Article February 5, 1910 Issue

Our clerical friend affirms, in substance, that Christian Science...

Alfred Farlow

Greenville (S. C.) News

Our clerical friend affirms, in substance, that Christian Science heals by suggestion, which is not essentially a religion, and not according to divine power as the Christian Scientists believe. He does not state in so many words that Jesus and the apostles healed by this same irreligious method, but as in the course of his discussion he declared that "only those who are not hampered by serious organic troubles" can be healed by mental suggestion, we are left to conjecture whether or not he believes that Jesus and the apostles healed by mental suggestion or by divine power, or if indeed they healed organic cases at all. If the gentleman believes that sickness could ever be healed by divine power, upon what ground can he assume that it cannot be done in this age? Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."

It should be noted that a part of the work which the Master did was to heal the sick. The healing of the sick is therefore included in the command, and in other parts of the Scripture it is specifically mentioned. We will agree with our critic that the healing of sin is of greater importance to the sinner than that he shall be rid of his physical suffering, but we would add that physical suffering is due to sin, and that if sin is entirely destroyed, sickness, which is only a consequence of sin, will also disappear. The Master said: "Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?" thus indicating that he expected the man whose sins were forgiven to be able to walk, and that he did not expect him to walk until his sins were forgiven. It is well to state here that the term sin in this connection is used in its broad sense as applied not only to wilful wrongs but to ignorant errors. To sin is to depart from perfection, to think, speak, or act in a manner not becoming the perfect image and likeness of God. Christian Science proposes to heal a man by regenerating him, proposes to do away with sickness by making the man too good to be sick.

We believe that an individual may be Christian to a certain extent and yet at the same time suffer physical disorders, but we believe that he who is a Christian in the full and complete sense of the word will have attained to that stature of manhood in Christ wherein there is no more pain. Jesus demonstrated what mortals may attain by spiritual growth, while it is the mission of Christian Science to show how mortals may grow spiritually.

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