When a minister spoke of "individual responsibility for...

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

Morning Press

When a minister spoke of "individual responsibility for one's acts," as reported in your issue of December 31, he touched upon a point that is fully recognized by Christian Scientists; for Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, says in her book "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 119), "We are responsible for our thoughts and acts;" and, "Each individual is responsible for himself." However, the minister's application of the term "false philosophy" to the teaching "that there is no sin and that everything is good," may have given some of your readers a mistaken conception of our religion.

Christian Science does indeed declare "that there is no sin and that everything is good;" but this declaration is made regarding the real spiritual man and the perfect spiritual universe of God's creating, not of mortal man and of material, temporal conditions. Furthermore, this statement is in agreement with the Bible; for the complete record of God's spiritual creation—set forth in the first chapter of Genesis—makes no reference to sin, but emphasizes the goodness of God's work, saying, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." As the statement about the nothingness of sin and the allness of good is used in Christian Science, it cannot properly be called "false philosophy."

Christian Science, however, does not stop with the abstract statement that there is no sin and that all is good, but insists that this must be proved in the lives of men and women. Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 339): "A sinner can receive no encouragement from the fact that Science demonstrates the unreality of evil, for the sinner would make a reality of sin,—would make that real which is unreal, and thus heap up 'wrathagainst the day of wrath.' He is joining in a conspiracy against himself,—against his own awakening to the awful unreality by which he has been deceived. Only those, who repent of sin and forsake the unreal, can fully understand the unreality of evil."

Also, when the minister spoke of "a false conception of God, that He is so loving that He will not punish," he may have given some readers a wrong impression of Christian Science. The Bible says that God is "of purer eyes than to behold evil," and cannot "look on iniquity." Since God cannot behold or look on sin, how can He know it? And if He cannot know sin, how can He punish it? However, sin is punished, and the punishment continues until sin is destroyed; for sin brings its own punishment.

To elucidate the subject, an analogy might be drawn from the science of mathematics. Whenever a student makes mistakes, his answers are incorrect and inharmony results. In other words, he suffers for his mistakes. Obviously, the discords which torment the erring student come from his own errors. Does not this analogy clarify the point that sin brings its own punishment, and that the punishment does not come from divine Love? Then, manifestly, this logical teaching cannot properly be termed "a false conception."

Christian Science is a renaissance of primitive Christianity, and it presents again the spiritual method of healing moral and physical discords that was taught and practiced by Christ Jesus and the early Christians. It follows faithfully the words and works of the Master, awakening men and women to repentance and turning them away from sin to righteousness.

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