Article November 17, 1928 Issue

Healing in Christian Science does not occur as the result...

Kellogg Patton, Committee on Publication for the State of Wisconsin,—Madison

Wisconsin State Journal

Healing in Christian Science does not occur as the result of a belief "in the influence of a strong optimistic personality on the mind and body of a patient," as a clergyman implies in his sermon "Some Follies of the Age," as reported in a recent issue of your paper. Christian Science is founded on the teachings of Christ Jesus, and its healing work is in pursuance of his command to his followers, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead." Christ Jesus' statement, "I can of mine own self do nothing," indicates that it was not his personality, but, as he further said, "the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." In accordance with this saying Christian Science teaches that it was through his understanding of God that Christ Jesus healed the sick. Christian Science agrees with the clergyman that sincere prayer is powerful, but declares that this prayer must be based on an understanding of God to be effective.

Christian Science defines God, in part, as infinite Spirit or Mind: the Scriptures declare that God is Spirit, and also imply that God is Mind. From this it follows in Christian Science that the Mind which is God heals the sick. This Mind is good. That God is good, Christ Jesus indicated when he said, "There is none good but one, that is, God." Christian Science further declares that God, or good, is real, and tht evil, the unlikeness of God, is unreal. This statement of the unreality of evil accords with another of the sayings of Christ Jesus in which he spoke of the devil (evil) as a liar. Now, Christian Science teaches that all the ills of the flesh have a mental origin; that these ills are caused by the mortal or "carnal" mind, which Paul declares is "Enmity against God." This so-called mind, together with its beliefs, is designated and proved to be unreal by Christian Science. Healing occurs in the experience of any individual when the unreal erroneous beliefs of the carnal mind are replaced by the real and good thoughts of the Mind which is God. The clergyman is further reported as saying that no amount of Christian Science has ever healed a broken leg. It is but just to Christian Science to say that there has been such a healing in Madison. An examination was made by a physician, and the leg pronounced broken, at the time the accident occurred, and no surgeon was employed to set the bone. Other cases of the healing of broken bones through Christian Science have also been reported to me.

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