Article June 2, 1923 Issue

Physical healing is not the primary object of the Christian Science...

Charles E. Heitman, Committee on Publication for the State of New York,—Brooklyn

Eagle

Physical healing is not the primary object of the Christian Science religion. On the contrary, the healing of the body is a secondary consideration; whereas spiritual regeneration is emphasized as a condition essentially precedent to such healing,—all of which is in strict accord with the Scriptural admonition, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Furthermore, healing in Christian Science is in no way associated with material objects of a so-called sacred nature; and no more is it dependent upon superstitious beliefs and blind faith, but rather is it directly due to the prayer of spiritual understanding. This is made plain by the following statement of Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, on page 1 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures": "The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God,—a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love." The healing of the sick and sinful results now, as in the time of Jesus, from the operation of spiritual understanding. That is to say, as the true status of man as the image and likeness of God dawns upon human consciousness, erroneous, material beliefs—of which sin, sickness, and death are effects—disappear as naturally as darkness gives place to light. It was just this purifying and reformative power of spiritual understanding to which Jesus referred when he told Nicodemus that he must be born again—born of Spirit and not of the flesh. Jesus, of course, knew that the consciousness of this perfectly honest and devout master of Israel had to be freed from a false concept of man as a material creature and of matter as the source of life and intelligence, before he could in the least understand the operation of that divine Principle which made it possible for him to do his wonderful healing works, and which prompted Nicodemus to proclaim him as "a teacher come from God." In his healing ministry Jesus had exactly the same conditions to meet and the same arguments to overcome which confront the Christian Scientists of to-day. With all due respect to the many physicians who are honestly and earnestly striving to help their fellow-men, the fact remains that we have no record of Jesus at any time employing material remedies as an aid in his efforts to heal the sick.

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Christian Science is based entirely on the understanding...
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