Article November 1, 1913 Issue

The truthfulness of a sentence in a Christian Science...

Ezra W. Palmer

The Denver (Col.) Times

The truthfulness of a sentence in a Christian Science lecture was challenged by a clerical critic in a recent issue. In the paragraph in which the sentence occurred, the lecturer explained the scientific meaning of communion, which he defined as "the recognition of the unity of God and man." When man is in genuine communion with God he is not subject to human thought or controlled by it. He sees and knows from a spiritual basis, as Jesus did when he knew the thoughts of those about him. But this is not human mind-reading, termed clairvoyance, hypnotism, or mesmerism.

Christian Science makes a clear and radical distinction between the workings of the human mind and true spiritual insight which rests on demonstrable understanding of God. "There is mortal mind-reading and immortal Mind-reading," as Mrs. Eddy points out (Science and Health, p. 83). In fact, the ecclesiastics of Jesus' time knew quite well the action of the human mind as manifested in necromancy, sorcery, clairvoyance, and hypnotism. So well did they know its evil nature that they deemed they could utterly discredit Jesus by charging that his healing was done on this basis. His scathing rebuke of this accusation is recorded in the twelfth chapter of Matthew, beginning with the twenty-fourth verse. In accord, therefore, with the teachings of Jesus, the lecturer declared that the "theory of transmission of thoughts from one person to another was false," because man is a spiritual being, and in reality receives thoughts and ideas only from God, the divine, infinite Mind.

Doubtless the critic who so fluently charged falsehood on the part of the lecturer, experienced the phenomenon recited. Furthermore, he doubtless could watch the sun rise and then declare that the sun moves, for behold, he saw it move! Thousands of men for long centuries did so declare, and Galileo suffered imprisonment for exposing that fallacy. So patently apparent is the falsity of this sense evidence that any man who adheres to it, attracts public attention, as would the unearthing of an unusual fossil. Likewise, enlarged spiritual insight into the teachings of Jesus shows the theory of clairvoyance and telepathy to be false, despite the protests of modern critics.

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"The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany"
November 1, 1913
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