The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-13

faith, said that the Christian Science
healer treats a patient as a mother
treats her child that is frightened at
some object it fears, by showing il that
God is love. and, understanding the all
presence of love, there is no room for
fear This statement explains in
way what is currently supposed to be
he belief of the Christian scientists,
hat all disease is imaginary and that
al that is necessary to effect a cure in
nYscase is to change the belief.
This is asserted to be an erroneous
tccusation against the sect, TO" they
acknowledge, with every one else, that
mortal man is subject to disease, both
mental and physical, and they do not
-ry in effecting cures, to dissuade tne
person under treatment that the dis
Ease is one Of imagination, but rather
.ry to so form the mind and concen-
rate the attention on things spiritual
hat the patient will be as it we're tax
N from, himself and put in communion
With God. The scientist" does not
lain to work miracles or effect the
ure by his own unaided personal mag
netism, but he does claim that it is
iod working through him and through
no patient.
One of the most remarkable claims
made by the Christian science heaiers
$ that it is not necessary for the healer
o be present in order to effect d cure.
hey maintain that God, the physician,
Who heals the sick is always With his
PATIENTS. They believe that there is no
sickness in God who Is the one mind;
{ there was, and IL God was the au-
.hor of it, it could not be destroyed.
Il is often said that the crEes effected
by these healers are miracles but the
healers themselves take no such credit
20 themselves, but assert that they are
only miracles to those who do not UNI
derstand them.
Again. 1t is often said that Christian
science is not religion, but its believ-
RS assert that if healing the sick
through prayer is not comprehended
would seem that religion was an emp
ty, meaningless form of worship. The
Christian scientist asks what higher
or better expression of the religion of
Jesus Christ can there be than rel,ev-
ing the pains and sufferings of poor hui
manity? What is religion good for if
not for this purpose. With them be-
Lief in prayer is just as much taught
as belief in Christ, or as any other truth
taught in Scripture, or any other COM
mand given by the divine master. They
claim to get their authority from the
Bible, and from Christ himself, who
admonishes his followers always to
pray.
This new religion, if such it can be
called, is not confined to any particu-
lar section, but is all over the country
and is spreading into other parts of the
4 world. 1t is claimed for it that 1t is
growing rapidly, so fast, indeed That
it is stirring with CONSERVATION the
people who do not believe that it is
right to get we'll without feeling
| physician. The believers claim that the
opposition which they meet with, is
nothing strange, and that 1t IS a fact
that no great truth has ever been pro-
mulgated that has not met with oppo-
sition. This is not only true of reiig-
ion, but of science and other branches
as well. People often speak of the OPP
position with which the early Chris
tians had to contend, and of the dark
! ages, but what We're those dark ages
but times of persecution, of star-cham-
Der proceedings, when Christians were
tied to the stake and burned to death
because they dared to believe in the
divinity of Christ and had the terner-
ity to oppose the reigning or state re-
| ligion.
The birthplace of Christian Science
may he said to have been the city of
| Concord, New Hampshire, and it's foun-
der Mrs Eddy, for it was She who
! brought it into prominence and wrote
! the work Science and HEALTH which
| is today the preacher" as it is termed,
| of the sect.
There is a considerable following of
the sect in Worcester and the weekly
meetings are attended by many faith
| full followers. There was at one time
another small band Of believers. who
t1net regularly iTr@tl1e horticultural IL
! brary on Sunday afternoon, Tut Dis
| sension having arisen among the mem
| bers. it was deemed advisable to dis
band. AS a member of the regular or
der said a day or two ago to the writer,
the members of that group never fully
came into the fold and experienced
Christian Science as the true believer
understands the term. They We're sim
ply interested in the beliefs and Gu
rious to find out the inner meanings of
the cures its members We're enabled to
effect but they had not the true Chris
tan mind, receptive to the influences Of
Christian Science doctrines"
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