Article August 20, 1927 Issue

I would not like to think that the letter in the Sentinel...

Arthur E. Blainey, Committee on Publication for the Province of Ontario, Canada, in the—Toronto

Sentinel and Orange Protestant Advocate

I would not like to think that the letter in the Sentinel of recent date headed "Christian Science and Religion" was written by a member of the great Orange Order, an organization which has so valiantly stood for religious freedom and which has so courageously and consistently opposed intolerance. The unalterable fact that Christian Science is a religion in every sense of the word, is established by the definition of the word "religion" as "the outward act or form by which men indicate their recognition of the existence of a god"—"a system of faith and worship." (Webster.) Christian Science, being a system of faith and worship, founded exclusively on the teachings of the Bible, and especially on the teachings of Christ Jesus, cannot, as suggested by your correspondent, declare itself to be simply a system of mental healing (if by this is meant physical healing). Such a statement would inadequately state the mission of Christian Science as will be seen by the following quotation from the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy: "The mission of Christian Science now, as in the time of its earlier demonstration, is not primarily one of physical healing. Now, as then, signs and wonders are wrought in the metaphysical healing of physical disease; but 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" (p. 150).

The hackneyed expression that Christian Science is neither Christian nor scientific was worn out long ago. A Christian is one who believes in Christ Jesus and the truth as taught by him. Christian Science being founded on his teachings must be and is Christian in the fullest meaning of that word. Science is knowledge of facts and true knowledge, in other words, a demonstrable and practical understanding—in this instance of God and man's relation to God. The Scriptural text, "By their fruits ye shall know them," when applied to Christian Science, surely maintains the fact that the use of the word "Science" in conjunction with the word "Christian" is wise and absolutely correct. To refer to a Christian Science lecturer as a propagandist is an unfortunate misuse of that word—as well call a university professor lecturing on mathematics a propagandist. The statement that the lecturer flatly contradicted himself "a few years ago" is not correct even according to our critic's quotations. The proof of the unreality of all error is in the fact that "God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good." However, Christian Science does not lose sight of the fact that a very general but false belief in the reality of evil forms a large part of so-called human experience and explains how fear is very largely the dominant factor in the production of this erroneous belief and, furthermore, shows a practical way to freedom from such bondage by presenting a demonstrable understanding of Truth, the knowledge of which Jesus said "shall make you free."

Regarding a quotation supposedly from Science and Health, your correspondent must surely have been quoting from poor memory, as there is no such statement in the book referred to. However, the misunderstandings seem to center on the eternality of the Christ. This, of course, every Bible student knows, is proved conclusively by the statements of Christ Jesus, "Before Abraham was, I am," and, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

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