Article September 1, 1934 Issue

It is a misunderstanding to consider Science and Health...

Nils A. T. Lerche, Committee on Publication for Norway,—Oslo (translation)

A-Magasinet

It is a misunderstanding to consider Science and Health as the Scientists' "Bible." The Christian Science church uses the same Bible as other Christian denominations. The full title of our textbook is "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures;" this book is based on the Bible and explains it, but is in no way a substitute for it.

The Bible contains many records of spiritual healing, both in the Old and in the New Testament. One is often liable to overlook the fact that it was not only Jesus who performed these healings, but also his disciples and the early Christians, besides several of the prophets in the Old Testament. That which was possible nineteen hundred years ago must be possible today. Is it not more reasonable to consider the "miracle" not as a violation of law, but as the result of a law which is not generally understood, and of which the early Christians had knowledge? Jesus said that they who believe on him shall do the works that he did, and, "These signs shall follow them that believe; ... they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." It is clear that the word "believe" here means something much more than a blind belief in Jesus' personality. It must include an understanding of the truth of being. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," said the Master.

Christian Science teaches that sin and sickness are healed by the same Principle. On page 460 in Science and Health Mrs. Eddy writes: "Sickness is more than fancy; it is solid conviction. It is therefore to be dealt with through right apprehension of the truth of being;" and on page 390, "It is our ignorance of God, the divine Principle, which produces apparent discord, and the right understanding of Him restores harmony." By this is not meant a merely intellectual understanding, but an understanding which can be obtained only through a spiritualized consciousness. Prayer in Christian Science includes this spiritual understanding of man's true selfhood and its relation to his creator, and it is wholly different from suggestion, which rests on human will-power.

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