The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-11-28

have treated their wealthy hypochondriac patients
harmless diet of bread pills and water and
! daily discussed without smile the marked prog
ress caused by their wonderful prescription.
The many cures especially in the nervous dis
eases of women wrought abroad i'll our generation
by hypnotic suggestion at the hands of the sclen-
tltic graduates of the schools of Nancy and Paris
have made realize more than ever before the in
Huence of the mind and the imagination over bod
lily disease CLe Hynotism Franc-Coconner). Chris
tian Science has adopted this child of modern
therapeutics, and dressing it up in the clothes of
unchristian and unscentitic principles, endeavors
by dnt of vigorous and oracular assertion to win
Tor 1t the reverence of Its creduOuS following We
safely challenge any of these modern curists
to bring forward authentic case-proved by
athdavits of reputable Catholic, Protestant, Jewish
and infdel physicians-in which the mind of
metaphysical healer has set broken arm or leg,
healed cance tumor, effected the of
any organic disease. As for healing the deaf, the
dumb the blind, the lame, leers-only Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, and the saints OF the old law and
the new, have worked such miracles.
Indeed, we deem those who suffer the sick under
their care to die for the want of roper medical at
tedanee to be guilty of criminal neglect, and if i'll
their ignorance and superstition they do not real
lze their sin, the law of the state should, in the
interests of society, to it that those dependent
on such fanatics be publicly provided for, just
the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty looks
after children maltreated by their parents.
No Catholic is warranted in having recourse to
Christian Science heaers for the cure of bodily
disease because it is grevOus sin to encourage
charlatanlsm or superstition in any form; and
even II a real cure were certain, Catholics know
they cannot deny Jesus Christ his divine teach
lngs for any temporal benefit whatsoever. 1t is
not allowed to do evil that good may come.
The Catholic church teaches clearly the efficacy
of prayer, but forbds her children to neglect the
ordinary means at their disposal for the of dis
ease, as irrational and sinful. Miracles are excep-
o1,1
the ordinary law of Gods providence. She quotes
the words of Holy Writ: "Honor the physician for
the need thou hast of him, for the Most High hath
created him. The skill of the physician
shall lift up his head and in the sight of great
men he shall be praised. The Most High hath ere
ated medicines out of the earth and wise man
shall not abhor them. : Ny son, in thy
sickness neglect thyself, but pray to the Lord
and He shall heal thee" (Ecclus. xviii. 1-1O).
She declares infaiby that Jesus Christ came
to teach men the truth of God and save them from
SIN, and that he sent his apostles to preach and
pardon in his name until the end of the world.
Christian Science which denies his divinity and
his gospel is to her superstition against the first
commandment of God.
Why does the Catholic priest impose penanees for
sins already pardoned? Why do Catholics think the
can atone for their sins by fasting prayers etc Do
you believe that you can add to the all sufficient
atonement of Christ? When forgives the sinner,
does he not instantly free him from all deserved pun
ishment at the same time in the of the dying
Quke xiii, 43)?
After confession, the penitent is asked to per-
form works of penance that he might better real
ize his guilt before God and thereby pay the debt
of temporal punishment still due to his forgiven
sins. The Council of Trent declares that these
penances make the sinner more careful for the fu-
ture, substitute for his vices the contrary virtues
and prevent him from falling into more grevous
sins (Sess. xiv, ch VIII
Frequently the Scripture declares that God may
forgive the repentant sinner-that is free him
from the guilt of sin and its eternal punishment
without freeing from temporal punishment. Thus
in the case of Adam (Wisdom Y, 2; Gen. ILL., 1920
the rebelious Jews i'll the desert Num. xiv, 20-23)
Moses (Num. XXX, II; Deut. xxi, 81 52), David
I'll Kings xi, xii, XIV etc.
David. for example, having repented for his
murder and adultery, forgiven by God, and yet
punished by the death of the child he loved. II
have sinned against the Lord : The Lord
also hath taken away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
Nevertheless, because thou hast given occasion to
the enemies of the Lord to baspheme, for this
thing the child that is born of thee shall surely die"
QI Kings xii, 13-14).
Is it not strange to find Bible Christians deny
ing that the sinner may atone for the temporal
punishment due his sins, when no doctrine is
taught more clearly in the Scriptures (Jones iii;
IL ParaL Chron) Xxxiii, u, 10; Ecclus iii, SO;
Dan. iv, "a; Luke, XII. 41).
Catholics do not believe that any man or all
men could satisfy for one grievous sin against
God. One alone, who true God and true man.
Jesus Christ satisfied for all the sins of the world
He, according to Catholic dogma is the only med-
ator; "for there one God, and one mediator |
of God and men, the man Jesus Christ" T Tim.
Ii, 81. But we believe that by tie help of Gods
grace, which Jesus Christ died to gain. we can
apply to ourselves the satisfaction of Jesus Christ
through the sacraments of baptism and penance
This is way interferes with the infinite atone
ment of Gods only Son. Neither is this salts
faction which we discharge for our sins so much I
our not to be Jesus Christ's. for we who
can do nothing for ourselves, can do all things with
the cooperation of him who strengthens us Thus
man hath not wherein to glory, but all our glory |
ing is i'll Christ; in whom we live in whom we |
merit in whom we satisfy" CTrent., Sess. xiv, ch
viii).
As for the thief on the cross, it is not evident
that he went instantly to heaven; for Catholics
believing that Christs soul Immediately after his
death went down to Limbo to announce to the souls
there detained the glad tidings of the redemption
q Peter ill., 19), declare that paradise in this pas
sage does not mean heaven at all But granted /
that it did, miracle wrought by the Son of God I
as sign of his exceeding great mercy and love for
sinners. is not to be regarded as the general law
IF Gods working, especially when the Scriptures !
IN many other passages declare the contrary Of /
course Catholics believe that God may at any time
emit the guilt of SIM and all punishment due there
unto, Just as he does always in baptism but we
say that is not the ordinary law of his providence,