Article May 17, 1913 Issue

The Australasian Church Quarterly Review for December...

David Anderson

Melbourne (Australia) Reporter

The Australasian Church Quarterly Review for December contains a letter from Mr. Dixon, district manager of the Christian Science publication committees in Great Britain, with reference to previous communications in the review on the subject of Christian Science, followed by an editorial comment of twelve pages on Mr. Dixon's letter, a reply to which the reviewer bars, so far as his journal is concerned. It is not my function or desire to initiate or continue press discussion on Christian Science, and Mr. Dixon will no doubt give the lengthy editorial all requisite attention in its essentials as reply to his letter; but the reviewer's comment contains inaccuracies of statement which call for prompt correction, and this I trust you will allow through your "Open Column."

The reviewer states that he "cannot forget the many cases where the neglect of medical aid has cost the lives of patients under Christian Science treatment." This is a paraphrase, so curiously similar as to be almost a copy of the words of some other critics who have been told that particulars of the cases referred to should be furnished for the purpose of verification, but in no instance that the present writer knows of has this been done. Will the reviewer kindly specify a few of the many cases which he "cannot forget"? He also speaks of the difficulty of getting precise and complete evidence of cases of Christian Science healing. The Christian Science Journal (monthly) and the Christian Science Sentinel (weekly) publish in every number several pages of letters in testimony of healing effected through Christian Science. If the reviewer will earmark any one or any number of these, I will undertake promptly to supply the postal addresses necessary for him to communicate directly with the writers. He speaks of cases which he has known of healing outside of Christian Science, and by means which he indicates, the main factor of which, he states, was "that faith which consists in absolute dependence and reliance upon God." Christian Scientists do not claim a monopoly of Christian virtues, but they are daily demonstrating all over the world the healing of the sick through an understanding reliance upon God as the only factor; and if the Christian Scientist be honest and consistent in obedience to all that is therein involved, in other words if he conforms to God's requirements, he cannot fail to demonstrate that divine Mind heals.

The Christian Science views of matter are not those ascribed to it by this critic, but they cannot be ascertained by a perfunctory perusal of the text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." These views are being approximated to, in constantly narrowing divergence, by eminent authorities on physical science who are not followers of Mrs. Eddy. The reviewer states as "fact" that Christian Scientists are required to push the sales of Science and Health as a religious duty, failure in discharge of which will render them liable to loss of church-membership. This "fact" is an absolute falsity; and it would be interesting to know whence the critic derives his supporting quotation. He belittles the enormous sales of Science and Health on the ground that there have been several hundreds of editions printed, and that some purchasers have been known to provide themselves with more than one copy. The cogency of the argument is not apparent. People have been known to purchase more than one copy of the Bible; and books with a sale running into millions are usually published in editions. It would seem that the desire of a purchaser afterward to repeat the process is fairly good evidence that he was not dissatisfied with his first venture.

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