conscience." .


tual experiences are caused by certain organs of the body and wifi automtically cease when our bodies die and that death des­ troys every aspect of fife then she wifi again have solved a great many baffling problems which to my mind have not been solved. I feel that Elaine fives under the illusion that science lias disproved fife after death. I hope she may quote her proof on some future occasion and then we can analyse her sources.


If Elaine can prove that spiri­


wifi carefully examine tfic evi­ dence of the Scientific Study of Psychic Phenomena. When she has challenged and proved untrue


Thirdly, my hope is that Elaine


written column is that site makes sweeping generalisations. This is always unfair. I would ask Elaine to consider three things.


,


that the resurrection of Jesus was a.figment of the disciples’ imagination. Just to ray it was is to answer a question which lias puzzled many generations and which to my mind has not been solved II she cannot dis­ prove It then she still remains a believer In her own unbelief. Secondly. On what scientific


First. I would like iter to prove


grounds does she prove the non­ existence of the soul? I t is only her belief that the soul is an invention. No one believes that


the evidence which lias been collected on the st ud y of life after death, then I feel she wifi have gained a great deal more respect from the readers. I feel that Elaine must give this scientific study a fair hearing before making any sweeping statements. No scientist, as yet, has disproved the findings of this Psychic Research group. I hope that Elaine will come up with tlie proof. Meanwhile we must respect those who believe in life after death and not dismiss them either as cowards or fools, until science proves that life lifter death is not based on such shaky foundations as she seems lo suggest. What she says is not new or revolutionary for Ludwig Feuerbach said a similar tiring a hundred years ago. She will see that this has been brought up time and time again and the Ch ri s ti a n conviction has stood the test of the challenge. The belle! in life after death will not be dismissed at the stroke of a pen. Elaine will have to use plenty of T.N.T. to shake the foundation. At the moment she lias only used a firework.


REV. J. ALAN MIMMACK. IS


that, there is something for us after death are cowards. Do you want to convince us that we ate all cowards and fools, or are you open to conviction yourself. j- don’t know all the answers, but people like you have been kooP' ing me youngish ever since I was your age myself, and this pi'0,y lem like so many others, is one that we all eventually bavc m sort out for ourselves. Mind you if I get a pain in my turn I 5° to a doctor, and if my car break­ down I go lo a motor mechanic; so I reckon that you should “ J a parson for religion. Belie' me Elaine, any of the Cliurclie- or clergy in Clitheroe can l'elP you. why not give us the chance. You ask the questions, we fi ao our best to answer them! Now on this question of the


Dear Elaine,—so a 11 who believe , J REV RONALD JOBLING. IS i ignorance


Young people I should be grateful if you would consider the possibi­


TN view of the possible impact of Elaine’s comment on


lity of printing this reply :- Fear of any kind is born of


ignorance and superstition, the fear of death is no exception. Experience is the teacher. When the time came for a very wonder­ ful woman to know, that In the fullness of years, and with the completion of so many good works, she could look forward to the kindly sleep. She was able to know of his coming, and m her great love called those who she had loved most deeply to her bed­ side one by one. I was one of those. I was her son. She had burdened herself in the sorrows of the world and shared her love with those who needed it most. She had finished her fifes work, and longed for rest, peace, and reunion, that was hers by right. She was confident of the iourney, confident in the tunc to come slie would regain the strength to continue to share hei fife for the benefit of others. No fear, no valley of the shadows, but a confident hope in the


light of the morning. Of course, it is so very easy to


" Hereafter,” here are one or t"0 points to mull over. Some of us


have lived through two W°'*“ Wars, were the thousands oi


volunteers who believed in u' e hereafter cowards? Fools, un­ faithful. mistaken, perhaps, but


not, Elaine, cowards. Have you ovor held a corpse


in your arms and known that’s your lot, you aro


l l i u i g j v u i i v i j —• . .


