Article May 4, 1899 Issue

Healing the Body through Spiritual Means

L. M. H.

New-Church Messenger

Editor of the Messenger :—I have just been reading the communications of E. W. N. and Mabel Gifford in the Messenger for February 8, and I want to express my sympathy with the thoughts contained in them, and my appreciation of the help which I have obtained from their perusal.

I am sorry to say that with the majority of New-Church people, so far as I have been able to observe, their study of the healing of the body without the aid of medicine has been confined very largely to the criticism, in many cases just, in others to my mind very unjust, of the various systems of metaphysical healing taught and practised in the world to-day. Having, in their opinion, "knocked the bottom" out of these systems, they proceed to state that there is contained in the writings of the New Church a true system of mental or spiritual healing, which is more sound and rational than any of these others. And there they stop! With few exceptions, there has been no attempt to formulate a practical system of instruction as to methods by which we may heal ourselves and others; and, better still, keep ourselves free from disease. And in nearly all cases those who have gone even this far theoretically, fall back upon a physician or the family medicine chest when any so-called case of "real sickness" appears. Now I do not speak of this simply for the purpose of finding fault, for such a spirit can only prove hurtful under all circumstances; but that we may, if possible, learn a lesson from these mistakes.

I would suggest that instead of pointing out the defects in the theology of Christian Science and other metaphysical teachings of this character, we look into them for the good there is in them. There seems to be a general impression among New-Church people that because these systems are wrong in some of their principles, there is nothing good in them and nothing good can be got from them. But this, I am profoundly convinced, is untrue. Indeed, from practical experience I have demonstrated, to my own satisfaction, at least, that one can gain from them an immense amount of help in ultimating in the outward life, even down to the outmosts of the physical body, the teachings of our Lord.

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