Article April 25, 1914 Issue

The Portland clergyman whose article entitled "Review...

Charles E. Jarvis

Riverside (Cal.) Press

The Portland clergyman whose article entitled "Review of Christian Science Claims" appeared in recent issues, might have directed his efforts to better advantage than by attacking the teachings of a movement which has to its credit the accomplishment of as much permanent good as has Christian Science, whose adherents are earnestly striving to reduce the sum total of the world's sin and misery. His remarks disclose not only a regrettable spirit of intolerance, but indicate also the failure on his part to grasp the import of Mrs. Eddy's teachings, in spite of his professedly long familiarity with the subject. It may readily be suspected that our critic has based his conclusions on the adverse opinions of the enemies of Christian Science rather than on a consideration of the only logical source for information on the subject, namely, the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." Had he even taken pains to refer to the text-book when quoting it, he undoubtedly would have gained a clearer understanding of at least a few of the points which he has misrepresented in so far as the actual teachings of Christian Science are concerned.

It should be understood at the outset that Mrs. Eddy's teachings, as set forth in the text-book and her many other writings, are based entirely upon the Bible, and they constitute a spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures which enables those who become familiar with them to solve their own problems and to help others solve theirs. It is manifestly impossible to explain such a system from a material standpoint, but this is what our critic has attempted to do. To begin with, he informs us that a Christian Scientist will tell you "there is no such thing as sin and no such thing as death." We will have to refer him to Science and Health, where on page 210 he may read, "To mortal sense, sin and suffering are real," and on page 188, "Passion, depraved appetites, dishonesty, envy, hatred, revenge ripen into action, only to pass from shame and woe to their final punishment;" and again on page 404: "A corrupt mind is manifested in a corrupt body. Lust, malice, and all sorts of evil are diseased beliefs, and you can destroy them only by destroying the wicked motives which produce them." In fact, the Concordance to the Christian Science text-book reveals more than one thousand references condemning sin in its various forms, but at the same time showing how it may be destroyed in strict accordance with the laws laid down by Jesus and the prophets.

We have the Master's authority for regarding death as an unreality. He proved it to be so not only in his own case, but also in the case of the daughter of Jairus; and in another place he said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." That the terms employed by Mrs. Eddy in elucidating the truths set forth in her works, and quite naturally in use by Christian Scientists, should be regarded as "peculiar" or "strange," is quite unimportant in view of the fact that so many people after years of suffering from various forms of discord have been restored to health simply by reading the book.

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