Article December 26, 1914 Issue

The Argonaut contains an article on the "Go-to-Church Movement,"...

Thomas F. Watson

San Francisco (Cal.) Argonaut

The Argonaut contains an article on the "Go-to-Church Movement," in which you account for the wonderful prosperity and growth of Christian Science by saying: "Christian Science . . . requires of its communicants no adhesion to outworn creeds. The Christian Scientist may believe what he likes."

Now, while we appreciate the spirit with which this writer handles the subject, giving Christian Science credit for accomplishing much good by giving, as he puts it, a "certain spiritual and moral uplift" to the individual, still it is quite misleading to state that "the Christian Scientist may believe what he likes." While it may be said that Christian Scientists have no "doctrinal beliefs" (Science and Health, p. 496), yet in order to join the Christian Science church one has to subscribe to the tenets as given in the Church Manual (p. 15), and in Science and Health (p. 497). The first tenet reads as follows: "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life." The second tenet, an outgrowth of the first, reads: "We acknowledge and adore one supreme and infinite God. We acknowledge His Son, one Christ; the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter; and man in God's image and likeness." And the sixth is as follows: "And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure."

The Christian Scientist is expected to live his religion, thus proving his words by his works. Nevertheless, as long as the Christian Scientist has to eat pay rent as do others, he will have to be paid for his services as are other people, if this is the point to which our friend refers when he accuses Christian Scientists of having "too close an alliance with the rules of thrift," and also charges them with turning out too many "eagerly thrifty practitioners." It may be stated that the Christian Science practitioners have all done much of charity work among those who have no means. The Bible says, "The laborer is worthy of his hire." In Jeremiah we read: "Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbor's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work."

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