The minister of your city who recently attacked Christian Science,...

Ezra W. Palmer

The Pueblo (Col.) Chieftain

The minister of your city who recently attacked Christian Science, seems to feel aggrieved because his position on healing the sick by prayer has been questioned. It seems hardly credible that a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ should, from his pulpit and in the public press, question and argue against spiritual healing. The four gospels are a record of healing by prayer; the ministry of Jesus is full of accounts of healing the sick; he sent forth his disciples on the same mission, and he made clear that all who believed (understood) should possess the same power. His momentous words to his followers — not merely his disciples — in the last chapter of Mark's gospel are: —

"And these signs shall follow them that believe ; In my name shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak with new tongues ; they shall take up serpents ; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them ; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Jesus' disciples healed the sick and raised the dead; and the early Christians for three hundred years did likewise. In fact, spiritual healing has never been wholly lost since the time of Jesus, but it had become isolated, sporadic, infrequent, the manifestation of faint gleams of that wonderful spiritual light which so illumined early Christianity and gave it the wonderful power to convert the pagan world.

What has Christian Science done to draw attacks such as this reverend critic indulged in? Christian Science, given to the world by Mrs. Eddy, reinstates primitive christian healing, "the understanding and demonstration of divine Truth, Life, and Love, healing and saving the world from sin and death" (Church Manual, p. 19). That it has been successful in its mission, is attested all over the civilized world, and a great multitude drawn from every class of society rejoice in the healing of physical disease and the joys and profound peace that come from right relationship with God, the divine ruler of the universe. Although this healing by the power of God is so widely known and is testified to in Wednesday evening meetings by many of the best people in cities and villages all over the nation and abroad, this critic announces in the press that he is a doubting Thomas. He even thanks God for his skepticism, a state of mind which Jesus rebuked in his dull and reluctant disciple. Jesus extended no blessing to Thomas for his incredulity, but said, "Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

The commands of Jesus as recorded in the tenth chapter of Matthew, that his followers should "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils," are just as imperative on this critic as a professed follower of the Master, as upon Christian Scientists. Nevertheless, he shows no evidence of his willingness or ability to comply with these plain commands, but glories in his unbelief, and demands of Christian Scientists that they present him evidence, in the press, of the healing of various diseases by prayer.

Jesus pointed out in several parables the necessity of diligently seeking to find truth, and his admonition is commended to this critic. Has he diligently sought to discover the facts about Christian Science healing? Mrs. Eddy in her wisdom established various avenues through which the facts about Christian Science can be readily ascertained. These include the periodicals, — the Christian Science Sentinel and The Christian Science Journal, — in each issue of which are well verified testimonies of healing, giving the names and addresses of those who thus testify. In each church, Wednesday evening meetings are held, at which public testimonies of the healing work of Christian Science are given. Public free reading-rooms are also maintained by each church, where inquirers may go for information and literature.

In addition to these helps, Christian Scientists everywhere are always glad to aid sincere seekers for light, and willingly tell of their joy over redemption from the bondage of material sense. All these avenues have been open to the critic. If he has not availed himself of any of them in arriving at his skeptical conclusions regarding Christian Science healing, we may be pardoned if we say that he has "based his generalizations on insufficient data." If this critic will investigate Christian Science healing with an unbiased mind, he will find plenty of evidence to prove that it heals cancer, tuberculosis, and other so-called incurable diseases, and he need not go beyond the confines of his home city to find the evidence.

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