Article August 28, 1909 Issue

In an attempt to "discriminate" between the true and...

R. Stanhope Easterday

Vincennes (Ind.) Capitol

In an attempt to "discriminate" between the true and the false in Christian Science teaching, our critic among other statements makes this: "Christian Science has exalted the (human) mind-power to the throne of absolute rulership over the states and conditions of the body." If this were true the basic teaching of Christian Science would be little short of the exercise of will-power or self-mesmerism. Inasmuch, however, as it is conceded even by our critic that by such superficial process of "imagination" a genuine case of organic or functional disease was never healed, and whereas practically every known form of ailment has been healed through Christian Science, it is quite evident that our brother errs in his original premise as to genuine Christian Science teaching and practice, in consequence where of all his deductions are erroneous.

For instance, nothing could be farther from a correct view than the gentleman's conception that from the Christian Science standpoint "sickness is just an imagination." It is not recorded in the New Testament that Jesus ever said to the sick and the afflicted, "You only think you are sick." When on the other hand one afflicted with loathsome leprosy made the pathetic appeal, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." our Saviour "put forth his hand, and touched him. saying, I will; be thou clean." It would have taken a strong imagination to have enabled one to touch a leper, and our Lord's specific command, "Be thou clean," implied that in the estimation of the Master the poor fellow really needed cleansing. The effort is I being made in Christian Science to heal as Jesus healed.

When our critic declares, referring evidently to Christian Science methods, "whatever formulas of thought or life that will help toward this result are to be used," he further evidences the fact that he is unfamiliar with Christian Science methods. It will be recalled that when Jesus was questioned as to how he accomplished his healings, lie replied: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.... The Son can do nothing of himself." Christian Science heals the sick today as they were healed in our Lord's time and for almost three centuries thereafter, by the influence upon human thought of wholesome, uplifting, vivifying, spiritual truth and love, inherent in that Mind "which was also in Christ Jesus." Human will has no part in the process, imagination is not a factor, the human mind is not taken into account, and mesmerism and hypnotism, the despotic control of one finite, erring human mind over another, is not resorted to. When our Lord's disciples failed on one occasion to heal a case and asked the Master why, he significantly replied, "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."The Christian Scientist finds that morality rather than intellectuality conduces to healing. The dictum of Scripture is, "Take no thought for the body," but "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." A knowledge of the truth means an approximation to rightness, or righteousness, and it is to the righteous that promise of peace and long life comes.

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