Article August 8, 1903 Issue

The Adequacy of Christian Science

Frank W. Gale

Fresno (Cal.) Democrat

To admit that many are healed by Christian Science of functional disorders, but claim that any "disease that involved the change or waste of tissue" has not been cured, is absurd, for there is an abundance of as conclusive evidence of the healing of organic and malignant diseases by Christian Science as there is of functional disorders. The reliability of the diagnosis is not dependent upon the knowledge of the Christian Scientist alone, as thousands of cases that have been diagnosed by eminent physicians and given up after all material remedies had failed, have been cured by Christian Science. If the disease was not what the doctors said it was, then their diagnosis was at fault, and they were blind guides leading the blind; but the fact remains that in many cases, after years of suffering, the patients were healed by Christian Science of diseases that physicians had pronounced incurable. Those who are healed are generally willing to give all reasonable information about their cases to those who are sincerely seeking the truth, and they are giving their testimonies at the Wednesday evening meetings of the Christian Science churches throughout the land, but they do not consider that they are under any obligation to submit themselves to medical examination for the benefit of some critic who denies the healing power of Christian Science, for such a one would not "be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

While Christian Scientists recognize the humanitarian motives of the "faithful and devoted physician," yet they believe that Christ Jesus is the true example for Christians to follow, and he did not show his trust in God "by making use of the abundant means nature and man have provided to cure disease." On the contrary, the Master healed the sick through a spiritual power and without drugs, and said to his followers, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." His disciples proved the truth of this by healing the sick and the sinful, and that it is as true to-day as when it was uttered is being demonstrated through Christian Science.

The sense in which Christian Scientists deny the reality of disease does not prevent them from helping the needy, but enables them to do so, for they base this denial on that fact that God,—divine Truth and Love,—is not the author of disease, and they can trust Him to destroy its seeming reality. As a dreamer suffering from a nightmare needs to be awakened from his dream in order to be freed from his suffering, although we know the objects of his dream have no real existence, so one suffering from a belief in disease needs to know that it does not exist in divine Mind, which is man's true being. According to the law of cause and effect, like produces like, and good is not the author of evil. As God is Spirit, His image and likeness, man, is spiritual; and as there is no disease in Spirit, there can be none in the manifestation of Spirit. The Christian Scientist does not believe that his prayers will subvert any of God's laws, but that they bring him into harmony with those laws, and thereby the supposed laws of matter are annulled. As Paul said, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." While sin results in suffering, when the sin ceases the suffering should also cease.

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