Christian Scientists readily agree that "the purpose of science is to discover truth," but to agree that "the purpose of religion is to help us adapt ourselves to the facts of experience revealed to us through the senses from the world about us," is equivalent to saying that the five personal senses, absolutely unreliable witnesses of matter, are the avenues through which God, Spirit, is revealed to man.
The critic takes exception to the Christian Science teaching on the subject of atonement, which he says is contrary to the teaching of the Bible and of orthodox theology.
Christian Science says that there is one first cause, or Principle, of all that really is, and that this first cause is infinite intelligence or Mind; in other words, Spirit, God.
The abstract statement "All is Mind and there is no matter" has been extensively elaborated in the Christian Science text-book, in order to make sure that the student understands the subject.
In
geometry there are certain fundamental statements recognized as always true, which are called axioms; for instance, "Two parallel lines are always equidistant.
A few
months ago, as the writer entered a subway car in a large eastern city, he saw a little girl of perhaps eleven years reading in a newspaper of the ultrasensational type the demoralizing details of a trial that was then in progress in the criminal courts.
We
read that "the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field;" and today the material cloud or error that hides spiritual realities from mortal sight is often so subtle that we are not only unconscious of its presence, but actually amazed when the error is uncovered.
It
is sometimes remarked that much difficulty is experienced at this date in the government of children, and that Christian Scientists are not awake to their responsibilities in this particular; that parents do not teach their children to obey.
The
student of the Bible is continually impressed with the spirit of praise, thankfulness, and joyousness manifested by the Scripture characters and which is breathed forth on almost every page of the inspired book.
