Article March 18, 1911 Issue

In your issue of the 22d inst., in an article under the...

Frederick Dixon

London (Eng.) Inquires

In your issue of the 22d inst., in an article under the heading "Medicine and Religion," the statement is made that Christian Scientists are "once again confusing the sphere of medicine and religion," and that they have "turned the more or less exact science of psychotherapeutics now into the basis of, and now into the buttress of, certain extraordinary additions to the already overburdened temple of all religions."

If this is the case, it can only be said that the confusion first took place, from a Christian point of view, in the teaching of the New Testament. The Founder of Christianity distinctly sent out his followers to preach the gospel and to heal the sick, and with equal certainty he declared, speaking of these followers, in all countries and at all times, that if they believed in him they would be able to heal the sick as he had healed them, and even to do greater things than these. From that time onward, the healing of the sick was looked upon as a natural and normal part of the Christian religion. We know from the works of the fathers that it continued, though in a decreasing ratio, down to the time of Constantine; and even after that it was considered a natural, even if an exceptional, occurrence that the sick could be healed by the power of God.

The medical teaching of the first century was certainly most remarkable. It was a mixture of idolatry and ignorance of the most extraordinary description. This is a fact which should be borne in mind by the people who are so fond of insisting that Luke was a physician. Luke, so far as we know, may have been a physician, but Luke if he ever was a physician certainly, in the words of so great a critic as Adolph Harnack, deserted the study of medicine because he hoped to find in Christianity a way, by quite other means, of healing the sick and casting out devils; and this other way Harnack describes as Christian Science.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
To a cure wrought by Christian Science nineteen years...
March 18, 1911
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit