Article January 18, 1913 Issue

In your issue of recent date, I find a considerably fuller...

H. Farmer Hall

Brighton (Eng.) Herald

In your issue of recent date, I find a considerably fuller report of the Dean of St. Paul's sermon delivered at the Brighton parish church than I had before seen. In this sermon it appears that the dean spoke at some length on the subject of spiritual healing, and in so doing criticized Christian Science, which, he says, among other methods he has investigated, has not produced one case of healing of organic disease. From this it is evident that either the Christian Scientists have failed to heal any cases of organic disease, or the dean has failed properly to investigate the facts.

The Christian Science movement has been increasing to such a degree during the last forty years, that it has attracted the wonder and attention of the whole world, and that which stands out prominently as its particular claim on public attention is that it finds the teachings of Jesus the Christ apply not only to the destruction of sin, but also to the destruction of all the physical ills to which humanity is heir. On this basis, and on its ability to make good these assertions, the world undoubtedly judges Christian Science. It is quite impossible to believe that, had Christian Scientists utterly failed in this endeavor, a single Christian Science church would at this day be in existence; but the facts prove that on the contrary its increase has been unprecedented, and today more than ever it continues to gain adherents.

Under these circumstances it is most difficult to treat the dean's contentions seriously. He has against him the evidence of hundreds of thousands of honest, intelligent persons who have been healed of all kinds of diseases, irrespective of whether they were organic or functional. One is, however, able to gather from the dean's remarks something of the mental attitude with which he approaches the subject. He is credited in your paper with the astounding statement that pain, suffering, and death are parts of God's will for His creatures, and therefore proceeds to investigate from a basis which can never be ready to recognize the divine law that heals the sick, but is ever ready to attribute any healing that may be presented to other causes. Will you then permit me to consider briefly the possibility that God is the upholder of sickness, in the light of the teachings of Christian Science?

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