Article August 14, 1915 Issue

The truth of the first tenet of Christian Science, "As...

John Ashcroft

St. Louis (Mo.) Globe-Democrat

The truth of the first tenet of Christian Science, "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life" (Science and Health, p. 497), has been verified in the experience of every Christian Scientist. Any denial of the Scriptural origin and character of this Science must necessarily be unconvincing to those who have found the Bible, through Mrs. Eddy's interpretation of it, their most valued possession. It is not with them a matter of theorizing as to its teachings, but of putting them to practical proof. Christian Scientists realize humanity's need of a salvation that will save today from the distresses and temptations incident to human experience, and they have found in Mrs. Eddy's spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures greater freedom from suffering and sin than they have ever before known.

From the premise of the infinite nature of Spirit, God, in whom St. Paul declared "we live, and move, and have our being," the conclusion is inevitable that such being is purely spiritual. Christian Scientists are learning to discard as the true nature of man, and they are also learning to discard as unreal all that does not measure up to this standard of perfection. Christian Science does not define God as "a divine principle," as our critic avers, but as "divine Principle." The Standard dictionary defines principle as "a permanent or fundamental cause that naturally or necessarily produces certain results." Christian Science draws a sharp distinction between man in the image and likeness of God, of Spirit, and Adam, "of the earth, earthy." It is noticeable that in the second chapter of Genesis, Adam is not spoken of as the image and likeness of the creator.

The present writer has been a student of Christian Science for a number of years, but it is news to him that Christian Scientists regard as the most potent ever written the first ten words of the "scientific statement of being" (Science and Health, p. 468), "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter." Had our critic noted the succeeding sentence, "All is infinite Mind, and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all," he would possibly have gained a better idea of the basis of our faith in the divine omnipresence.

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