LETTERS TO THE PRESS FROM CHRISTIAN SCIENCE COMMITTEES ON PUBLICATION

Denver, Colorado Denver Democrat

The Denver Democrat carried a reprint from the Grand Junction Sentinel bearing the headline "Sectarian Censorship of Schools." As this article does not correctly report the incident, probably because more complete information was not available to the Sentinel, and also because it implies that Christian Scientists, in requesting exemption for their children from some phases of compulsory health instruction, are imposing censorship over the content of public education, space is respectfully requested for a fuller explanation.

Christian Scientists, in requesting freedom to rely on spiritual healing of disease, have no desire to interfere with the rights of others. ... For example, when the New York State Department of Education omitted from its examinations in the elective subject of biology questions concerning the germ theory of disease, this was more than Christian Scientists had requested. In fact, rather than do injustice to students taking the full course of study, the Christian Science Committee on Publication for New York recommended that examination questions be made up without regard for the fact that Christian Science pupils had been excused from some portions.

When Christian Scientists request exemption from compulsory instruction in medical theories relating to disease, they have no desire to intrude upon the rights or opportunities of others to study material theories of health and the rudiments of medicine.

While Christian Scientists feel no need for instruction that tends to divide their faith and are happy to trust their well-being to the understanding of God as omnipotent Love, they nevertheless support for others the same right they ask: permission to seek wisdom, knowledge, and enlightenment along lines of their own choosing.

Alameda, California The Alameda Times Star

[A columnist] while discussing problems in education recently stated, "It now appears that the Christian Scientists object to reference concerning death by germs, virus, and bacteria as offensive to their religion." I am happy to tell [the columnist] and your readers at the same time, that this is evidently one of those cases where appearances are deceptive.

If anyone will look into the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and other writings by Mary Baker Eddy, he will find references to words such as death, germs, virus, etc. But these words are not used in Christian Science to teach healing by material medicine, but to teach healing through spiritual understanding. Referring to her use of the word "death," Mrs. Eddy explains in her book "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany": "To teach the truth of life without using the word death, the suppositional opposite of life, were as impossible as to define truth and not name its opposite, error" (p. 235).

What Christian Scientists do object to is compulsory medical instruction for their children in our public schools. They do not object to such instruction for others, provided the schools allow exemption from the instruction for the children of Christian Scientists.

Medical instruction is diametrically opposite to the instruction which a child receives from his Christian Science Sunday School or from his parents who are Christian Scientists. If the public school teacher were successful in imparting medical instruction to such a child and could get the child to accept the medical instruction, the teacher would thus cause the child to repudiate the instruction of his church and parents. This result would be harmful not only to the child but to the school and the community.

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