Article October 4, 1930 Issue

A correspondent, in a series of articles published by you...

C. Augustus Norwood, Committee on Publication for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts,—Uruguay

Montevideo Times

A correspondent, in a series of articles published by you not long ago, attempted to cover the chief points of a religion which has spread throughout the world in the last sixty years wholly because of the healing of sickness and the overcoming of sin which has resulted from its teaching, and also attempted to review the life of the Founder of this religion, Mary Baker Eddy, who has been described by Charles Francis Potter in his book, "The Story of Religion," as "the most compelling figure in American religious history." A work of this scope would call for such an extensive research that it is not surprising that your correspondent has in many instances made general observations without full substantiation. I cannot expect that you will afford sufficient space for me to answer all controversial points, but I trust you will allow me to point out several by way of illustration.

Your correspondent states: "She [Mrs. Eddy] denies the doctrines of the Blessed Trinity, the Fall, the Atonement, the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Second Coming of Christ and the Judgment of Sin, the necessity of Prayer and Pardon, of the Sacraments, for Faith." If such an extreme statement were justified, it would not be surprising that your correspondent should be critical of the teaching of Christian Science, but even a short perusal of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and other writings by Mrs. Eddy will show that the statement is not justified. Particular reference may be made to the fact that the first chapter of the Christian Science textbook is devoted to the subject "Prayer," and I feel certain that any of your readers who will direct their attention to this chapter will accept its inspiring and comforting statements. The subject "Doctrine of Atonement" and the subject "Sacrament" are each prescribed as topics for two Lesson-Sermons each year for all Christian Science churches, and the question of the "Judgment of Sin" is definitely dealt with in one of the six tenets which contain the most important points of Christian Science.

Your correspondent's assertion that the source of Christian Science is found in the practice of P. P. Quimby has been fully answered in the past in other periodicals, so that I will simply offer two statements from non-Christian Scientists, as follows:

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