To attach a criminal stigma to all lapses from
the Christian way in morals would be disastrous.
What might be expected from the law of the land is, I think, that it
should recognize the fundamental equality of men and women, and that,
while demanding less, it should at least point towards the Christian
standard (see note at end of chapter).
For the rest, the adjustment of legal enactments to the Christian ideal
must always be a matter for delicate and vigilant handling.
With regard to the working moral standard of society there is just this
to be said, that if the Christian standard be the true one then our aim
must be nothing less than a condition in which public opinion shall in
all things endorse the latter. To-day the social standard is lax when
the Christian one is strict, and cruel when the Christian is generous
and forgiving. In saying this I am of course thinking of the _true_
Christian standard. There is a conventional Christian standard which is
more cruel and unforgiving than society's standard. But it is really
definitely unchristian.
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