LETTERS TO THE PRESS FROM CHRISTIAN SCIENCE COMMITTEES ON PUBLICATION

Will B. Davis

The Day, Jewish Journal

The Day, Jewish Journal New York, New York

Your recent articles on Christian Science in The Day were sent to us . . . and we read them with interest. We appreciate your evident desire to give a fair and honest presentation, and I am wondering whether you might be interested in a few comments from us on your general thesis.

It might be that you would see both Christian Science and Mary Baker Eddy in a different perspective if you could recognize more clearly the basic religious nature of her teachings. The thing that separates Christian Science completely from Quimbyism is its fundamental teaching that brings Christian Scientists a deeper revelation of the theology of the Bible than they have ever known before. Quimby's son George—a stanch champion of his father—himself recognized this when he wrote: "The religion which she [Mrs. Eddy] teaches certainly is hers, for which I cannot be too thankful; for I should be loath to go down to my grave feeling that my father was in any way connected with 'Christian Science.' "

If one sees Christian Science as only a system of healing, one is certainly missing its essence. Again and again when Christian Scientists express gratitude for the healing, comfort, and guidance they have received through its ministrations, they state emphatically that the greatest blessing of all is the new understanding of God they have received.

In her work "Rudimental Divine Science," Mrs. Eddy wrote (p. 2): "Healing physical sickness is the smallest part of Christian Science. It is only the bugle-call to thought and action, in the higher range of infinite goodness. The emphatic purpose of Christian Science is the healing of sin; and this task, sometimes, may be harder than the cure of disease; because, while mortals love to sin, they do not love to be sick."

Once this essential is recognized one is in a position to examine percipiently the spiritual and intellectual credentials of Mrs. Eddy's profound discovery. . . . You will see that the pragmatic test of Christian Science extends far beyond bodily healing — and there is no getting away from the fact that religion, as distinct from philosophy, cannot be divorced from its practical consequences.

Will B. Davis, Manager Committees on Publication

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