Editorial May 21, 1938 Issue

"Formulas Forbidden"

George Shaw Cook

In the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy, there is a By-Law, under the heading "Formulas Forbidden," which reads, in part, as follows (Art. VIII, Sect. 9): "No member shall use written formulas, nor permit his patients or pupils to use them, as auxiliaries to teaching Christian Science or for healing the sick."

Literally interpreted, the foregoing applies to the use of written or typewritten formulas, but its spirit would apply also to the use of what might be termed mental and verbal formulas. Alert and obedient Christian Scientists who are teachers and practitioners avoid the use of all kinds of formulas. Therefore they do not use, nor give to pupils or patients for their use, lists of diseases with corresponding lists of their supposed mental causes. Neither do they make the mistake of mentally entertaining or audibly expressing the belief that certain diseases always have their origin in specifically designated sins or erroneous mental traits. This, obviously, would be a limiting and unscientific thing to do, and might even be considered in the nature of ignorant mental malpractice.

An editorial on this subject, published in the Sentinel of March 26, 1910, contained the following statement: "This question was gone into at considerable length by the board of education at its January session, and those attending that session have the authority of the board for declaring this practice to be unscientific and unwarranted. Science and Health and the other writings of our Leader and teacher sufficiently point out the only true method of healing disease."

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