The sermon of the clergyman recently reported in the...

Harry I. Hunt

Newark (N. J.) News

The sermon of the clergyman recently reported in the News on "Christian Science Wrongly So Called," displays such a fund of knowledge of things that are not so about Christian Science, that a correction is in order. Apparently our brother gleaned his information from critics of the movement, so it is not be wondered at that he should fail to deal with actual Christian Science, or that he should aim his shafts of ridicule at a veritable man of straw.

To say that "Christian Science is not Christian because it denies the existence of a personal God," is in the first place an outright misrepresentation of Christian Science teaching. On page 116 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy clearly states: "If the term personality, as applied to God, means infinite personality, then God is infinite Person,—in the sense of infinite personality, but not in the lower sense." And again on page 331 of the same work Mrs. Eddy writes: "Life, Truth, and Love constitute the tribune Person called God." How Deity can be less than infinite is inconceivable.

In the second place, this remarkable statement of our critic is open to objection in that it declares for a personal or corporeal God, in direct contradiction of the teaching of Christ Jesus. Standing at the well of Jacob, Jesus declared, "God is a Spirit," to be worshiped "in spirit and in truth." If Christianity rests upon a personal God, as our critic holds, then Jesus would have declared to the woman of Samaria: God is a person, and they that worship him must worship him in person and in truth. "God is Spirit," Mrs. Eddy writes on page 117 of the Christian Science text-book; "therefore the language of Spirit must be, and is, spiritual," a statement in exact accord with that of the Master, and therefore Christian in phrase and essence.

In classifying Christian Science as unscientific, our critic treads ground already beaten down by countless critics who have said the same thing. Yet Christian Science is scientific, being based upon truth, the foundation of all science. On page 341 of Science and Health we read, "Sneers at the application of the word Science to Christianity cannot prevent that from being scientific which is based on divine Principle, demonstrated according to a divine given rule, and subjected to proof." Science is defined as "knowledge classified and made available in work, life, or the search of truth." Hence a Christian Scientist is one who is grounded in the knowledge of the teachings of Christ Jesus and who applies these teachings in his daily life. Christian Science is therefore scientific in the fullest sense, and it is Christian because it is a restatement of the teachings of the master Christian.

Our brother refers to Christian Science as "quite simple," a facetious fling for which he may be forgiven, in view of the statement of St. Paul to the Corinthians, referring to the spirituality of his teachings: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him." In calling Christian Science "impure as to its character," our brother betrays an utter ignorance of this Science. Jesus laid down a simple and efficient rule whereby to judge justly, when he said: "A good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit." Christian Science asks to be judged by its fruits. The healing of sickness, regeneration of people's lives, sweetening of tempers, overcoming of evil habits, destruction of sin,—these are some of the fruits of Christian Science teaching applied practically to daily living. If this teaching is impure, whence comes this good fruit?

Abuse of Mrs. Eddy is of course no argument against Christian Science. Intelligent people are apt to regard it as evidence of an intolerance which is all the more regrettable when voiced by one who is supposed to be an exponent of the golden rule. Access to the facts about Mrs. Eddy's life and work is so easily obtained in almost every public library and in every Christian Science reading-room, that there is no excuse for any one to bear false witness against one who has done so much to lift the burden of fear and pain and to raise men and women from lives of suffering and sin.

Our critic asserts that Christian Science is "a system of practical negation of all the evidence of our senses—a mere negation of the natural world." Here it is plain our brother has utterly failed to grasp the teaching of Christian Science as regards Spirit and matter. Christian Science does not deny the existence of matter to the human sense, but it does deny its ultimate reality, and in criticizing this teaching our critic heaps ridicule also upon the most advanced natural scientists and thinkers of the day. Needless to say, the positive results obtained by the practice of Christian Science, on which there is a vast amount of reliable testimony, could not possibly spring from any so-called system of negation.

It is easy enough to say, for example, that Christian Science is, in our critic's opinion, "subjective idealism gone mad," "mad philosophy," and so on, but it proves nothing in the face of the growth of the Christian Science church, and the authenticated testimony of many thousands that Christian Science heals every form of disease, organic and functional, and is transforming the lives of countless thousands the world over. "By their fruits ye shall know them."

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