Article November 15, 1913 Issue

In a recent issue there is a reference to Christian Science in...

Frederick Dixon—London, England

Holloway Press

In a recent issue there is a reference to Christian Science in which the writer says that he is going to cure himself of gout by contraries, and thinks of joining the Christian Scientists. The Christian Scientists, he goes on to say, declare that pain is all imagination, and if you can persuade yourself that you have no pain, you will not feel it. Now, in one sense, I an inclined to agree with him. I think if you can persuade yourself that you have no pain, you will not feel it, for I am quite sure you will not persuade yourself as long as you have the pain. If, however, the writer thinks that this is Christian Science, he is about as completely mistaken as he is ever likely to be.

What Christian Science does say is, that pain is mental, and that the only way in which pain can entirely overcome is by destroying the mental cause. This is not a position confined to Christian Science; it is the position of all idealist teaching. Where the Science of Christianity differs from the science of the laboratory, is that Christian Science insists that when people say mind is causation, they should take the next inevitable step and insist that in this case pain must be mentally destroyed, and not physically. If, that is to say, a person is suffering from toothache, the pain may no doubt be stopped by the extraction of a tooth or by the application of some drug. In reality, however, all that is happening is that an exceedingly clumsy way of persuading the mind, and so altering its material or subjective condition, is being adopted. It is quite plain that pain overcome by the application of material means is only overcome in that particular instance and at that particular moment, and another pain can assert itself the next moment. What Christian Science insists on is, that when it is once realized that pain is mental, the means of avoiding pain, not only at the moment but thereafter, is acquired, and that therefore real healing has supervened, not by merely dealing with an effect, but by the destruction of the cause. This is not pretending that you have no pain, it is simply recognizing what pain is and overcoming it scientifically. "Sickness," Mrs. Eddy writes, on page 460 of Science and Health, "is neither imaginary nor unreal,—that is, to the frightened, false sense of the patient. Sickness is more than fancy; it is solid conviction. It is therefore to be dealt with through right apprehension of the truth of being."

The teaching of Christian Science, then, is undertaken with the object of giving mankind a true understanding of being. If its teaching is effective, not only is the particular case of sickness aimed at healed, but the healing can extend through the whole gamut of human inharmony, whether of sorrow, sickness, or sin. This is surely what Jesus meant when he declared, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," for he showed that the freedom which was the inheritance of a knowledge of Truth gives man dominion over matter in all its myriad forms.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
It is evident that Jesus knew from his experience with some...
November 15, 1913
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit