Article April 27, 1912 Issue

Your readers were asked in Thursday's issue to consider...

Howard C. Van Meter

Medford (Ore.) Sun

Your readers were asked in Thursday's issue to consider an attempt on the part of a clergyman to prove the teaching of the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." contradictory to that of the Bible. Without attempting to evade the comparisons, I would like to draw the attention of your readers to the fact that there are as many different interpretations of the Bible as there are teachings, to the extent that many who have endeavored to take the Word of God literally have thrown up their hands in despair, declaring the Bible itself to be illogical. This could easily appear to be true if one picked cut certain of its passages and compared them with other Scriptural passages. For example, in one place the Scriptures read: "I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matt. v, 17); and again: "The Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (I John iii, 8). This seeming contradiction is made plain when through the teaching of Christian Science we learn that Jesus fulfilled the word of God by destroying death. Consequently death must be of the devil, and to be destroyed must be unreal, since that which is true or real is indestructible.

In John xi, 11, Jesus said to his disciples: "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep;" but later, seeing that they did not comprehend his meaning, he conformed to their material view-point, saying, plainly, "Lazarus is dead." In spite of this concession, he proved the truth of his later statement to Martha, "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." Therefore, in the language of Science and Health (p. 75), we read, "Jesus restored Lazarus by the understanding that Lazarus had never died." Again, in the supposed contradictions, the comparison is made between Luke vii, 21, "Inthat same hour he [Jesus] cured many of ... evil spirits," and Science and Health (p. 70), "The supposition that ... there are good and evil spirits, is a mistake." The statement of Luke as to what Jesus did plainly indicates that the belief in the power of evil spirits is "a mistake," since Jesus cured those who were believing in such power and so proved that there is one omnipotent Spirit, who is God.

Plainly, then, the Bible cannot be taken literally, and the proof whether or not one's interpretation is correct lies in the works, for the Master said, "By their fruits ye shall know them." When students and expounders of the Bible fulfil the equally important command to "heal the sick," as well as to "preach the gospel," they can then furnish proof of their correct knowledge of truth and will be in a position to baptize "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

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