Article May 1, 1909 Issue

The dominant thought of the critic's discourse is...

James Phelps

Milwaukee (Wis.) Sentinel

The dominant thought of the critic's discourse is that Christian Science is getting ahead of the other churches. He also charges Mrs. Eddy with purposely digging a chasm between her organization and the other churches, which is the exact reverse of the truth. Considering the vast number of denominations into which the Christian church is split, isn't it passing strange that our good brother should be so exercised over one more division? I assume that each deomination exists because it has a different interpretation of the same Bible which Christian Scientists use; a different idea of some of the essentials of religion. Why then berate our denomination for having a different idea than all others, for forming our own organizations and worshiping God according to the dictates of our own conscience? We attend strictly to our own business,—preach the gospel, heal the sick, and strive to reach the perfect stature of manhood which was exemplified in Jesus of Nazareth. In none of the thousand or more pulpits of the Christian Science faith from which the gospel is expounded every Sunday, is any other denomination assailed.

Another glaring inconsistency in the critic's position is that he insists that Christian Scientists heal by means of suggestion or autosuggestion, as he claims to do, yet he admits that his methods cannot possibly effect the cure of an organic disease; while Christian Science is healing organic diseases every day. He claims divinity, not only for his own methods, but for the methods of physicians and surgeons; yet there is no authority in the Bible for either medicine, surgery, or suggestion. Those divine rules of conduct and of living, known as the Ten Commandments, are silent on the subject. David tells us that it is God who "healeth thy diseases," Christ Jesus healed the sick without physicians and drugs. He said: "The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works," "I can of mine own self do nothing," "Not my will, but thine, be done." Such statements as these surely do not sound like suggestion or autosuggestion.

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