Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-07
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CALLED.
A Sermon. by Rev. Thomas Filben at the
Central NJ. L. Church.

religion. The Christian Church does not
presume to sit in judgment upon theories
in science, or schools in philosophy, and
less upon systems of healing or cure, but
it does claim the right of bringing all sys-
TENS of morals, and specially ali pretended
the touchstone OF the Scriptures
and let them stand or fall by that standard
Mind cure Is at once system of healing
and an assumed religion, according to the
claims of its votaries. 1t is system with
considerable acceptance, an acceptance hard
to be accounted for. but by the proneness
OF the human mind to receive abnormal
tiles and vagaries. 1t has an Inter-
national Society and colleges, and prac-
utioners in every leading city. From its
extension and pretension it claims atten-
ton" said the speaker, if not from the
extraordinary natures of its principles
ana moral pernicious tendency of its theor-
les, as II riots for the time in the soil of
mans deprayity, the latest and most dan
gerous OF the devils bats for human
oupes. 1t is more quiet than spiritualism ;
depending less upon a general hearing or
on demonstration before numbers, il plies
Its trade more effectively with individuals,
thus more easily concealing its charlatancy
and failure
" II claims to be Christian, and makes a
plasphemous assumption of a Christian
foundation and tendency-a claim never
made more unrighteously. 1t is not Chris
tan, whatever else it is. Christianity
utterly repudiates responsibility for it. 1t
has apparently laid claim to the title Chris
uan to get floating. 1t is at essential va
rance 1t even utterly rejects or perverts
every fundamental doctrine of Christianity
For example, it denies the personality of
God and degrades Christ, calling His
miracles instances of mind-heallng, assum-
ing that the power He exerted was be-
cause OF His spiritual elevation through
the exercise of mind-cure principles,
and that this same power is pos
sibie TO all. 1t denies the Holy
Ghost, Identifying it as akin to the
akasa of the Hindoos or the anima mundi
OF the Platonists. 1t is anti-Christian, and
seemingly Intentionally so-destructive
while IN pretense conciliatory. 1t assumes
to have found difference between what II
Is pleased to term the popular theology and
the philosophy OF the New Testament, and,
identifying itself with this latter, SAYS
vauntingly: This single fact may be a
hint OF the wonderful advantage the Chris.
tlan science has over the Christian Church
IN the work of moving the masses
towards God-the church gropes, Christian
science Sees Its stock in trade in this is
bald statement and perversion of scripture
without argument or proof, raising the con-
slant question of even the sanity, not to
say sincerity of those who commit such
nonsense to the cold page of print, and
with the unblushing etfrontery OF simple
assertion.
" 1t is not science-not science by any true
definition or modern Interpretation. 1t is
ga n nh ~
misapplication of all that is true in the
philosophy of idealism, and an emphasis
of fact upon its long ago exploded theories.
1t says, expecting to be believed, per-
sonallty is pure nothingness;' man is
wholly good, not bad at all;' 1T is the great
est sin to believe in SIM rheumatism, con-
sumption and all other beliefs of sickness
are only expressions of sin and fear; de-
stroy the sin and fear and no sickness can
appear All this gives point to the story
that is told of one who came to quaint
wit, asking if he had tried the mind-cure.
adding, by way of recommendation, Il have
realized great benefit from it myself.
'Mind-cure, mind cure responded the wit,
yes, that may be your trouble, but it's my
legs that bother me-
1T is not practical. The answer to all the
sophistries and fallacies of idealism will
always be the evident reality of the ex-
ternal world. 1t is not needful to argue
with a sane man on the verify of this ex-
terDal world. To dispute it demands the
setting aside of consciousness and reason
and intelligence. Few men will do this.
Its danger as system is not in that men
will do this, but that men, ignoring the er-
ror of the philosophy under il, will vet
give it credit and trial as system of heal
ing, to their hurt, because of its pretended
cures. 1t is as old as the saw that the mind
exercises direct influence over the body
in both health and disease, and every true
physician employees these real relations of
cheerfulness of spirit to health and of ex.
pectancy of cure to recovery from disease,
Mind and will-power alone control some
types of indisposition. The mind curer
builds up of these exceptions laws for his
purposes, and makes his system from a
specious misapplication of these and kin
dred principles that are true enough in
their right relations. The books are full of
more wonderful cures of hysterical persons
and of hypocondriacs, by suggestion and
by command of others, or from some harm
less delusion of manipulation, than any
ever performed by the late craft, that never
got name till this last time Mind-cure
deals successfully with this class of pa
tents. That it fails with others does not
battle it. If the patient grows worse, as
the spiritualists provided the convenient
Diakka to cover its failures, so it provides
Decentralization which is the upheayal
when mental truth is destroying erroneous
and mortal belief. This brings sin and
sickness to the surface as in fermenting
fluid If the patient dies it is because
there is too much of ferment. 1t can be
trusted that the good sense of people will
give such nonsense as this its rightfll
place. 1t is in its representation a COM
pound of such mingled falsehood and arti.
flee that wonder is excited that any wouId
give it attention. 1t affects strange blind
ness to, and ignoring of the facts of life,
the objective causes of sickness and pain.
1t contains nothing new, nothing that has
not been worked over and exhausted again
and again. 1t is mainly the recasting and
commingling of old and exploded systems
not even having the virtue of being well
put. As dangerous to morals and religion
as it is false and wicked As philosophy
it is the crudest form of ancient Pantheism
and revival and misapplication of the
sophlstries OF ldealism. In method it is
self conceited, bombastic and dogmatic, its
literature most frequently refined nom
sense, high-soundIng and uninteligible.
and therefore passing with many as pro-
found. 1t plumes itself on this profundity
and its air or mystery.
In its practice it is mercenary and utterly
selfish and self-seeking. if not wicked and
idiotic. If it were without mercenary ends
it might be excused as idiotic that it has
these ends. can only esteem it wicked
charlatancy, and in its practice as healing
art. tquackery. 1t is only nine-days'
wonder, when seekers for novelty in
thought will follow the next new thing"
from the books of the system, UNFOLDING
his assertions of it by the statements of the
advocates of the doctrine themselves. The
whole sermon was highly instructing ard
pleasing, and the novelty of the subject
called together q large concreeatinn