Article March 13, 1909 Issue

The letter signed "Explorer," printed in your issue of...

Frederick Dixon—London, England.

Morning Post,

The letter signed "Explorer," printed in your issue of the 3d inst., is based surely on a curious misconception. Mrs. Eddy has stated quite distinctly on page 110 of Science and Health that "in following these leadings of scientific revelation, the Bible was my only text-book;" while she has again written, on page 46, that "Jesus was 'the way;' that is, he marked the way for all men." From one end of her writings to the other Christ Jesus is always the Master and the Saviour. Once when she was asked, "How do you know that there ever was such a man as Christ Jesus?" she replied, "I do not find my authority for Christian Science in history, but in revelation." Between the first and the nineteenth century thousands of scholars had read the Bible record without discovering the secret of the healing power demonstrated by Jesus. That healing was to be restored to the world not through scholarship but through revelation.

What, then, did it matter if an historical student could argue to a university that there was no conclusive evidence that Jesus ever existed. Hume had disposed of miracles in precisely the same way; and though a great churchman had retorted with that brilliant tour de force, "Historic Doubts Relative to Napoleon Bonaparte," he had probably not convinced a single doubter that the miracles were authentic. God not man, revelation not education. taught Mrs. Eddy to understand the inspired word of the Bible, and those wonderful last words of the Gospel of St. Matthew, "Lo. I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." It mattered not to her if historians could prove to their satisfaction that the Galilean prophet never lived. The Christ which was before Abraham was with men alway to enable them to demonstrate the healing power of Truth. "To-day," she says on page ix. of the Preface of Science and Health, "though rejoicing in some progress, she still finds herself a willing disciple at the heavenly gate, waiting for the Mind of Christ."

"Explorer" argues that Mrs. Eddy's reply proves Christian Science to be identical with theosophy. The writer of an article on the latter in one of our great dictionaries declares that the word is generally used with extreme indefiniteness, and this is obviously the case. Not long ago, however, I had a prolonged talk with one of the leading theosophists of Europe, who was under no misapprehension as to the two doctrines being the same. It may be argued that being a theosophist he did not know what theosophy was, just as it frequently is that any one understands Christian Science better than a Christian Scientist. At the same time it is not, I think, an extravagant assumption that those who are daily and hourly practising a definite teaching and devoting their lives to its demonstration are probably quite as good judges of what that teaching is as those who are not. For this reason alone the contention of Christian Scientists that Christian Science has nothing in common with theosophy is entitled to respect, and cannot intelligently be brushed aside.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

The letter signed "Explorer," printed in your issue of...

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access