Article May 18, 1912 Issue

While Christian Science is a healing system, it cannot...

Edward W. Dickey

Los Angeles (Cal.) Examiner

While Christian Science is a healing system, it cannot be considered a "school of medicine," but only a religious belief. It is defined by the Century dictionary as a "system of religious teaching, based on the Scriptures, which originated with the Rev. Mary Baker Eddy about 1866. Its most notable application is in the professed cure of disease by mental and spiritual means."

For present purposes it may be stated that Christian Science purports to be the reestablishment of the practices of primitive Christianity. It does its healing by virtue of a divine law. Its "treatment" is but a mode of prayer, by which this ever-operative divine law is sought to be applied to the sick and sinful; and this is all a Christian Scientist does, whether for himself or for others. It will readily be seen that the practice of Christian Science is of a distinctly religious character. This being true, statutes passed with a view to the regulation of the practice of "medicine and surgery" cannot be said to apply to Christian Science. (See State vs. Mylod, 20 R. I., 632, 40 Atl., 753.)

A "practitioner" is "one who practises," and all Christian Scientists are in a degree Christian Science practitioners. The practice of all Christian Scientists falls within the ample federal and state constitutional provisions guaranteeing religious liberty, because they practise the precepts of a religious belief. The fact that they call their prayer a "treatment" in no wise alters the legal significance of the situation. The gist of the matter lies in the fact that they make no profession to heal by their own power, but rely solely upon divine power for aid. The Scientist is not a practitioner of medicine in any sense of the word, and those who turn to Christian Science for aid know that no material agancies are employed.

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