Article February 9, 1907 Issue

A REPLY TO REV. MR. BRADLEY

Charles K. Skinner—Saginaw, Mich.

The Evening News

I read with interest the excerpt from the sermon of Rev. M. S. Bradley, which appeared in your Monday issue. While the speaker takes exceptions to some positions of Christian Science (and I am sure it is because he has a misapprehension of its real teaching), his courteous language throughout, as reported, is appreciated by all. Every one has a right to his individual opinion, but if expressed in public there will be some one to question it.

Our critic takes issue with the Christian Science position respecting the unreality of matter, in these words: "Modern Christianity also makes much of the seen; we all have to assume the reality of the external order." Do we? That depends on our understanding of what "reality" means. The definition of this word according to some of the best authorities is "immobility, permanency, fixity." Thus St. Paul said, "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." The Master's words along this line were. "It is the spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing."

Christian Science in no sense denies the reality of the universe and man as God's creation, but it takes issue with materialists as to what that creation is. It begins with the spiritual creation as revealed in Genesis. 1st chapter, wherein it is stated that God created man in His own image and likeness; "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." The Scripture also teaches that all God's works are eternal. No mention is made of matter in this creation, hence the only position that can be accepted is that God as Spirit created a spiritual universe and this universe is real and eternal. Having created absolute perfection, He would not stultify His work with imperfection.

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