St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-24
UNNECESSARY PERSECUTION.

The sO-cailed Christian science may
be superstition at variance with the
spirit of this enlightened age. and yet
it could not be more so than the intol-
Grant spirit exhibited by the pulpit and
the regular doctors in their effort to
crush it out. The preachers are hurl-
ing anathemas from the pulpit at the
teachers of the faith science, and the
doctors are pouring into the halls of
legislation petitions asking for the en-
actment of laws to prohibit the faith
practitioners from their vocation. There
are mum erous reasons why this crusade
against this so-called Christian science
should be stopped. So far as the pulpit
is concerned, the argument that PAUL
used on a certain occasion ought to
apply in this instance. If it is not from
God it will fall beneath the weight of
its own iniquity. If it is from God.
then no temporal forces can stay its
progress. The thing for the preachers
to do is to let it alone and await
developments. So far as the med
ical profession is concerned, the men,
berS of it are showing a weakness
that i'll COMFORTS with the dignity of
one of the leading professions by raising
persecution against the faith doctors.
The medical science is too well estab-
lished to be undermined by any sort of
an ism. 1t makes 10 difference if the
faith doctors do come in competition
with the regulars. Any profession
which cannot stand competition ought
to go under. If a certain class of peo-
pie prefer the laying on of hands and
having prayers said over them while
they are sick to taking pills and pow
ders, it is their privilege to do so. This
is free country. where people can think
and act ju st as they please, so long as
they Go not interfere with or restrict
the rights of others. 1t does not become
necessary to enter upon defense of the
fallacy of this so-called Christian science
in order to defend the believers in it
from the prosecutions of others The
great majority of Christian people re-
pudiate it, although they admit that a
living. practical faith must forever re-
main the underlying principle of Chris
tianlty. Faith no greater than
mustard seed will pluck up trees by
their roots and remove mountains, ac-
cording to the teachings of Christianitv's
founder, and yet within all these 1000
| years there has never been a mountain
to change its base or tree that has even
been swayed by the prayers of the faith
full. 1t is possibly because of their lack
of faith in the ability of any human
being to exercise faith enough to per-
form miracle, that the great bulk of
protesting Christians reject the practical
turn that the So-called Christian scien-
lists give to the faith doctrine. Or a
still stronger reason for the rejection of
the doctrine of these Christian charla-
tans may be found in their disposition
to give it q sacriiegious tinge by making
it a source of revenue. Ever since
Christ drove the money changers from
the temple and the old apostle cursed
the individual who wanted to buy the
power of performing miracles, there has
been well defined impression among
Christian people that he who puts
money value upon religion is no better
than heather and publican. There
fore, the preachers and the doctors can
afford to let up on their prosecutions of
the faith curers, and stop their crusade
against Christian science. Like every
other sensational ism, the less it is
famed the sooner will it die out.