Editorial August 20, 1904 Issue

"Honor to whom Honor."

The marvelous changes which are taking place in religious thought to-day are scarcely more astonishing than is the apparent incapacity or indisposition of some to recognize their true explanation. This is well illustrated by an article upon the subject of "The New Hell" which has recently appeared in a leading magazine, and been republished in part, in the columns of The Literary Digest.

The author dwells upon the very great transformation in thought which has already been chronicled, the revolt from the gruesome teaching of Edwards that the knowledge of the eternal misery of the damned "would double the ardor of the love and gratitude of the saints in Heaven." His recognition of the incongruity between the Miltonic materialism of old theology and any worthy concept of the divine nature and purposes is prompt, and the general acceptance of that interpretation which regards Scripture realism as figurative, is declared. He fails, however, to note, possibly fails to see, the very significant fact that this phenomenal movement away from traditional views which have dominated religious belief for centuries, has been coincident with the rise and growth of Christian Science, and that every vital and impelling idea of the nobler view which now obtains, has been a part of the emphatic teaching of Christian Science since the first publication of its text-book, Science and Health, in 1875. The escape of thoughtful people from the enslavement of the frightening material beliefs of the past, cannot be thus disassociated, however, from the dissemination of the great truths of Christian Science, and it seems remarkable that any intelligent, fairminded writer on the subject could overlook or ignore this correlation. It would also seem a very legitimate expectation that in calling attention to the article and publishing generous excerpts from it The Digest would have made some honest reference to a movement which is so determinatively related to it.

When, through his healing works, Jesus made manifest his apprehension of Truth, the standards of adverse teaching were humbled, the most venerated human conviction had to yield to his conclusive demonstrations, and this alone makes explicable the speedy transformation of the world's thought. In all subsequent times, likewise, the domain of false belief has been successfully invaded only by the heralds of a higher spiritual sense, and the true interpreter of modern religious history will find the key to its revolutionary changes in the revelation of Truth a generation ago, through Mrs. Eddy, a revelation the beneficent and corrective influence of which is by no means limited to the Christian Science movement.

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