Article October 15, 1910 Issue

In a recent issue one signing himself "A Local Pastor"...

H. Coulson Fairchild

Plainfield (N.J.) Press

In a recent issue one signing himself "A Local Pastor" criticizes my second reply to a critic on the subject of the atonement. I do not think it was misleading, as my latest critic implies, to refer your readers to the Christian Science text-book for the exact meaning of the atonement as taught in Christian Science. There is no higher authority on the subject of Christian Science and its teachings than the text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," by Mrs. Eddy. In view of the fact, however, that a brief explanation of our views may satisfy our critic, I will state that atonement in Christian Science does not mean the loss of one's individuality. The true individuality of man is brought to light when man reflects the divine image and likeness and becomes at-one with God as His reflection.

Our critic presents some quotations from Science and Health, parallels them with some picked texts from the Bible, and ends up by saying that he wishes the general public to "know the radical difference between the atonement as Christian Science teaches it and the atonement as taught in the Bible." By what authority our critic presumes to state exactly what is taught in the Bible we do not know; we certainly have no objection to his stating his particular belief as to what the Bible teaches on this subject; but we must remember that there are at least one hundred and eighty different religious sects in this country calling themselves Christians, who are ready to tell us what they think "is taught in the Bible." Without doubt all are doing some good and all have a right to their particular views. What we do object to is the tendency of critics of Christian Science to endeavor to explain what Christian Science teaches, in addition to explaining their own beliefs.

During many years' experience in reading criticisms of Christian Science, I have seen a number of so-called deadly parallels which purported to set forth a difference between the teachings of Mrs. Eddy and those of the Bible, but taken as a whole there is a chain of confirmation of Christian Science running through the entire inspired word of the Bible. When verses from the Bible are separated from their context and quotations from Science and Health are similarly used, the setting of these quotations one over against the other, constitutes a wholly unreliable criticism.

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In a recent issue one signing himself "A Local Pastor"...

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