Article September 5, 1908 Issue

The Principle of Christian Science healing is God, and...

George Shaw Cook—Rockford, Ill.

Morning Star

The Principle of Christian Science healing is God, and its law is "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus," which Paul declared "hath made me free from the law of sin and death." The foregoing may be classed as mere assertion, even though made by one who claims to have some practical knowledge of the subject. However, it will be generally conceded, I suppose, that Mrs. Eddy, as the Discoverer of Christian Science and its most successful demonstrator in this age, ought to know something of the basis upon which it rests. She says, on page 126 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," the text-book of Christian Science, "I have found nothing in ancient or in modern systems on which to found my own, except the teachings and demonstrations of our great Master and the lives of prophets and apostles." Doing Mrs. Eddy the justice of assuming that the foregoing statement is honestly made, the question of paramount interest becomes, "How did Jesus and the apostles heal the sick?"

Perhaps our critic would answer that their cures were effected by means of mental suggestion, but if so I hardly think there would be many who would be prepared to agree with him. I suppose it would be fair and reasonable to let Jesus answer the question in his own words as recorded in the Gospels. Jesus said of his works: "I can of mine own self do nothing. ... The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." The Father referred to by Jesus as being the Principle of his works, was, according to Christian Science, the divine Mind. Jesus further said to his followers, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works." Christian Scientists believe that as followers of Christ Jesus they have a right to take him at his word. They believe that the healing which he did was lawful and was done according to a Principle which he understood. They believe that this Principle is God, divine intelligence. They believe that divine intelligence is as available to man now as it was at the time of Jesus. They believe that God and His eternal Christ should be and are entirely adequate to save under all circumstances and conditions. Christian Scientists are, however, sensible of the fact that they have only begun to understand and apply the Christ-method of healing, and do not pretend that they never fail in its application; yet they do know that Christian Science has proved efficacious in the healing of thousands upon thousands of cases of acute and chronic disease, mental and physical, functional and organic. This is not mere assertion; it is recorded fact, and should silence the claims often made that Christian Science is good only for nervousness and hysteria, a claim which is also made the basis for the statement that the cures wrought by Christian Science can all be explained as resulting from blind faith, will-power, or mental suggestion.

Christian Science shows that one phase of error will not destroy another phase of error. It shows that the human mind cannot destroy the evil conditions which that mind produces. Nothing but truth can destroy error, for the same reason that nothing but light can destroy darkness. One form of mortal belief may take the place of another form, and temporary relief may seem to result from this change, but nothing can permanently eradicate human error and the effect thereof, except the absolute understanding of divine Truth. Christian Science teaches that all disease is due to some phase of mortal belief. It shows that not only mental but bodily sickness is directly or indirectly caused by some erroneous conditions of thought, such as fear, sin, worry, hatred, envy, lust, or by some generally accepted belief of the human mind claiming to operate as law. It shows that the scientific cure of disease must therefore come from an opposite source, from the Mind which is divine, eternal, universal, omnipotent, the Mind to which Paul referred when he said, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."

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