Article February 4, 1928 Issue

In the remarks to the city trustees, when the occupational...

Albert E. Lombard, Committee on Publication for Southern California,—Santa Paula

Chronicle

In the remarks to the city trustees, when the occupational tax on Christian Science practitioners was under consideration recently, as reported in a recent issue, certain points may not have been discussed satisfactorily; and space is asked to make these points clear. Primarily, Christian Science is a religion, in which healing by prayer is a duty of all its loyal followers. The requirement for spiritual healing includes the correction of sin as well as of sickness, and is in harmony with the statement of Christ Jesus, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." In other words, healing by prayer in Christian Science is a spiritual and religious obligation and privilege, not a commercial undertaking. When Christ Jesus sent the seventy disciples out to heal the sick, he told them that "the labourer is worthy of his hire." Is not this ample authority for the payment of salaries and fees to religious workers, to compensate them properly? If men who are engaged in material business are entitled to reasonable profits from their labors, should not those who are engaged in spiritual work be provided with what is necessary for their normal human requirements?

How much the laborer is to be paid for his hire, the manner in which the payment is to be made, and whether or not the laborer is to send any kind of a memorandum or bill to his employer, are matters of detail that may properly be arranged to suit the time, place, and circumstances of the individuals concerned. In the Church Manual Mrs. Eddy says (pp. 46, 47): "A member of The Mother Church shall not, under pardonable circumstances, sue his patient for recovery of payment for said member's practice, on penalty of discipline and liability to have his name removed from membership. Also he shall reasonably reduce his price in chronic cases of recovery, and in cases where he has not effected a cure. A Christian Scientist is a humanitarian; he is benevolent, forgiving, long-suffering, and seeks to overcome evil with good."

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