Article October 19, 1912 Issue

THE LECTURES

with contributions from W. Osborne Lilley, Thomas Hull, Fred E. Ernst, Levi McGee, William C. Kaufman, Harry S. Downey, Franklin J. Tyrrell, J. A. Ingols

Bliss Knapp lectured under the auspices of First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Brisbane, at the Albert hall, the attendance being about three hundred and fifty. He was introduced by the Rev. W. Osborne Lilley, a retired minister of the United Methodist Free church, whose introductory remarks were as follows:—

I have indeed great pleasure in being here this evening to preside over this gathering. I have very great sympathy with the Christian Science movement, as I think it is very useful and is doing a great deal of good in the world. This is an age of great investigation in all religious matters, and the air seems sometimes full of new thoughts, new aspirations; but there is room in the world and room in humanity for all the thought that is in the world, and I think that every movement is a part of that wonderful revelation of God in this age, for God expresses Himself in many ways.

There are two aspects of the Christian Science movement which have strongly impressed me. One is the belief that the Scientists have in the living God; God is a reality to them,—God is Life, God is Love, God is inspiration, God dwells with humanity—is the source of all gladness. Now there are hundreds of people who profess Christianity, but who have no consciousness of God. God is only a name to them—only a dream; but to the Christian Scientist God is real. There is another aspect which I think most valuable, that is, they do not look upon sin and suffering in any morbid way. They recognize that [to the human sense] there is sin and that there is suffering, but they try to overcome both, try to prove them of no worth—something they want to get rid of. Thus, having God's Spirit within, they are a living force for the benefit of humanity.

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