Article October 13, 1928 Issue

Adherents of Christian Science have, in strict accordance...

J. Latimer Davis, Committee on Publication for the State of Iowa,

Massena Echo

Adherents of Christian Science have, in strict accordance with that teaching, freely granted to all alike the same privilege they have asked for themselves when choosing to rely entirely upon God, whom, alone, they worship and strive to obey. Mrs. Eddy's teachings emphasize in the highest degree the observance of the First Commandment of Decalogue, which, referring to God, declares, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me;" and concerning it Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 340): "The First Commandment is my favorite text. It demonstrates Christian Science. It inculcates the triunity of God, Spirit, Mind; it signifies that man shall have no other spirit or mind but God, eternal good, and that all men shall have one Mind."

Christian Science does not force its ministrations on anyone, nor attempt to prevent anyone from seeking any manner of relief through such means as may be individually chosen. While the critic falsely accuses us of attempting to coerce others into acceptance of Christian Science treatment, he at the same time expresses regret that no statute makes it possible for a doctor to be "legally forced into" our homes to administer to us, even against our wishes. But if such a law were possible of conception, it would result in a most unfortunate situation for our critic, if the doctor thus legally authorized to enter his home happened to be of a school which prescribed a mode of treatment different from what that patient preferred to use. It is, of course, assumed that the advocate of such a law did not mean to exclude himself from the ministrations which he would by compulsion provide for everyone else, and he may have overlooked the fact that there is more than the one particular system of treatment he by his own free choice might use. Therefore he might find himself in the necessity of having immediately to forsake his chosen means of relief to comply with the demands of the doctor "legally forced into" his home.

Christian Scientists do not say that mortals do not seem to pass through the experience called death, as might be inferred from the contributed article, but they refuse to believe that death can in any sense destroy Life. Their consolation in such circumstances is found in Paul's declaration, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." So, instead of believing in death as a power to separate man from Life, they learn in Christian Science, which is based on the Bible, that death cannot affect man's real life. This consciousness of continuous life is, furthermore, in strict accord with Jesus' words, "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." This statement was not withdrawn by the Master, even when in reply those to whom he spoke reminded him that Abraham and others had died. There was nothing for Jesus to retract, because he clearly meant to imply that death did not affect man, the image and likeness of God.

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