Article December 30, 1922 Issue

Objection is made to the Christian Science teaching that...

Elmer McBurney, Committee on Publication for Northern California,

Visalia Times

Objection is made to the Christian Science teaching that God is Principle. Webster's dictionary defines principle as "beginning; commencement; source, or origin; that from which anything proceeds; fundamental substance; ... ultimate element, or cause." Could there be a higher concept of Deity, or one in more complete accord with the Scripture: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made"? If God is Person, He must be infinite Person. Human personality implies form and outline, hence limitation, which cannot be conceived of in connection with infinite God, who fills all space and is everywhere present.

It is not surprising that Mrs. Eddy is not understood when she declares in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 26): "This Christ, or divinity of the man Jesus, was his divine nature, the godliness which animated him;" and again (p. 333), "The advent of Jesus of Nazareth marked the first century of the Christian era, but the Christ is without beginning of years or end of days." The Master himself was not understood when he declared that he was spiritual, eternal, and divine. He said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." His hearers, thinking of him as a mortal, a man not yet fifty years of age, said, "Hast thou seen Abraham?" Jesus answered, "Before Abraham was, I am;" and for this declaration they were about to stone him. 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), shows conclusively that Christian Science is in complete accord with the doctrine of "salvation by the gospel." Christian Science does not deny the historical fact that Jesus was crucified, that he apparently died, and that on the third day he arose from the dead, but it maintains that through his understanding of Life as deathless, he vanquished the claim of death and presented to all mankind the way of salvation.

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