Article August 23, 1913 Issue

In the course of your report of an address by Prebendary...

Frederick Dixon—Birkenhead, England.

Birkenhead News

In the course of your report of an address by Prebendary Webster, there occurs a reference to Christian Science in which it is classed with theosophy and spiritualism as a strange new cult. First, will you permit me to point out that there is absolutely no resemblance between Christian Science and either theosophy or spiritualism, a fact of which most theosophists and spiritualists are perfectly aware. What to me is curious in the address is the idea that there is anything strange in Christian Science. It shows the extraordinary limitations which the world has placed upon the plain words of the gospels, that an orthodox minister should regard as strange the teaching that the words of Jesus of Nazareth meant what he said and not something entirely different.

Christian Science aims to make the teaching of the gospels as practical in the twentieth century as it was in the first. The command of the first century was to "preach the gospel" and "heal the sick." In this way the healing of the sick was made the corollary to the preaching of the gospel. It was even something more than this, for the ability to heal the sick naturally became the test of the accuracy of the presentation of the Principle. Jesus declared that the world should know the truth, and the truth would make it free; and as if to put his meaning beyond any misconception whatever, he declared that those who believed in him would be able to do the works he did. Obviously those who believed in him understood the truth he taught, and it was their understanding of this truth which was to be demonstrated in their ability to repeat the "signs following." To put it quite clearly, the healing of Jesus was to be regarded as no supernatural power exercised by an individual, but simply as the object-lesson in proof of man's understanding of the truth.

It is this teaching which Christian Scientists have accepted, and there is surely nothing strange in Mrs. Eddy's insistence on the simple meaning of the sayings of Jesus. What is strange is, that for centuries men should have been engages in trying to find and explanation of the text of the gospels which would excuse them for accepting part of the divine command, that of preaching the gospel, and omitting the other part, that of healing the sick. It would be almost impossible to exaggerate the ingenuity which has been brought to bear on certain Bible texts in order to prove that they mean something different form their obvious and clear significance. Not once, but again and again in the gospels, Jesus, without any qualification of time or place, insisted that those who believed in his teaching would be able to repeat his demonstrations. And this was actually inevitable, since his teaching was the absolute truth.

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