Article August 16, 1924 Issue

The attitude of Christian Scientists toward the law and...

Douglas L. Edmonds, Commitee on Publication for Southern California,—Brawley

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The attitude of Christian Scientists toward the law and government is now so well known that it may seem superfluous to call attention to it. Indeed, of all the reasons for which Christian Scientists are given the respect of their brethren, their uniform observance of the obligations of good citizenship is certainly not the least. There is, of course, a direct duty upon every citizen of our state and nation to obey the laws of constituted authority to the end that our government may continue to be one of laws and not of men, and that it may express the fundamentals of true democracy. To Christian Scientists who are endeavoring to practice the teachings of Jesus, this duty is an important one, for it involves among other things the application of the Golden Rule. When Jesus was asked which is the great commandment in the law he replied: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." To love our neighbor as ourselves implies that we shall acknowledge and respect the opinions of our fellowcitizens to the extent of doing unto them as we would have them do unto us. Christian Scientists know that God is to-day the same God "who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases," the same ever operative, omnipotent divine Principle, governing man and the universe, that He was in the time of the Psalmist. This knowledge, through an understanding of Christian Science, is being made available to mankind to-day and is healing the sick. Yet Christian Scientists concede the right of other persons to rely on material medica or other means for the alleviation of their difficulties. They also cheerfully comply with quarantine regulations and the law requiring the reporting of contagious disease to the same extent as all other laws. In doing this they are following the Golden Rule and the example of Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, who has said (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 220): "Whatever changes come to this century or to any epoch, we may safely submit to the providence of God, to common justice, to the maintenance of individual rights, and to governmental usages. This statement should be so interpreted as to apply, on the basis of Christian Science, to the reporting of a contagious case to the proper authorities when the law so requires."

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