Article February 20, 1915 Issue

Will you allow me space to explain to your readers some...

W. D. Kilpatrick—Benton Harbor, Mich.

News-Palladium

Will you allow me space to explain to your readers some of the points touched on in a recent issue in reporting an attack on Christian Science by an evangelist? Just how the gentleman reconciles his untempered and blindly prejudiced remarks concerning Christian Science to the doctrine "on earth peace, good will toward men," taught by Jesus, I would not attempt a conjecture; but as his entire effort does not indicate any marked familiarity with the Scriptures, it seems as if the attack was intended to discredit the religious views of many of his fellow men rather than to point the way to salvation by the light of Bible teaching.

The Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," is the outcome of many years of devoted study of the Bible on the part of its author, Mrs. Eddy. In the Preface of this book it is stated by the author that "as early as 1862 she began to write down and give to friends the results of her Scriptural study, for the Bible was her sole teacher" (p. viii). She further states: "I have found nothing in ancient or in modern systems on which to found my own, except the teachings and demonstrations of our great Master and the lives of prophets and apostles. The Bible has been my only authority. I have had no other guide in 'the straight and narrow way' of Truth" (p. 126). This emphasizes the fact that Christian Science is based solely on Scriptures, and that in its text-book Christian Scientists claim nothing more than an elucidation of the Scriptures in their spiritual import, corresponding in intent to the articles of faith and ritualistic text-books of other denominations. The allusion to Christian Science as a religion without a Bible is, therefore, either the result of gross ignorance or a desire to misrepresent. As a matter of fact, Christian Scientists are most consistent students of the Bible, and it is doubtful if one could be found who is not giving more devout and prayerful study to the Bible than ever before.

Anent the challenge to Christian Scientists to walk on the water, it is not reported that any of Jesus' disciples did all the works that Jesus did, but that fact renders his injunction none the less binding on all who believe. His admonition to "heal the sick" and "raise the dead" cannot in honesty be divorced from his direction to save the sinner, nor do his instructions in those particulars admit of any misunderstanding or halting and half-way position. We are either healing the sick by spiritual means alone, or we are not following Jesus in the way of his appointing,—one of the two,—and all the facetiousness at the command of our critic will never alter that fact. All of Jesus' disciples, in following his direction, left record of much healing by spiritual means only, and the early church for three hundred years after the time of Jesus was renowned for its healing in conformity with his teachings. This spiritual knowledge which enabled the early Christians to carry on the healing work long after the time of Jesus, was lost only as a result of the crass materialism of the times. It did not cease with the ascension, nor was it intended ever to cease, and Christian Science claims that the many injunctions in the Bible to this end are as applicable today as in the time of Jesus.

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