The Savannah morning news., 1901-04-20
DIR. BUCKLEY ANSWERED.
What Christian Scientist Has to
Say to His Statements.

| Buckley. These statements require an an
swer from Christian Science, DR.. Buck
ley said
Christian Science is not to be opposed
here because it is absurd, but because it
ridicules and denies all other doctrines:
even to that of morals, for which the
Methodist Church stands. 1t denies the
personality of God 1t denies the Deity
ct Jesus Christ L regard 1t as one Of
the most subtle forms of heresy with
which the church has had to contend
since the third century.
ITO those who do not accept it as a gos-
| pei 1t offers healing, to those who will
not accept it as a system of healing 1t
| offers practical freedom from personal
responsibility, destroys the nature of sin
and the idea of personal repentance"
AS believer in the doctrines, as
practitioner of its principle and a demon
strator of it's truth. as well as bene-
f1ciary of its potency (having been heal
| ed of so-called incurable diseases), we
say that not one of the above charges
against Christian Science. by DR.. Buck
! ley is true, nor will they stand when
tested by the lives and practices of Chris
tian Scientists. Nor was DR.. Buckley
fair. just or Christ-like to Mr.. Simonsen
ference.
First. as to it's moral teachings. the
Ten commandments (the embodiment of
| all moral law), Christian Science
teaches and admonishes its followers to
love and obey, for without morality there
is, there can be no Christianity and the
| first command, Thou shalt have no
other Gods before Me-" is the basis of
all it's teachings, for this Me it teaches
| is Spirit, Love, Life, Truth, eternal, in
| finite God or Good.
1T denies the personality of Cod says
DR.. Buckley.
Christian Science does deny that God
is personal, in the old sense that He
is anthropomorphic or manlike as to form
and figure, but that He is personal in that
| broad and Christ-like sense; that He is
an ever-present help in time of need"
and that He is individual or personal
| when He comes to each one in tender
ness, love and compassion, healing, bless
ing and purifying-all Christian Scientists
believe and know Him personal in this
! sense, for they demonstrate daily, hourly,
that He is with them, this omnipotent,
omnipresent sense of God as Love, as
Spirit they reverence and adore.
| 1T denies the deity of Jesus Christ"
says DIR. Buckley
Christian Science does not deny in any
sense the divinity of Christ; it offers to
those who do doubt His divinity a most
rational explanation of the immaculate
| conception. 1t does not say to its disci-
pies, "Oh, you must accept the immacu-
late conception in blind way without an
| explanation, for it is one of the myster-
| les of the Bible" The birth of Jesus
ceases to be a mystery when it is scien-
| tifcaly understood that God Mind Great
ed all in and of Mind, that matter and
Its laws are set at naught when Mind
,lr.
| the offspring of Mary's self-conscious
communion with God" Science and
Health, page 335. Jesus being thus soir-
| itually conceived, this spirituality gave
him power over all So-called natural or
| material laws, and he annulled them
through the law of spirit, sitting the
tempest walking the waves, healing the
sick, and raising the dead Christian
scientists do believe in the divinity of
| Jesus.
The following from the New York Sun
and re-published in the Christian Science
Sentinel of April 4, speaks for Mr.. Simon
| sen:
The Rev. SEVERN Simonsen, for nearly
| twenty years a minister of the Methodist
| Church, has withdrawn from the denon-
ination and resigned the pastorate of the
| Norwegian Mission in Carroll street,
| Brooklyn, to become a Christian Scien-
fist. The Rev. MIR. Simonsen has had
charge of the Carroll Street Mission for
the past ten years and was well known in
| religious circles. In his letter of resigna-
ton to the Rev. DR.. j. S. Chadwick, pre-
siding elder of his district, he said:
Il have been forced by circumstances
| to make an honest and impartial investi-
cation into the teachings and practice of
| Christian Science, and have found them
| to be in accordance with the teachings of
! Christ, and capable of such clear demon
stration that to my mind no honest and
| impartial mind can conscientiously ignore
| or disregard them when once understood.
| therefore must accept them or do vio-
lence to my honest and best convictions
that God has given me. I freely choose
TO follow this God-given light, for its was
| through Christian Science that I was
given back my health, when a number
of eminent physicians had given me I'D.
And this was not ALL There came to me
| a spiritual insight into the Word and
power from God, the like of which 4 have
never known till 1 came in touch with
the truth as taught by these people
The sickness to which Mr.. Simonsen
| reIers, occurred, he said, about fourteen
years ago when he was minister in
| Wlnconsdn. He was at the point of
death. he says, when he accepted the SER
! vice OF Christian Science healer and
quickly recovered. Four years later he
| was cured in a similar manner he saws
| OF an attack of scarlet fever"
Extract from Nordeske Blade, Dec. IL
| 1900:
Circumstances were such that he had
to seek help for one of his children and as
| last resort he went to Christian Science.
| and at the same time commenced anew
to study their doctrine. life, and practice
| He soon became convinced that he had
found the Truth. and the sequel of II all
was that he withdrew from the Metho-
| dist Episcopal Church.
Last Sunday evening the Rev SEVERN
| +. Simonsen preached his farewell SER
mon and withdrew from the Methodist
Episcopal Church, where he has been
preaching so many years
The church was packed to its utmost
capacity, as we might have expected, be-
cause there was a unique and unparallel-
ed case in the history of the community
A case that was to receive it's explanation
and elimination as well as unfolding a
drama Of a soul struggling for more light.
laying Itself open TO public criticism, here
was problem to be solved that no doubt
looked difficult and incomprehenslble to
many minds. After Mr. Simonsen had
given short sketch OF his labors here
and the condition of the church. he told
about his withdrawal from the Methodist
Church, and his determination to Join the
ranks OF the Christian Scientists"
This minister served faithfully and
I