Inasmuch as some misguided persons have distributed...

W. Stuart Booth—Ramah, Colo.

North Fork Times

Inasmuch as some misguided persons have distributed in your midst a pamphlet intended to discredit Christian Science, the courtesy of space is requested that the truth may be given to your readers.

Christ Jesus came declaring that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand," and he supported his declaration by healing sickness and sin and destroying death. These irrefutable arguments, supporting his spiritual teaching, aroused the intense opposition of scholastic theologians and gross materialists, and resulted in the crucifixion. Now Christian Science is the revival of primitive Christianity in both its word and its works. It reiterates the Master's statement about the kingdom of heaven, the government of divine harmony, as being available here and now. And Christian Science, in obedience to the indivisible commands to "preach the gospel," and "heal the sick," verifies its preaching by its practice; for by it the sick are healed, the sin-bound freed, and the true sense of life is being gained in accord with Paul's statement that "to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Quite naturally such preaching and practice is startling to scholasticism, which teaches a post-mortem, problematical heaven and offers such poor comfort to the sick as the untrue words, "It is the Lord's will."

When the priests of the first century were persecuting the apostles because of their healing works, Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, said, "Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it: lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." Such advice is most appropriate to the present instance.

Just one reference to the pamphlet will suffice to reveal its unreliability. Practically every reference from Science and Health quoted therein is either incorrect or incomplete; and thus when torn from the context, as they are in every instance, the meaning is obviously perverted. For example, in a purported quotation from "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 5), Mrs. Eddy is made to say, "If prayer nourishes the fact that man is made better by it then prayer is an evil." The correct quotation, the meaning of which is clear and unmistakable and quite different, is as follows: "Prayer is not to be used as a confessional to cancel sin. Such an error would impede true religion. Sin is forgiven only as it is destroyed by Christ,—Truth and Life. If prayer nourishes the belief that sin is cancelled, and that man is made better merely by praying, prayer is an evil. He grows worse who continues in sin because he fancies himself forgiven."

Those who desire to learn the truth about Christian Science teaching, would do well to study its textbook, above quoted, instead of accepting any misquotations and misrepresentations from those who are blinded by prejudice or whose vision is narrowed and perverted by man-made creeds.

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