Article March 3, 1923 Issue

Christian Scientists read, study, and apply the same Bible...

Brigman C. Odom, Committee on Publication for the State of Texas, in the

Corpus Christi Caller

Christian Scientists read, study, and apply the same Bible as do other Christians, although they may not interpret the Bible in all respects as do others. They accept the teachings of the Bible from cover to cover. They emphasize the First Commandment in the Hebrew Decalogue, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." This "me" Christian Scientists understand to mean the true God, the God who is ever present, omnipotent, and omniscient, the everlasting Father, the great I am. Christian Scientists accept the commandments of Jesus: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." Surely this sort of teaching and worship cannot be associated with paganism. Christian Science is not a departure from Christianity. On the other hand, it is the practical teaching of Jesus the Christ; and the mission of Jesus was to show mortals the way out of sin and distress, to make them acquainted with God. It is true that Christian Science is not in agreement with the theories of so-called physical Science. It will be seen, therefore, from what has been said here, that the teaching of Christian Science does not deny the Bible, but that its teaching is based wholly on the Old and the New Testament Scriptures.

That sin, sickness, and death are eternal verities Christian Science denies. It declares them to be temporal falsities, or false beliefs of the human mind; it denies that they are real in the sense of being God-ordained. Sin is a belief in other gods, a belief in other powers, a belief in something apart from God. Sickness is an outgrowth of sin and fear, which the truth about God and His creation destroys. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Concerning death Jesus said: "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die;" "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Christian Scientists place God first in all their thoughts and actions; and this God is the God of the Bible, even the God who the beloved disciple, John, said is Love.

Prayer is vital and essential in the life of Christian Scientists. They have learned that to think truly, that to desire righteous living, is true prayer. They accept Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing." Prayer to them is not blind faith: it is intelligent faith, the faith that knows and understands God, infinite good. "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

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