Article May 16, 1925 Issue

Your correspondent appears to be troubled by the Christian...

William C. Brookes, Committee on Publication for Midlothian, Scotland, in the—Edinburgh

Edinburgh & Leith Observer

Your correspondent appears to be troubled by the Christian Science teaching that evil is unreal; that it is no part of God's creation. He holds that evil is just as real as good, and, presumably, that it is just as much a part of God's creation as good. Now, every Christian subscribes to the following fundamental truths about God: that He is good, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, infinite. It follows, therefore, that any Christian who holds that evil is as real as good and a part of God's creation holds also that evil is included in infinite good; that the all-knowing, almighty Father created that which He knew would destroy His own children. The critic will no doubt come to the conclusion, when he has thought a little more about the subject, that the awful belief that evil is as real as good is doomed to the same fate as that which has overtaken other human delusions, such as, for instance, predestination of some to eternal suffering.

Our friend says, "I cannot find any text of Scripture which proves that our Lord annihilated evil." Yet he must have read: "Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached." Evil of every description was destroyed instantly by Christ Jesus wherever it was met. What more can any one want? Possibly the reply will be that after nineteen centuries of Christianity we still seem to be surrounded by much that is evil. That does not in the least degree prove that Christianity is unable to annihilate evil, but merely that its practical exponents are still few. "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few."

Our critic alleges that Mrs. Eddy says, "Man is like God in this respect: that if God can create and destroy by thinking, so also can man." A more complete misrepresentation of the teachings of the author of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" it would be difficult to conceive. For on page 69 of that book Mrs. Eddy says, "Mortals can never understand God's creation while believing that man is a creator;" and in all her writings she continually emphasizes the fact that God is the only creator.

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