Article February 17, 1986 Issue

California court cases: keeping the real issue in focus

One of the striking things about the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of Christian Science, is her ability to get to the heart of issues. A century ago she wrote with startling directness, "The question at issue with mankind is: Shall we have a spiritual Christianity and a spiritual healing, or a materialistic religion and a materia medica?"^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 246.}

The current prosecution of Christian Scientist parents in three court cases in California shows forcibly that this question is still at issue. It also shows that our society is moving rapidly toward a decision as to which side of the issue it will be on.

A recent decision by a California State Court of Appeals for one appellate district shows the issue coming to a head. Background on this decision is provided in an earlier item from the Committee on Publication, "Update on current court cases" (Sentinel, December 2, 1985). Briefly, the State Court of Appeals was asked by the State Supreme Court to decide which of two California laws would be controlling in a case now being prosecuted: a general statute which penalizes a person who "... willfully causes or permits the person or health" of a child to be injured, or another, more specific statute which provides that "remedial care" which parents are required to provide their children can include "treatment by spiritual means through prayer ...."

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