Article April 4, 1908 Issue

Christian Science is not, as is commonly supposed,...

W. E. Brown

Pacific Outlook

Christian Science is not, as is commonly supposed, simply a school of physical healing. While the healing of disease accompanies its ministrations, its real object is the healing of sin, the physical healing being merely an incident, testifying to the moral and spiritual regeneration of the patient. By the term "sin" is meant not only wilful disobedience, but all mortal mistakes evolved through ignorance of God and His spiritual laws. Christian Science is a religion, the religion of Christ Jesus, and it is founded wholly on his teaching and practices; in its method and work it does not depart from these in the slightest degree. Furthermore, Christian Scientist do not use a different Bible, but use the same old Book that our forefathers used as their spiritual guide. The text-book of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," is used as a commentary in connection with the Bible, and does not in any way displace the Book of books. That the teachings of Christian Science are in accord with the Messianic teaching is evidenced by the work the Christian Science student is enabled to accomplish in fulfilling the command to "preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick," thus proving the promise, "The works that I do shall he do also." ... In the popular mind Christian Science is sometimes confused with mental science, faith cure, etc., but as a matter of fact Christian Science is in no way allied to these. Christian Science depends entirely on the divine Mind in its destruction of evil and disease. The human will is of no service in Christian Science, and must be displaced by the divine Mind before results can be obtained.

The teaching of Christian Science regarding matter is much misunderstood. It is frequently said, "You can't convince me there is no matter, when I can see it all around me." Such statements indicate at once that the author has not grasped Mrs. Eddy's meaning. By the statement "there is no matter," it is not meant to convey the idea that the objects in the world about us do not exist to sense perception. The statement "there is no matter" only partially defines the Christian Science doctrine, but when considered as a consequent of its correlative statement, "all is Mind," it immediately becomes apparent that what is generally called matter is but a misconception.

Mrs. Eddy's statement that "all is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation" (Science and Health, p. 468), is strictly in accord with the Scriptural teaching that God is All and there is none else. It is a self-evident fact that Mind and matter as opposing entities could not exist, and since Mrs. Eddy has given forth her discovery of the all-ness of Mind, many natural scientists have changed their views regarding matter and agree with her that we live in a thought world and that matter does not exist.

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