The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-06-08
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
Miss Hatch Writes of the
iSeCt and Its Faith.
And Points Out That Christ Said Heal the
Sick as Well as Preach the
GOSPEL.

Gospel.
| To the Editor: l have been interested
in your reports of Miss Blodgett's Bible
Lectures, and congratulated the good
women of Raleigh in having so gifted
and spiritually minded woman in their
midst 1 heartily commend the broad
| spirit shown by your valuable paper in
recognizing her efforts of true woman
hood to aid in their spiritual uplifting of
| your people. 1t, however, was the report
| found in your papers of April 23d and Gath
| that particularly caught my attention
for these reasons: The two subjects,
| Moses Before Pharaoh" and How to
Live a Victorious Christian Life will
| ever be the most important thoughts to
| the Christian Scientist; because proving
| the power of spirit over all the claims
| for matter; and Gods supreme power
| over every detail of the Christian life
is an ever absorbing theme to them.
You write that by request "she stated
more clearly and fully wherein Christian
| Science, Theosophy and other modern re-
ligious cults differ from what Chris
| tians hold to be essential truth"
Theosophy does not claim to be akin
| to Christian Science in the slightest. One
| experience of my own may convince the
/ reader. 1t was my privilege to show the
beauty OF Christian Science to one who
lad been secretary CT Philosophical So
| ciety in one of our largest cities. On
seeing the truth of Science, and being
healed through study of its teachings,
she at once resigned her position and
| withdrew from her service connecting
herself with the Christian Science
church. Why it may be asked by Chris
tian Scientists as we'll as by others did
Miss Blodgett not attempt to teach her
hearers the doctrine of Theosophy and
l the other "cults" as we'll as of Chris
tian Science? "a Her statements ac-
cording to your report are incorrect; %
she could not possibly understand
either, If she feels they are the same"
Referring to the sorcerers of Egypt
doing most of the works that God did
| through Moses, she draws the inference
| that because Christian Scientists have
done Ito herr miraculous healings'
they are the sorcerers, and says more
| than healings must be done to attest the
truth of doctrine.
Her own statement that ''the doctrine
must be tried by the search light of
Gods word as revealed in the Holy
Scriptures, we will consider, and furth-
er on each attempt of hers to explain our
doctrine, feeling sure she will be glad
| to learn the truth Of this question and
not be willing to misrepresent so large
a body of Christian workers any further,
Every promise in Christian Science is
| founded on this truth which all Chris
tians must admit as Scriptural-"God is
a spirit
| Take her own words-"Christian
Science denies the deity of Jesus, MAX
ing him only perfect man filled with the
divine principle they call the Christ"
| I would take her own definition as
! surely indicating our firm belief that
| Christ Jesus was divine, Cor no one
could think of perfect man except as the
divine image of Cod and the divine prin-
ciple Christ could not be less than di-
| vinity.
! Her statement that we deny man in
himself is sinner and needs no atone
ment. is again a mistake. We know
| that the sinful race CT fleshy Adam com
prises all sin, but we know as we'll that
the spiritual man, Gods image and like
ness, is never a sinner. because God has
nc sir to reflect through his image. Now,
without giving us her definition of God
as person, she says we do not believe
Ill personal God. Indeed, it is almost
an impossibility to get one of our critics
who misunderstood our thought of God
to tell us about the person of their God.
l
faith say that God is a Spirit X x
without body or parts?" Mrs. Eddy says
Science and Health Oast edition, page
$500, that God is the Infinite Person"
Perhaps our critic no better can eX-
plain our understanding of God as Pr;n-
| oiple than she has the other points. |
know every Christian will agree with us
| in the statement which she seems to
| criticize, that God is Good, and He is
Truth. and that if man lived only this
| Truth of God that he need not dies: for
unlike her quotation, Eye shall be as
Gods, knowing both good and evil" he
would of necessity know only Good
and all agree that good never dies. She
herself quotes, 1.-THE wages of sin is
| death"
Our Christian critics would do well to
| learn enough of this Science to provo its
principle by healing single case and
then unhesitatingly do [ declare all
would practice it for no one can under
stand it without putting it into practice
and what more victorious Christian life
could be lived than that which coruuers
both sin and sickness. Jesus the Master
Christian held as essential truth that
both sickness and sin must be healed by
his theology, so he taught all his dis
ciples and he said, Heal the sick as
distinctly as he said Preach the Cos
pei" and no one doubts that ~e Son
knew the will of the Father; so il IS
coincidence that Christian Scientists
| hold as essential truth what Jesus said
Thanking you for the space. I ask that
you give these tenets of our faith that
Continued on Page Ten)