Article December 29, 1928 Issue

In your recent issue, in the column "Things New and Old About the Bible,"...

Fred Yould, Committee on Publication for the State of Georgia,—Atlanta

Constitution, Atlanta

In your recent issue, in the column "Things New and Old About the Bible," a clergyman again attacks Christian Science, referring to it as "antichrist," and a "demon-possessed cult." In so doing our reverend friend manifests either a startling ignorance of Christian Science or an intense bias. Therefore, that your readers may be rightly informed I offer this brief correction.

Confronted by a religion which has reinstated primitive Christian healing, and which to-day through solely spiritual means is again meeting humanity's needs in destroying sickness, sorrow, sin, and limitation of all sorts, scholastic theology scorns Christian Science, and, branding it "antichrist," would rule it out of the temple. Nevertheless, Christian Science, steadily regardless of such criticisms, neither denies nor opposes Christ. Its world-wide spiritual healing and regenerating effects are produced only as its adherents manifest the Mind of Christ. Christian Science demands an absolute faith in God's allness. Therefore those who would continue to benefit by its spiritual teachings must understand to some extent the immutable and universal law of God, Mind, eternal good, and man's oneness with the Father, which the teachings of this religion clearly and simply set forth. The universality and availability of spiritual law were fully demonstrated by Christ Jesus in raising the dead, feeding the multitude, stilling the tempest, and healing all manner of sickness.

It is pharisaical self-righteousness, such as charged Jesus with having "a devil," that would again incite critics to pronounce Christian Science "a demon-possessed cult." Such an epithet is as unwarranted as it is unkind; it no more defines the nature of Christian Science than it defines the nature of Jesus' teachings. Referring in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" to such criticism, Mary Baker Eddy writes on page 342: "He that decries this Science does it presumptuously, in the face of Bible history and in defiance of the direct command of Jesus, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel,' to which command was added the promise that his students should cast out evils and heal the sick." All religions and all religionists, including those claiming to be progressive, must measure up to the standard set by our common Master, Christ Jesus: "By their fruits ye shall know them." Following this logical reasoning, the Apostle James wrote, "Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."

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