Article April 19, 1913 Issue

I must again take exception to the wild statements made...

W. E. Fell

Bradford (England) Argus

I must again take exception to the wild statements made by your correspondent. He distinctly declares in his letter that Mrs. Eddy "had the audacity to rewrite the Lord's Prayer." Need I say that this is not true? The Lord's Prayer as found in the sixth chapter of Matthew is repeated at every Sunday service, and also at the week-day service of all Christian Science churches. The spiritual interpretation was given us by Mrs. Eddy, and for this we are exceedingly grateful to her, as the value of the perfect prayer that Jesus gave us is thereby enhanced. In this connection I quote her words in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures": "Only as we rise above all material sensuousness and sin, can we reach the heaven-born aspiration and spiritual consciousness, which is indicated in the Lord's Prayer and which instantaneously heals the sick" (p. 16).

Our critic takes strong objection to Mrs. Eddy's commentary,—the "Key to the Scriptures." Why should he object to the Christian Scientists having a key or commentary to the Scriptures? I should not be surprised to hear that he has such a work on his own bookshelf. I will guarantee that there is not a minister or a clergyman who has not a Bible commentary of some sort. The critic is under a misapprehension when he declares that Christian Science says there is no disease; what Science and Health says on this subject is as follows: "Sickness 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" (p. 460). In this our critic is correct, that no weddings are solemnized in the Christian Science churches. Scientists are married, as are many other persons, in their own homes.

We do not deny that we have silent prayer and the Lord's Prayer at our services; and why should the privilege of praying as Jesus commanded be denied to the Christian Scientists? "When thou prayest, ... enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret." To enter into the closet is to enter into our own consciousness and come into communion with God.

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