Article April 7, 1928 Issue

Is salvation solely conditioned on accepting some particular...

Ralph G. Lindstrom, Committee on Publication for the State of Colorado,—Breckenridge

Summit County Journal

Is salvation solely conditioned on accepting some particular theological viewpoint, or is it the result of regeneration, the laying off of the carnal mind, which Paul says is death, to become spiritually-minded, which he tells us "is life and peace"? The thoughtful reader of your esteemed columns can but see that this is the crux of the entire argument which commenced in your columns because a critic made a pulpit attack on all spiritual healing, in which he criticized Christian Science. Those of your readers who accept salvation solely on a doctrinal basis, surely should be freely permitted to do so, and without bitter criticism; and, on the other hand, those who accept salvation as the understanding and demonstration of a perfect and reasonable plan of an all-loving God, revealed to man through the life and works of Jesus the Christ, in healing the sick and saving the sinner, will find their peace through humble, earnest effort to prove in increasing measure in their own experience the Christ-way of salvation, and so will not be disturbed by criticisms which imply that they will be cursed for not accepting some other person's doctrinal belief about salvation.

When one recognizes that there are "thirty thousand different readings in the Old Testament, and ... three hundred thousand in the New" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 139), the entire reasonableness of Mrs. Eddy's statement on page 319 (ibid.) is apparent: "The divine Science taught in the original language of the Bible came through inspiration, and needs inspiration to be understood." Perhaps the safest test of inspiration may be found in James' statement, "Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." It is because in this religion the individual's study and effort to follow in the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth is tested by proof in healing and regeneration, that it is scientific or provable knowledge or understanding in Christianity, and therefore is Christian Science.

Our critic, to show that spiritual healing in Christian Science is not of God, cites the fact that Satan smote Job with boils. True, but God healed him! And how? After all the doctrinal and dogmatic arguments of his supposedly learned friends had only served to discourage Job and increase his misery, the refreshingly clear reasoning of Elihu served to turn Job from self-righteousness, self-justification, and unproved opinion, to "consider the wondrous works of God," and he was healed of his afflications. But to discredit healing in Christian Science, our friend refers to what he calls "Christian Science funerals." Had he studied the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the critic would have found nothing to indicate immortality in fleshly experience. Why not question the science of mathematics because of the erroneous addition, subtraction, and multiplication which we "see" about us every day? These mistakes show, not the failure of mathematical science, but a failure to use it. Sickness and death are not blamed on God, in Christian Science; but to the Christian Scientist they indicate a need for knowing more of God, and of living more in accordance with God's perfect, spiritual plan.

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