Article August 17, 1912 Issue

A correspondent expresses the opinion that Christian Science...

Algernon Hervey-Bathurst

Chelsea (Eng.) Mail

A correspondent expresses the opinion that Christian Science is not in accordance with "the true Christian faith." Every one is certainly free to think as he pleases, but the fact remains that many thousands of men and women throughout the world are daily proving that, thanks to the Christian Science text-book, they are now able to apply the teaching of Christ Jesus to their every-day life and to every problem with which they may be confronted, whereas, in many instances at least, the Bible was previously a sealed book to them. I would like, also, to repeat what has been stated so frequently, namely, that Mrs. Eddy was able to give Christian Science to the world solely because of her own clear discernment of the spiritual or scientific meaning of what Jesus taught his disciples. And in view of all that is being accomplished through the understanding and application of the teaching of Christian Science, it is difficult to understand how any one possessing even slight knowledge of the subject could believe that it is not in accordance with "true Christian faith."

With regard to the question of the unreality of evil, such a statement by itself is apt to be misleading. Much necessarily depends upon the way in which the word "reality" is interpreted. If the word is used in the absolute sense, as Mrs. Eddy uses it on page 468 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," where she states that "Spirit is the real and eternal," then indeed there is no reality (speaking absolutely) in evil. This does not, however, mean that evil does not seem real to the human consciousness, and it was just this belief in the reality of evil, this belief in the power and operation of a law which was not of God, that Jesus came to destroy, for, as he so emphatically said, he had come not to destroy but to fulfil the law of God, and in so doing he healed the sick, reformed the sinner, and did many mighty works, which he surely would never have accomplished had he by so doing been acting in contravention of that law. The great example given to humanity by Christ Jesus was clearly the outcome of his knowledge of Truth, and it was this knowledge which his disciples, as well as those who gave practical demonstration of their understanding of the doctrine of the great Teacher, possessed in some measure.

That same knowledge is available for all mankind today, and thanks to the spiritual discernment of the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, humanity has been reminded that they need no longer accept as inevitable the suffering and discord under which they have been laboring so long, but that they can and indeed must relegate it to the realm of unreality and powerlessness as did Jesus himself, who declared also that all who understood his teaching would do the same works and even greater works than he did.

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