Article June 1, 1912 Issue

Our critic's manifest ignorance as to what Christian Science...

R. Stanhope Easterday

Gary (Ind.) Post

Our critic's manifest ignorance as to what Christian Science really teaches, practically disqualified him to speak on this subject. For instance, the attempt to state the Christian Science syllogistic basis of reasoning, in the words, "God is good; I am a part of God, therefore I am good," is far from correct. The minor premise is erroneous. It is unscriptural and indeed blasphemous. The following is the Christian Science syllogism: "Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual" (Science and Health, p. 468). Wherever, moreover, the critic has approximated a correct statement of Christian Science teaching, he has ludicrously crippled his own argument and supported ours. As, for instance, his declaration, "Since God is good, He can know no evil, and as we cannot know more than God, there is (in reality) no sin." Our readers can test the logic of this argument.

Far from refuting the argument after thus stating it, our critic seems to cast reflection upon himself in the further declaration, "If these things are so, I must learn to read English and Greek over again." The logic is deduced from the King James English rendering of the original Scriptures, and Christendom generally feels confident that a correct reading in the originals will substantiate reasonably this standard English translation. The Scriptures indeed declare of God that He is good and imply clearly divine hatred of evil, but they further declare of the divine nature: "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity." Our critic overlooked, in the light of this Scripture, the significant statement of the divine resume of creation in Genesis, "Behold, it was very good." In the light of such Scriptural reasoning the Christian Scientist can but deduce that evil, sin, and suffering do not really exist in this "very good" creation, and consequently account for all forms of evil as but human, fabulous misconceptions of the actually existent good in God's perfect creation. The Christian Scientist does not argue that the claim or belief of sin does not cling to human consciousness, or that erring mortal misnamed man is "without sin." The Christian Scientist does, however, in the light of this perfect creation, appreciate the significance and reasonableness of our Lord's specific demand: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect;" and he logically and modestly strives for an approximation to this high ideal. Seeking, moreover, just as earnestly and modestly the unfolding and guidance of divine Truth, he very willingly perceives and acknowledges these numerous errrors or sins of misjudgment or misapprehension of the good and beautiful and true in God's perfect creation, and in this process of regeneration he finds his God indeed "faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," from all unright views of God and the spiritual universe.

Our critic is utterly wrong in his conjecture as to the real nature of Christian Science treatment. Christian Science healing does not result from the "constant assertion that we are not sick," but from a conscious realization that man as the image and likeness of God cannot manifest anything that is unlike God. Such realization cannot come as a result of so-called human mind activity on the basis of mesmeric influence, which activity but confuses, depletes, and stultifies thought; it comes as a result of constant and conscious communion with God in true prayer. In such prayerful communion the human will is lost sight of, in compliance with our Master's key-note to success, "Not my will, but thine, be done." The so-called human mind fades from view, and in place thereof there comes into evidence in the individual's consciousness that Mind "which was also in Christ Jesus," as evidenced in the Master's declaration: "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do." In other words, in Christian Science the divine Mind, whence emanates all truth, and on the basis of which alone absolutely true and unerring deductions can be made, is seen to be operative. Thus does Truth destroy error ("Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"), and bring out the divine idea of perfection, in the image and likeness of God.

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