Article December 4, 1926 Issue

What your correspondent, "A Christian," describes in...

Charles M. Shaw, Committee on Publication for Lancashire, England,—Bury

Times

What your correspondent, "A Christian," describes in your recent issue as the "categorical principles" of Christian Science, very imperfectly—indeed, one might say, incorrectly—represents its foundation truths. Christian Science does not say alone that "there is no such thing as pain or disease," but recognizing these as belonging to human experience, sets itself to destroy them after the manner of Christ Jesus, and in accordance with his command. Christian Science, however, teaches that pain and disease are not real. They are not creations of God; they are not spiritual, divine, or eternal. They are but subjective states of the carnal or mortal mind, which may be described as the absence of the knowledge of God or of Truth. But with the incoming of the light of Truth, the carnal mind and its subjective states are destroyed. As Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." And Christian Science, recognizing the unreal, temporary character of disease, is healing it. Indeed, it is its success in this direction which is attracting such large numbers to it all over the world.

Neither does Christian Science say only that "there is no such thing as sin;" for it recognizes the awful claim to existence of sin in human experience. And the overcoming of it is its supreme objective. Mrs. Eddy, in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," says (p. 150): "The mission of Christian Science now, as in the time of its earlier demonstration, is not primarily one of physical healing. . . . These signs are only to demonstrate its divine origin,—to attest the reality of the higher mission of the Christ-power to take away the sins of the world." Again, Christian Science teaches that sin is not real—not real in the sense that it is of divine creation. It is not found in man, who was created in God's image and likeness, but in the false mentality called by Paul the carnal mind, which "is enmity against God," and which usurps, in human experience, the status and activity of the real man. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin." (See I John 3:9.)

I said in my former letter that Christian Science is a religion founded upon the teaching and works of Christ Jesus; and it is not difficult to maintain this statement in regard to the two propositions I have just made. When Jesus healed the woman of the disease of eighteen years' standing, he attributed that ailment to Satan. And in the eighth chapter of John he showed that Satan, or devil, means evil, error, or falsity—that which Mrs. Eddy describes as mortal mind. It is certain that Jesus would not have healed the sick, nor enjoined his followers to do so, if sickness had been ordained or permitted by the Father. In relation to sin, it is on record that Jesus, before the crucifixion, forgave sin and delivered men from its power. As John states in his first epistle, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." Thus Christian Science is in line with revelation in attributing sin to evil or error; hence it must be unreal and capable of destruction by the knowledge of Truth.

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