Article August 5, 1933 Issue

The interesting writer of "Creole Gumbo" falls into a...

John M. Dean,—Memphis

Commercial Appeal

The interesting writer of "Creole Gumbo" falls into a common error, which I desire to correct. While Christian Science never deviates from the absolute truth of spiritual creation in contradistinction to erroneous human concepts, its adherents do not dismiss pain with a mere shake of the head or a snap of the fingers. This point is illustrated in the following passage from Mrs. Eddy's textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 460): "Sickness is neither imaginary nor unreal,—that is, to the frightened, false sense of the patient. Sickness is more than fancy; it is solid conviction. It is therefore to be dealt with through right apprehension of the truth of being."

In conformity with the last sentence of the foregoing quotation, Christian Science consistently maintains the self-evident fact that since there is but one creator, one God, and He is good in nature and expression, evil was never created and hence is necessarily unreal. The belief in the reality of evil no more makes it real than would the false concept of two and two as totaling five establish such an absurdity as fact. The sum of two and two is four, and the one who believes otherwise suffers the effects of his ignorance. Individual or universal acceptance of a lie can never alter the truth.

Truly spoke the Preacher when he said, "God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions." That God's creation is "good" cannot be doubted by those who believe the spiritual account of creation in the first chapter of Genesis and the opening verses of the second chapter. Relying on this premise, Christian Scientists are led to the inevitable conclusion that evil seems to have only the power that is assigned to it because of the acceptance of erroneous mortal belief. It is untrue because it is no part of God's all-pervading truth. Surely no one can successfully maintain the theory that realities can be destroyed; yet even common belief regards sin and sickness as destructible. What, then, becomes of their asserted substantiality? To say, "No temptation, no virtue," is equivalent to saying, "No counterfeit no good," and is as illogical as to say, "No counterfeit coin, no real money."