“Well dead


thinking, wliatover R 11 s real I Look at it Horn the scientific point of .view. Either, there is a


and dono for, chuck it in |h° gravo.” Thero Is something basic insldo us, not invontoci’ that says “ Not’’ It Is not just pride, or concolt or wlsnnil


continuing fife or there Is n°': Whit* makes most sense? is the purpose and end of life death. Is it Just a. thing of three score


pass comment, and even draw final conclusions about the dim- cult. yet. if lived fully, happy journey we all undertake. We


should’be careful about being too final, particularly when we have scarcely begun to trawl. I sug­ gest to Elaine that she should


first reconcile herself to the quiet “ voice” that is within, from which she wifi be unable to separate herself. There are many names for this, but names do


n Theiactlk 'n o real difficulty in satisfying oneself about theie being a fife after death. Evidence to support this is freely available, but the wisdom of following such a course is open to do'11’1' William Temple linplles ttint tj* is better to travel by the tight of faith, than to travel in the gloom of certainty. X do not expect you to appreciate this


point, but I do assure you that r £ most important. ^ many


years and ten, a tale that is torn, a fortuitous conglomeration oi


meaningless accidents, and u a is then eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die? A Here­ after Is the greatest possime encouragement to good living now, with a maximum concern


people on the very edge of the vale put out their hands In the perfect confidence that one who has shared their journey tor so manv years, and gone on before, are waiting to lead them on. It is because we seek to be ^blc live in peace, not so muefi vitb ! i he world, but With ourselves that


Trinity Methodist Church. Clithcroe.


for this file. I t is only as we are true men and women in a real sense that the puzzle comes together. I don’t think we should worrv too much about what lies on the other side of the ‘ Jor­ dan.” better learn to swim.--


Yours etc. i Mr. i L. F. O’CONNOR


Leader, Wliafiey Methodist Youth Club and Fellowship.


Heaven is a state


y o u asked for an answer to 6 the article written by


“ Elaine." As a member of her generation. I feel that it is up


propriate that 1 should give >L I will trv to explain what ••heaven” really means, as n is quite evident that • nobody lias ever attempted to enlighten


•' Elaine." Lite has continually tended


to raise itself up to a higher form. We see this amply in the biological history ol the earth.


This tendency, however, is not,


onlv confined to the physical and material aspects. Through nearly all branches of human endea­ vour. for example science, man strives to increase liis under­ standing of his surroundings,


and thus to raise himself up to a higher level of existence. Man also tends to try to crca.e


the discord of his surroundings into harmony. For example, m


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achieved perfect harmony be­


science lie attempts to create a harmonious -theory from tacts which may seem to be discordant. All the’ great saints in their fife have almost


tween body and soul. Thus we see there is a force


driving man to the highest pos­ sible form of existence, to reach perfect truth and complete har- monv with this perfect truth. Tiiis latter state is heaven. I


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emphasise suite because heaven is a state and .not a place. Heaven therefore is a state of existence when each individual lias reached the highest possible state he is capable of attaining— a slate of complete harmony be­ tween the individual and God. and between tile individual s gloriously resurrected body and


dividual must have, dm-ing this life, whether consciously or not, raised himself to a higher level of existence and harmony. Thus a Christian, an atheist


soul. To enter into heaven an in­


or a mentally lacking person may reach heaven.


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higher state, has not tried to draw nearer to completion, lie obviously cannot experience this state. He must spend the whole of eternity in a state of imper­ fection and therefore of frustra­


tion.


were ideas designed to help simple minds to understand very


This latter state is hell. Tile fiery furnace and the harp


. , „ difficult ideas.


people find heaven so difficult to understand is because it deals witli the infinite, ft state our minds wifi never understand In


Why “Elaine" and Minilai . this life.


glass darkly and then face to face.” C. R. E. CATLOW (aged 16).


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1 1 ' ••airi in the Shadows” X feel you have given her the right


HAVING read your article U Tel! her to read St- John.


Chapter 6, Verses79 to 29. As for the majority of people


who go to church being older people I would like you to tell her we have a live Sunday School of over 800 scholars.


_A member of the Church of England (Blackpool'.


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