Article April 2, 1910 Issue

It ought to be acknowledged that the purpose of Christian...

Howard C. Van Meter

Portland (Ore.) Telegram

It ought to be acknowledged that the purpose of Christian religions is to acquaint men with God as defined in the Scriptures and as exemplified in the life of the Nazarene, and with a method of salvation based upon such knowledge which will enable the individual to understand the significance of life in its true sense and express the will of God the creator. At least this is the purpose of Christian Science as understood by those whose investigation has not been prompted by a desire to discredit it because its method differs from that of other denominations.

As to whether Christian Science is "the most seductive and harmful of all substitutes for the religion of Jesus Christ," we may profitably consider briefly what Christian Science teaches concerning the Master and his idea of what his followers should do. The best evidence is the extent to which his teaching is reduced to practice and the effects made manifest in daily life. Jesus taught that his followers should in believing (understanding) him, do the works that he did; in other words, if one understood the God whom Jesus was obeying and understanding, this knowledge of Truth would accomplish for him the same results.

In maintaining a life of satisfaction, it may easily be recognized that sin, disease, and death, with their attendant misery and anguish, have no place, because their presence is not expressive of happiness and satisfaction; consequently their abolishment would bring more peace to the world and result in a manifested creation that would glorify God in its every phase. In approximating a life which is so harmonious that it gives evidence of the eternal life which Jesus spoke of as being the knowledge of God, there is required, as taught in Christian Science, the acceptance of the Bible teaching that God is the only creator; that all He made is good and is finished, that "a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit," as Jesus emphasized; therefore that which is the manifestation of God is good and only that which is good is real, in the sense that the real expresses God, which is the purpose of creation. Mortals believe that both good and evil are real, and try vainly to reconcile themselves to a changing experience in good and evil as the evidence of God, or a belief in a power apart from God, either of which would dethrone His unchangeable nature or omnipotence.

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