Article November 3, 1917 Issue

From reference made from time to time in the press, and...

H. R. Colborne—Sydney, New South Wales

Australian Christian World

From reference made from time to time in the press, and also in an article published in your paper some few months since, it would appear that there are many misapprehensions with regard to Christian Science, and it has been described as "a substitute for the gospel," "a nostrum" and "Spiritism." Permit me to make a few observations in order that the wrong impressions may be removed.

Before deciding whether anything is a substitute, it is necessary to see what the original is. The apostle Paul in the epistle to the Romans defines the gospel as "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." In the fourth chapter of Luke we read that Jesus, after referring to the passage in Isaiah foretelling the office of the Christ, said: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." Now anyone who has the slightest acquaintance with the gospel narratives knows that our Master, in accordance with such prophecy and by the power of God, absolutely healed physical diseases, although the ministers of his day attributed his works to Beelzebub, just as at the present day many attribute Christian Science healing to hypnotism, mental suggestion, and mesmerism. Our Master not only did these works, but he commanded and taught his followers to do the same, in the same manner, and said those who believed (understood) would do the same works, and even greater.

Christian Scientists accept this teaching and do these works by the power of God; but it must never be forgotten that Jesus did not limit his work, nor does Christian Science limit its ministry to physical healing. Our Master healed sin, and Mrs. Eddy in dealing with this subject wrote as follows: "Is healing the sick the whole of Science? Healing physical sickness is the smallest part of Christian Science. It is only the bugle-call to thought and action, in the higher range of infinite goodness. The emphatic purpose of Christian Science is the healing of sin; and this task, sometimes, may be harder than the cure of disease; because, while mortals love to sin, they do not love to be sick" (Rudimental Divine Science, p. 2). Again, Mrs. Eddy defines salvation as "Life, Truth, and Love understood and demonstrated as supreme over all; sin, sickness, and death destroyed" (Science and Health, p. 593).

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