A correspondent in a letter in the Newcastle Journal of...

John H. O'Loughlin, Committee on Publication for Northumberland,—Newcastle-on-Tyne, England

Newcastle Journal

A correspondent in a letter in the Newcastle Journal of December 9 appears to be puzzled by the Christian Science teaching that evil is unreal. Let me say in reply that Christian Science teaches that since evil was not created by God, in that sense it is unreal; but it does not deny that to mortal sense evil seems real. Christian Science teaches that God is perfect, and cannot be expressed by anything imperfect; thus, being perfectly good, God cannot be expressed by anything evil. Evil is a negation of good.

Those who try to trace the origin of evil or to make God responsible for evil have set themselves an impossible task, because evil, being a negation or error, has no origin; if it had an origin it would be real. We recognize the statement that twice two makes five as a mere error or as ignorance, but we do not seek the origin of the statement, knowing it has none.

Jesus said he came to fulfill God's law, and he destroyed evil in every guise in which it appeared. If God were the author of evil, how could Jesus have fulfilled God's law by destroying something God had created; and could anything which God created be destroyed?

Christian Science teaches that sin, sickness, and death are illusions of mortal sense and constitute the "works of the devil" (evil), which the Way-shower proved could be destroyed. His great life-work was to show mortals the way by example. His students, and the early Christians in the first three centuries, destroyed these illusions in accordance with the Master's command. Since the third century, however, his command had been only partially heeded until the advent of Christian Science.

It is evident, therefore, that Jesus did not leave Christians "in the dark" as to what he meant for over nineteen hundred years. Now that the darkness of materiality has been pierced through the consecrated life and spiritual writings of a devout Bible student, Mary Baker Eddy, the full command of Christ Jesus to preach the gospel and heal the sick is being obeyed by a vast and ever growing multitude of people, who are proving true with ever increasing success the Master's sayings, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also;" and, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Can our friend reasonably deny the right of the Christian Science church, founded upon and obeying Christ Jesus' command, to be called "Christian"?

Our critic suggests that in relating the parable of the good Samaritan Christ Jesus gave specific approval to medicine. The lesson which was conveyed to the argumentative lawyer was, of course, the necessity for active benevolence, but if Jesus also meant to give his approval to medicine by means of the story it is strange that he did not carry that approval into practice, for all his mighty works were done through reliance on God alone.

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