It seems strange that a Christian clergyman who professes...

Charles E. Jarvis—Fullerton, Cal.

Orange County Tribune

It seems strange that a Christian clergyman who professes to be a follower in the footsteps of the meek and humble Jesus should prefer to devote his time to attacking Christian Science, rather than pointing his hearers to such better means of salvation as he may have to offer. There is a lot of illness, poverty, misery, and woe in the world that humanity is striving to be freed from; therefore why not help in trying to lighten this burden by pointing the way upward to God, instead of attempting to tear the faith of another to pieces?

Christian Science is not what the reverend critic would have your readers believe. If it were what he evidently thinks it is, it would have disappeared long ago. If suggestion or hypnotism were employed in its practice, it would not differ from many other movements which have started from time to time and as often failed. Admitting that suggestion and hypnotism are "common property," and that they are as old as the hills, they are simply the operation of one human, or "carnal," mind over another, and Paul not only tells us that the "carnal mind is enmity against God," but that "to be carnally minded is death."

Webster's International dictionary defines Christian Science as "a system of healing diseases of mind and body which teaches that all cause and effect is mental, and that sin, sickness, and death will be destroyed by a full understanding of the divine Principle of Jesus' teaching and healing." During the years that the writer has been identified with this movement, he has witnessed the healing of many diseases, the destruction of sin, and the overcoming of grief. Peace, happiness, and prosperity now reign where discord, impatience, and poverty once prevailed. These transformations have been wrought as a result of the conscious realization of the true fatherhood of God and of man's relationship to Him as set forth in the Bible and elucidated by the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy. The cases above referred to have been repeated in varying form and in thousands of instances all over the world during the past forty odd years, and constitute the proof that Christian Science, both in theory and practice, is positively antithetical to any teaching, system, or method bordering upon or involving hypnotism, mesmerism, or suggestion.

The "working force" in Christian Science is prayer. James tells us that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." On the first page of Science and Health we read: "The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God,—a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love. Regardless of what another may say or think on this subject, I speak from experience. Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-immolation, are God's gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind." That Christian Scientists have in a measure apprehended and successfully applied their understanding of this sense of true prayer in daily experience, is evidenced by their lives, and it is because of this living proof of the efficacy of the teaching that the attention of the world is being drawn to the movement.

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