Article January 19, 1899 Issue

About Christian Science

U. L. See

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:—

It seems to me there is a world of needless pother about Christian Science and a deal of gratuitous advertising of it that it does not merit, and what is remarkable is that the advertising is all in the religious press and under the guise of criticism and fault-finding. Even the Journal, to show that it is religiously inclined, especially on Sundays, in addition to its excellent sermon and other religious reading, gave us last Sunday an editorial criticism of Christian Science that would have done credit to the Christian Advocate or the Independent. What is further remarkable in these criticisms is, they are never truthful, and seem to desire not to be—that is, they suppress material facts or pervent them so as not to tell the whole truth. The Journal's editorial, however, lacked one element which characterizes some, if not all, the religious papers. These seem to have discovered that, after all, whatever of good is in Christian Science, so-called, is found in Buddhism and other Oriental religions, and it is sacrilegious to transplant it into Christian countries and name it Christian Science, whereas it is older than Christianity itself, if there is anything at all in it. This, in their logic, is conclusively fatal to its merits, and must settle the question with all Christians who believe that all creation outside Christian countries is outside the tender regards of the All-Father, most of them including in this reprobate class all Christians who do not see the Christ through the colored glasses they use. They think the other sheep of whom the Master spoke who do not belong to their little fold are very few and to be greatly pitied; hence the binding obligation to contribute liberally to foreign missions that all these may be cared for in the one fold.

Now, I am not going to defend Christian Science against the attacks of these religious papers and of the Journal when on its good behavior on Sundays; I am too fully apprised of the formidable force I would thus encounter. Besides, the delusion, if it be one, seems not to need any defence. It appears to be gaining favor with intelligent people, notwithstanding such criticism. Even the coroner's inquest, some time ago, over a man who died of consumption while under Christian Science treatment, to ascertain how much longer he might have lived under the treatment of a regular doctor, only called attention to the Science people, for it appeared in the investigation, official and unofficial, that men had died of consumption even under treatment of men having a state license to practise medicine. And the more recent attempt to hold surviving friends cirminally responsible for the death of a Christian Science patient because they had not called in a regular doctor has re-acted and advertised Christian Science as a possible remedial agent. Better let it be, for all these diatribes of the religious press, and of the religious issues of the secular press, and coroner's inquests, and prosecutions for not employing doctors that have diplomas, only call public attention to it, and are investigations of its merits by showing what it does accomplish.

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