Article June 17, 1972 Issue

Revolt Against Custom

GORDON THOMAS SPARE

Custom plays a large role in human affairs, but it is an uncertain standard, working sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. Christian Science encourages mankind to break free from any robotlike following of fixed patterns. It shows the importance of claiming man's God-given heritage of freshness and originality.

When the prophet Jeremiah stated flatly, "The customs of the people are vain,"^{Jer. 10:3;} he was referring to the foolish practice of idol worship. Today's protesting youth might well say that the prophet's comment applies with equal force to some of the established customs they rebel against.

Where is the relevance, they ask, in religious and moral codes that put mere ritual and form in the place of genuine caring? Where is the justice in business and industrial practices that, based on profit motive alone, ignore human and environmental values? What good are outmoded educational methods in the radically changing world of today?

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