Article January 28, 1928 Issue

The explanations offered from a psychological viewpoint...

Theodore Burkhart, Committee on Publication for the State of Oregon,—Portland

Oregonian

The explanations offered from a psychological viewpoint by a doctor in response to the Oregonian's recent editorial "Mistaken for a Deer," misses the mark in so far as applying to Christian Science. However much such technical psychological explanations account for the phenomena of "isms, cults, Coueism, and the like," they do not correctly explain "most, if not all, the phenomena of Christian Science," as he erroneously asserts. The phenomena of Christian Science can be properly accounted for only on a different basis, for Christian Science stands in a class by itself. The mental processes with which psychology deals pertain in one way or another to the human mind, a mentality more or less material. In contrast to psychology and all material theories and practices, Christian Science presents its phenomena and explains all things from a purely spiritual standpoint, the standpoint of divine Mind, commonly called God. The "principle," which your correspondent refers to as explaining the phenomena of hypnotism, Coueism, and the like, therefore applies only to the very opposite of Christian Science. As to "self-hypnotism," mentioned in your headline, it is a state or condition attributable and known only to the erring human mind, which not only is capable of inducing hypnotism but is itself susceptible to mesmeric influence. Such an effect as self-hypnotism could not possibly result from the practice of Christian Science, since Christian Science derives all its power and influence from God, whose nature contains no element capable of producing any form of evil.

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