Article March 28, 1903 Issue

Applied Christianity

W. D. McCrackan with contributions from Ruskin

American Life and Health

As its name implies, Christian Science is a body of religious teaching. It is applied Christianity, and is founded upon the interpretation of the Scriptures set forth in its text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker G. Eddy. It is not primarily occupied in healing the physically sick, although the cure of disease is one of the results of its teachings which has attracted marked attention. As the Founder of Christianity, his disciples and apostles, and the early Christians healed the sick by spiritual means, so modern Christian Scientists strive to follow this example.

Christian Science should be sharply distinguished from mere philosophical speculations, or from systems employing human will-power, such as animal magnetism, mesmerism, or hypnotism. The Christian Science treatment consists of a prayerful realization of the omnipotence of God (Good) over evil of every sort, whether mental, moral, or physical. The Christian Scientist does not take personal control of his patient, he does not treat any one as a "subject," nor induce any sleep entrance of any sort. On the contrary, he knows that spiritual understanding liberates the patient and sets him free from the erroneous mental concepts which induce sin and sickness.

Christian Scientists do not claim infallibility for themselves. They are ready to acknowledge their own failures when these occur, but they claim with justice that their results should be measured by the same standard as is applied to all other systems. When this is done, it is found that Christian Science has been for some thirty years, and is to-day, with increasing efficiency, healing st numbers of the sick and sinful whose cases had been abandoned as hopeless by the various medical or ecclesiastical systems to which those persons had applied for relief. The growth of Christian Science, described by outsiders as phenomenal is due solely to the definite and demonstrable good which it is doing to those individuals who seek its help and find in it health, happiness, and some measure of holiness.

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