The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-22
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
ATTACKED IN A SERMON BY REV,
W. p. McCORKLE.
is AN OLD FORM OF ERROR
HE SAYS. AND Is NEITHER CHRIS
TIAN NOR SCIENTIFIC.


bands-Says She Has Practically
substituted Science and Health
For the BfbIe-The View of Christ
ian Science Given by Judge Ewing
said 10 he Exceedingly Vague and
Not a Few of Its Features Kept
Out of Sight.
At the First Presbyterian Church, at
the morning service yesterday, Rev.
VIM. P. McCorkle announced as his
text, Tim, vi 2O-21: Avoiding pro-
fame and babblings, and oppositions of
science, falsely so-called, which some
protesting have erred concerning the
faith"
MY subject" said DR.. McCorkle, In
substance, "as suggested by these
words, is the attitude of so-called
Christian science toward real Chris
tianity. 1 say so-called Christian
Science, because it is neither scientific
nor Christian. AS l shall show, it is
but a revival of an old form Of error.
At the outset, let me say that I have
no ill-will toward Christian Scientists.
Many of them, / am persuaded, are
good people. Some of them, through
the insistence of their teachers upon
certain statements Of the Bible, as that
God is love, etc, may have found in
their new faith a comfort which they
never found in the faith of orthodox
churches. This not because the ORTIZ
odox churches are wrong, on these
points, but simply because these people
had not before realized in any proper
way the comforting features of the
Christian faith
Suggested by Gen. Ewing.
MY subject is timely, because we
have recently had a visit from an
apostle of Christian Science. He pre-
scented his views most plausibly, and
few speakers command more elegant
and pleasing rhetoric than Judge
Ewing. But the view he gives of
Christian Science is exceedingly vague,
and there are not few of it's features
which he keeps out of sight.
"'The text refers to an ancient form
Of error current in the days of the
apostles The name chosen by them
for their doctrine was gnosis or
science, as it is here rendered; and as
many of them claimed to be Christ ans
they were the Christian Scientists Of
that age.
Called 1T Faith Cure.
II shall not delay to speak of Chris
tan Science as a mental healing sys-
tenn. Suffice 1t to say that in common
with the faith cure, mental and mag
netic healing, and many other systems
of healing without medicine, ii enjoys
the reputation of having been attested
as true system of healing by mar
velous miracles. Mr.. friend here" said
the speaker, pointing to a venerable
gentleman, Mr.. Mckay of Baltimore,
who sat near the pulpit. ''will tell you
that he has seen in one of the churches
of Rome q small wooden image of the
Savior called the Bambino, decked out
in silks, satins and costly laces, and
adorned with magnificent Jewels, the
gift of grateful worshippers, and near
its stacks of crutches left by those
who have been healed by this alleged
miraculous image. Aside from any
question as to the blessing of God up
on those who look to him for healing,
medical science accounts for these
wonderful cures simply upon the
ground of the influence of the mind up
on the body.
A Sort of Hysteria.
"All diseases are more or less modi-
fed by the influence of the patients
mind, and the whole category of hys-
terical affections. which include simu-
lations of almost every known disease,
yield more readily to these mental
treatments than to any other. When
the disease is really maginary-and
many ailments are produced by the i'm
agination-all that is needed is for the
patient TO believe himself well. One
instance is on record, in which wo-
man was brought to a New York hos
pital, suffering from a terrible tumor.
She was placed under the influence of
ether, preparatory to the operation, and
as soon as the ether took effect the
symptoms of tumor disappeared, and
did not return. Her affection was
rysterical, disappearing as soon as she
became insensible. Not a few of the
miracles of Christian Science can be
accounted for by the changed attitude
of the patients mind. The new doc
trine, relieving a morbid fear, has freed
him form imaginary ailments.
Two things are affirmed of the an
cient heresy to- which Paul re-
fers. The first is, that it is
form of opposition to the true gos-
pei. This is true of Christian Science
Christian Science substitutes another
teacher for Christ, another book for the
Bible, and another church for all
Touched Up Mrs. Eddy.
The teacher is Mrs. Mary Baker
Glover Patterson Eddy a woman of
many husbands. She is called, Our
teacher and mother by all the sect.
She is in a certain way worshipped as
the female principle of messianic ex-
pectation. She claims to have re-
ceived a new revelation, vouchsafed
TO no other, and declares that nobody
can understand the Bible, unless they
use her key to the Scriptures One
of her followers declares that as
Christ revealed the Fatherhood, Sc
Mrs. Eddy has revealed the mother
hood of Cod Christian Science de-
clares that we cannot understand
Christ himself unless we take Mrs
Eddy's explanations of him. She
teaches that the second coming OF
Christ was in 1866 and was nothing
more nor less than the advent of her
science.
THE book substituted for the Bible
is Science and Health. Mrs. Eddy's
principal work. Only by reading this
book we are told. can we learn how
TO conform our life to the footsteps oil
Jesus, and rise to the consciousness OF
oneness with God. Science and Health
with the Quarterly Bible Lessons, are
declared TO be equally with the Scrip.
lures the Word of God; and since the
Bible without Mrs. Eddy's explana-
tions is useless, the fact OF the com.
pieteness OF the substitution is appar.
ent.
Opposed "a Scripture.