Article March 2, 1907 Issue

A correspondent in your issue of the 10th says, "The...

Anna H. Carter—Rochester, N. Y.

Democrat and Chronicle

A correspondent in your issue of the 10th says, "The regular physician studies diseases, symptoms, and remedies." From the standpoint of Christian Science these studies are partial and superficial. The regular physician believes that disease of the body is limited in all its aspects to matter. He considers that the mind affects such disease, if at all, so remotely and incidentally that its connection does not enter into the problem and needs no investigation. His experiments and researches, therefore, are confined to the realm of the physical, and practically ignore that accumulation of human experience which proves the fundamental, vital interdependence of the human mind and body. ... By thus failing to recognize the effects upon functions, and the still more radical effects upon structure, produced by thought forces, the regular physician is not getting facts essential to the solution of the real problem of disease.

Christian Scientists, on the other hand, recognize that all disease is primarily a thing of mind, a product of human thought forces acting directly upon the organs of the body. The Christian Scientist recognizes the same physical disorders in a patient that the medical man sees, but instead of dealing with them as something separate from the patient's mental environment, he immediately investigates the mental facts and conditions that underlie, surround, and permeate the disordered bodily condition. In so doing he recognizes certain mental facts as the immediate, and certain others as the remote, cause, both acting with the force of law (nature's laws) through the patient's thought upon his body. Upon this metaphysical diagnosis the Christian Scientist applies the metaphysical remedy, his understanding of the facts and laws of man's actual life. ... This knowledge of the divine presence as presented to our age has been named by Mrs. Eddy, Christian Science, and is now, as in Jesus' day, not human thought-action, but is the divine activity in man, or the action of that Mind "which was also in Christ Jesus."

Your correspondent thinks this knowledge should never fail, adding, "It is not on record that Christ ever failed in an attempt to heal, or to perform a so-called miracle." On the contrary, we are told in Mark's Gospel that in his own province Jesus "could there do no mighty work," because of their unbelief. We are also told of a case where healing was prolonged, the man at first seeing "men as trees, walking." No doubt there were many other such cases, but these show that conditions of thought in the community or in the person seriously interfered with the work of even the Master. We are also told of early attempts of his disciples which were a failure; but these same disciples later healed the sick, even to raising the dead. This shows first, that failure in Christian Science results from no lack in the "divine power," but rather from some human limitation connected with its application; and second, that knowledge of this Science of divine Life and ability to use it is nothing miraculous, but comes as increased spiritual capacity is gained through spiritual experience and growth.

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