Article February 7, 1925 Issue

In a recent letter a critic sought to discredit Christian Science...

Van Buren Perry,—Aberdeen

Morning American

In a recent letter a critic sought to discredit Christian Science by Bible citations which he considers proof that God imposed a "very real" curse upon mankind in the form of sin, disease, and death. He cited from Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death," omitting, however, the words which follow, "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." It is a doleful doctrine that teaches that the children of God cannot escape from sin, disease, and death. Such despairing creeds rob religion of hope and help. Christian Scientists do not deny that mortals sin and that disease and death seem very real to human sense; but they insist that this need not be so always, because these evil beliefs are not of God and can be overcome by His grace and power. Does the God of infinite love, justice, wisdom, and power curse the children whom He has created, by making them imperfect or subject to sin, disease, and death? If so, how futile for mankind to strive against the will of God! If not, then how account for the material creation and curse related in Genesis 2 and 3? The first thirty-four verses of Genesis recount the creation of a complete universe, including man in God's image and likeness,—spiritual and perfect because "God is a Spirit." Bible scholars call this account of creation the Elohistic because in the original texts God, the creator, is called Elohim. Then follows another account of creation, of different composition and date, called the Jehovistic because in the original the creator is called Jehovah,—a distinctly tribal belief of God. Literally construed, this second account depicts a creator with a knowledge of both good and evil, who walked and talked, and who created from dust a discobedient and sinful man, and from his rib a woman, both of whom God cursed and cast out of Eden. Such a construction renders the two accounts of creation irreconcilable. "The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life," said Paul; and again, "They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God." To be both rational and consistent with Paul's teachings, one must necessarily reject a literal construction of the second account and consider it as an allegory showing the falsity of an erroneous material creation and the consequence thereof.

Accepting the Bible teaching, Christian Scientists understand that God, Spirit, made all that was made, including man in His image and likeness, and that all He made was perfect; that sin, disease, and death do not exist, because God created them not; that mankind believes in an evil creation apart from God, and so has imposed evil beliefs upon itself; and that through the Scriptures, rightly understood, God has shown how to overcome these errors. Many thousands have proved this to be true. Rather than search the Scriptures for proof of the reality and inevitability of sin, disease, and death, is it not more inspiring to find and study passages like these: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;" "All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive;" "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death;" "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."

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In a recent letter a critic sought to discredit Christian Science...

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