Article July 29, 1916 Issue

A letter published in your paper contained the following...

George A. Law

New Haven (Conn.) Journal—Courier

A letter published in your paper contained the following statements: "I have a hearty admiration for the Christian Scientist who can actually make himself believe there is no pain when his body is racked by it. He is either heroic or self—hypnotic."

Notwithstanding that this was intended to be commendatory, it reveals the somewhat prevalent mistaken impression that Christian Science and hypnotism are akin to each other, when in fact they are in no way allied. Hypnotism is "of the flesh," the human, mortal mind, while Christian Science is "from above," spiritual. Hypnotism is the exercise of willpower, the mortal, or carnal mind as St. Paul termed it, and is capable of evil, all evil. Christian Science on the contrary is the operation of infinite intelligence or divine Mind, from which only good emanates. From this explanation it is readily discerned that there is no similarity between hypnotism and Christian Science.

The caption of the letter in queston is "Anent Sickness," and the writer forcefully points to the unprofitableness which results from allowing sickness to occupy the thought, and the unpleasant experiences which follow discussions upon disease. The implied recommendation is to look away from the dark side of things, cultivate cheerfulness and optimism, talk health not disease, and strive to eliminate fear from the thought. Christian Science furnishes the scientific rule for accomplishing this. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 582) Mrs. Eddy says of believing, that it is "not a faltering nor a blind faith, but the perception of spiritual Truth;" she also says (p. 167), "If we rise no higher than blind faith, the Science of healing is not attained."

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