If critics of Christian Science who are fond of repeating...

Harry I. Hunt

Newark (N. J.) News

If critics of Christian Science who are fond of repeating that it is a mingling of idealism and pantheism would only study its text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, they would save themselves from the charge of not knowing what they are talking about, for it may be said that there is no ground for such a statement. Christians will admit readily enough that the only true idealism is that preached by Jesus the Christ, the ultimate attainment of which is foreshadowed by St. John. That is the idealism of Christian Science, and it is about as far removed from pantheism as the east is from the west. Yet the world in general, and the theological world in particular, is slow to admit that the idealism of Jesus is practical, in spite of his positive declaration, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." "Pantheism," Mrs. Eddy writes on page 129 of Science and Health, "may be defined as a belief in the intelligence of matter,—a belief which Science overthrows." Any belief that God lives in matter has no place in the teachings of this Science.

Christian Science does not deify Jesus, but distinguishes clearly between the man "in all points tempted like as we are" and his Messianic title and office. In so doing Christian Science accepts the record of the Scriptures, showing that Jesus never said he was God, that he spoke of himself as a man, that several of his sayings are contradictory of the theory that he was God, and that twice he virtually denied he was God. Certainly the disciples did not regard Jesus as Deity, for Peter, when addressing the company of believers at Jerusalem after Jesus had passed beyond the range of human sight, spoke of "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God," throughout the address referring to the Master as distinct from God.

It should be noted also that Christian Science accepts the Scriptural account of Jesus' origin, to which reference is made in Science and Health on pages 315, 332, and 539, on the last named of which we find this statement: "The divineorigin of Jesus gave him more than human power to expound the facts of creation, and demonstrate the one Mind which makes and governs man and the universe." Jesus was aware of whence he came, for he said, "I proceeded forth and came from God," and so declared his spiritual origin. We need to know what he was and to know that his work for mankind was spiritually natural, in order to perceive the way of salvation which he showed—the "new and living way," "the way of truth."

In stating that Christian Science perverts the gospel into a mere system of metaphysical healing, our critic must surely have forgotten that the four gospels are largely given up to chronicles of metaphysical healing wrought by the Founder of Christianity, that the book of Acts records similar works done by the apostles, and that Jesus distinctly promised, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." Indeed these words of the Master make it perfectly plain that a claim to Christianity must be supported by the ability to do, in some degree at least, the works which he did. To heal, therefore, is not perversion of the gospel, but rather is proof of one's Christianity.

It ought to be said here that the wonder with which the critic views the acceptance of Mrs. Eddy's teachings by rational beings should disappear with the knowledge that these teachings are accepted, not "without the shadow of proof," as our critic avers, but because of overwhelming proof that they are true. The rapid rise and growth of the Christian Science denomination is due to the fact that Christian Science is a demonstrable religion.

Our critic disposes of the healing work of Christian Science by attributing it to will-power, which is one way of begging the question. Nothing could be further from the fact than to associate will-power with the practice of Christian Science. Will-power is a product of human mind. Now the human or "carnal" mind is in no sense a healer, because it is, as St. Paul says, "enmity against God: ... not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." It is plain, therefore, that the human mind, which is made up of beliefs that do not acknowledge or recognize God, can have no part in the healing work which Christian Science has been doing for nearly fifty years. Christian Science heals sickness and sin by one and the same process,—by the prayer of spiritual understanding, an understanding which makes operative the prayer of all Christendom: "Thy will be done."

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