Article October 26, 1929 Issue

To the individual whose religion is to him something...

Ralph B. Textor, Committee on Publication for the State of Ohio,

Defiance Crescent-News

To the individual whose religion is to him something more than a name, the thought of joking about it is repugnant, and his respect for it will not permit him to joke about another's religion any more than he would joke about his own. I believe that this applies to any self-respecting person, whether or not he or she is a member of a comedy company.

In behalf of the Christian Scientists of Defiance and neighboring localities, before whom among others, a certain comedy company is appearing on the stage, I wish to enter emphatic protest against the public misrepresentation of and undignified references to Christian Science which have been made by certain actors in that company. It must be apparent to all fair-minded persons that to ridicule and misrepresent the religion of a distinct portion of the public is neither good humor, good ethics, nor good business; and such practice on the part of the company should be brought to a stop forthwith.

To attempt to make it appear that in his treatment of disease according to the teachings of his religion the Christian Scientist ignores the condition to be healed, either by telling himself that he merely imagines it or by any other form of sophistry or mental legerdemain, is to misrepresent both the teachings and practice of Christian Science. There is a vast difference between ignoring a disease or other discordant condition and setting out definitely to destroy its seeming reality through an understanding of the true relationship of God and man, as taught in Christian Science. While Christian Scientists are quite as ready to enjoy good clean humor as any other persons, they see no humor in ignorantly holding up to ridicule the teachings of their religion by those who are quite evidently ignorant of and perhaps hostile to them.

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