Editorial December 16, 1905 Issue

"How long halt ye between two opinions?"

ANNIE M. KNOTT

AT a recent religious gathering in the English metropolis, the Bishop of London gave his views on the subject of Christian Science at some length, and is reported to have said, among other things, that "by invigorating the faith, the hope, and the courage, they had great effect upon the bodily condition of the patient in many cases," and he added that in this sense he was "in agreement with Christian Science." He also said that church workers "ought to approach sick persons with far more faith; they ought to pray for their recovery, and those who were priests ought to lay hands upon them with far more expectancy that they would recover." In conclusion the Bishop advised "those who thought they had special gifts of healing never to try to exercise those gifts apart from the medical profession."

It is very certain that our brethren across the sea are much impressed by the teaching of Christian Science relative to the healing of sickness, and that they are now aware of the fact that no professed follower of Christ Jesus can consistently ignore the demand for this healing. There is undoubtedly a great awakening of interest on this vital question to which Mrs. Eddy called the world's attention forty years ago. The pity is that any should doubt the divine source of this power which is reforming sinners while healing their diseases, thus enabling them to bring forth the fruits of Spirit.

The Bishop's remarks, while evidently intended to be complimentary to the medical profession, indirectly admit its inability to inspire patients with "faith, hope, and courage," much less to heal them without the prayers of the clergy and church workers. It is quite likely, too, that the doctors would resent any such invasion of their special domain, for they would naturally hold that if drugs have an inherent power (and this must be believed in order to justify their use) prayers could not add to their effectiveness, especially when the admission was made that prayers without drugs were not to be trusted.

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