For many years the cry has been going up from Churches, as voiced in the religious press of Christendom, that no progress is being made; indeed, it is evident that each year, in spite of the most strenuous efforts, people generally are taking less and less interest in the activities of the clergy. Many reasons are advanced to account for this indifference, but real one is generally shirked. The Creator has endowed man with a brain for use, and the more he uses it the less likely is he to remain contented with the doctrines wich sufficed for his unsophisticated and credulous ancestors.

In the Middle Ages the only people to use their brains were the priests. In their hands exclusively lay that most potent of all weapons, education; so so that any person who could read and write was automatically claimed as a "clerk," that is, he was regarded as a learned man, and enrolled on the side of the clergy in their long struggle for -- not the souls of men, oh no!-- political power and wealth. It was a struggle between brains and brawn, between the educated man and the illiterate soldier, between the astute scholar and the stupid man-at-arms, which could have but one result. The Church basked in prosperity-- and it was possible for a John and Alexander Borgia to become Pope! It must, of course, be admitted that there were not a few good and pious men who tried to show their flocks the for their ministrations Latin, a language of which it is safe to say that not one person in a thousand of their congregations understood a single connected sentence. At the same time, should anyone presume to exert his powers of thought to indeed short. Heresy, for which death by fire was penalty, was the Church's answer to the bold inquirer after truth. This simple system still prevails with the majority of Christians, for the Church of Rome allows no one to question the infallibility of its teaching, although the modern penalties are not quite so drastic.

What do we find when the Church lost its monopoly of education, and the use of printing spread books among the people? Men began to think for themselves, and though it took centuries to come about, men finally dared to question the truth of all the old fables which had so long gone unchallenged outside the Church.

For every many years, say until the end of nineteenth century, fashion that implacable goddess, decreed that attendance at church was essential for society, but now that she has changed her mind we see the hollowness of the sham which filled the parish Church each Sunday. It is probable that a very large number of those who now attend church do so more from some impluse remaining from their young days than from any real feeling that they are reaping any moral benefit.

And yet mankind has the need for religion in some from or another. The present craze for amusement all the time will have its reaction, and it is certain that the thinking man will not turn to a religion which says, "Unless ye belive certain very dubious truths and take an impossible view of your Creator ye cannot be saved." No proofs are offered and an implicit faith in the improbable is demanded. It is not reasonable to ask intelligent persons to agree to such a proposal, and I believe that Mr. Benard Shaw's prophecy is likely to come to come true; but here is the opportunity for us Muslims. The world may possibly gravitate towards "a relgion something like Islam," but it is for us to strain every effort to turn it to Islam pure and simple. Soon there will be more inquirers after truth than ever before in the history of mankind. They will not be content with the old catchwords; they will require a religion which answers all their questions, which does not treat them as childern who are forbidden to speak direct to a loving Father but must make their requests through the governess. Again I say, let us Muslims be ready to graps this opportunity.

Personally, I come of a family of seekers after truth. My great grandfather, Dr. Pye-Smith, published his famous work on the relation between Scripture and Geology in 1843, by which he incurred the most violent denunciations, being regarded by many as a direct enemy to religion; yet he merely led the way--nobody can nowadays seriously disagree with his views on the subject, revolutionary as they were then thought. I myself, in spite of, or possibly because of, a religious upbringing in the Church of England, could not remain easily satisfied. Living in Malaya, and in close contact with good Muslims, I could not but inquire further and further into the truth of Islam, until I was quite conviced that here was the perfect answer to all my questions, and the Heaven-sent solution to those problems which Christianity avoids answering.
Geoffrey H.R. Pye-Smith
(Ja'far bin Dawud)