Article January 22, 1927 Issue

Your correspondent still seems disturbed that a fee should...

Miss Evelyn L. Webb, Committe on Publication for County Antrim, Ireland,—Belfast

Evening Telegraph

Your correspondent still seems disturbed that a fee should be charged for Christian Science practice, but he should bear in mind that no one is under any obligation to have Christian Science treatment, and that should anyone choose to have this treatment and pay the practitioner's fee, this is entirely his own business. Do I understand from this letter that the critic considers it unchristian for a clergyman to accept a salary for preaching the gospel? Or, is it only when the preaching of the gospel is combined with the healing of the sick that payment is objected to? The writer appears to be unnecessarily concerned as to the amount given in charity by the Christian Science church, and quotes from Matthew's Gospel, "The poor have the gospel preached to them," inferring that Christian Science ignores those in need. If our critic had included the whole verse in his quotation, instead of confining himself to just one line, he would have shown the importance our Lord placed upon the demonstration of Christian power to heal, as well as on preaching the gospel. To quote from "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy (pp. 131, 132): "Jesus' works established his claim to the Messiahship. In reply to John's inquiry, 'Art thou he that should come,' Jesus returned an affirmative reply, recounting his works instead of referring to his doctrine, confident that this exhibition of the divine power to heal would fully answer the question. Hence his reply: 'Go and show John again those things which ye do hearand see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.'"

At the Wednesday evening testimony meeting in Christian Science churches throughout the world, an answer as to the power of Christianity to heal all manner of sin and disease is given by thousands of grateful testifiers; and this is the most convincing argument Christian Scientists can give as to the soundness of their doctrine. The Christian Scientists' method of dealing with poverty is rather different from that employed by most charitable organizations. Christian Scientists do not believe in pauperizing the community, nor does Christian Science teach anyone to be dependent upon others, but rather shows how to overcome poverty through reliance upon God, the Giver of all good, and so helps one to help himself. The following is a list, taken from the report of the Annual Meeting of The Mother Church, of instances where charitable aid has been organized during the past year. Russian refugees are being aided in France to rehabilitate themselves. Further aid has been given to Japan, where a minor earthquake has occurred. The work to care for sufferers from the tornado occurring in 1925 in the Middle West states of America was completed this year, about £35,000 having been expended. A further grant of relief funds has been made to Constantinople, where a Christian Scientist is active in relieving the distress of refugees; and similar work has been continued in Athens. Aid has also been furnished in Latvia, Esthonia, Czechoslovakia, Danzig Free State, Russia, and Germany. Two hundred pounds has been expended in Holland, in aid of the sufferers from the partial destruction of Borculo by cyclone, and £200 in London, to Christian refugees from Assyria. It might also be of interest to your correspondent to know that during the war over £500 was expended in relief work in Ulster alone, irrespective of creed, and this in addition to the money expended on the soldiers. Perhaps enough has been said to show that the Christian Science church is not without compassion for those in distress.

Exception is taken to Mrs. Eddy's reference to Christ Jesus as "that Godlike and glorified man" (Science and Health, p. 54). Would the critic also take Paul to task for referring to him as "the man Christ Jesus"? In the eighth chapter of John, Jesus refers to himself in these words, "a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God;" and to the rich young ruler he said, "Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God." Christian Scientists believe in one God and in the divinity of the Christ. Christ has always been one with the Father; as His perfect Son, he expresses the divine image and likeness; but to say that the personal Jesus was God would be to contradict his own words and those of John, "No man hath seen God at any time."

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