The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-10
REPLY TO Mr.. CARRMEMAN.
Christian Science "a Vain Thing for
Safety"


the Morning News to certain errors
! emanating from the mortal mind" of
/ Mr.. Edward b. Carman, and exhibited
| in his criticisms of my recent sermon
on the attitude of Christian Science.
so-called, toward evangelical Chris
| tianity.
Mr.. Carmans article illustrates
beautifully the Pauline maxim. Happy
is he that condemneth not himself in
/ that thing which he alloweth.'
He begins by charging all orthodox
/ ministers with want of conformity to
! the spirit of Christ in that we, he as
serts, use definitions indiscriminate-
/ ly for the purpose of misleading" our
hearers. Does he consider this whole
| sale impugnment of the motives of the
/ Christian ministry a proper exhibition
| of the spirit of Christ? Let me COM
mend to him the inspired utterance of
l>his own oracle, Mrs. Eddy. She says
those only quarrel with her method
who have not understood her meaning,
| or who discovering the truth, come
not to the light, lest their works
should be reproved." She leaves some
room for the exercise of scientific"
| charity on the part of her followers. A
| minister who breaches against Chris
| tan Science may be honest, not having
| properly understood her feeble revela-
tion," as she modestly terms it. But
| Mr.. Carman accuses us every one of
habitually and purposely misleading
our hearers. Should an apostle of
Love and a herald of Light be so UNI
| charitable?
Whether few or many have said that
| Christian Science, so-called, is neither
| Christian nor scientific" Mr.. Carman's
| attempt to convict me of using defini-
| tions hastily and Unfortunately does
not help his cause. He defines Chris
| tan as meaning, according to the
! Standard Dictionary, "a disciple of
| Christ" Is Mr.. Carman not aware of
the distinction between an adjective
| and noun? That Christian Scientists
| may be disciples of Christ does not
! prove that Christian Science is Chris
tian. Many homeopathists are Chris
| tians. This does not prove that home
opathy is Christian. Christian Science
can not be called a disciple of Christ
! any more than the solar system can be
rightly SO called. The question is not
as to the personal character of Chris
| tan Scientists, but as to their distinc-
| tive doctrines. That system only can
| be called Christian which, in all it's
essential and distinguishing features
! squares with the teachings of Christ
and of his apostles. Granted that in
| certain particulars Christian Scientists
! believe the truth. Nevertheless, their
| distinctive tenets are as far as
possible removed from the teach
ings of Christ. Thus, for example,
! Christ commended audible prayer both
by precept and example. He said,
when We pray, say" etc. To say, is
to utter aloud. Thoughts are not say
! ings till they are spoken. But Mrs
]
! affirming that it gives occasion for
reaction unfavorable to spiritual
growth, and initiates against sober re-
| solve, and a wholesome perception of
| Gods requirements" Christ laid down
no rule requiring silent prayer, but
| Mrs. Eddy tells US to "close our lips,
! and silence the material senses" He
| directed his disciples to baptize those
| whom they instructed. and in the act
| of instituting the Lords Supper, said:
| This do in remembrance of me-" but
! Mrs. Eddy rejects all visible sacra-
| ments, discarding the sacramento wa
| ter, bread and wine, and substituting
! certain silent observances, in which
! Christian Science doctrine is supposed
( to wash, refresh and nourish the soul
! He said: ASK and We shall receive"
! and taught us to ask for daily food, as
we'll as for daily grace; but in Mrs
Eddy's earlier editions of Science and
| Health, a version of the Lords prayer
was given in which the wording of
every petition was so changed as to
eliminate all asking. In later editions
she restored the form of petition, so
| far as to authorize prayer for grace,
but not for daily food And these are
but samples of the liberties she has
taken with the very words of Christ,
| ignoring or altering them as it suited
| her sacred whim.
! Mr.. Carman's definition of science is
admirably adapted to show that Chris
| tan Science is not scientific. If sci
| ence is knowledged gained and verified
by exact observation and correct
thinking" there is not a shred of true
J science in Mrs. Eddys whole fabric
| Her knowledge is, much of it, igno-
rance; her observation is not exact,
and her thinking is not correct To
| give one sample, striving to inculcate
| her very peculiar notion that at some
! future day the human race will be
multiplied in some altogether spiritual
| manner she states in proof that bees
moths and butterflies are propagated
| without the customary presence Of
| male companions" Such science as
! this will not square with the definition
| given by Sir William Hamilton: Sci
| ence is a complement of cognitions
having in point of form the character
| or logical perfection, and in point of
| fact the character of real truth" Her
| logic is always lame and not a few of
| her alleged facts are palpable false
hoods, as in this notorious instance.
for which the reader is referred to
Science and HEALTH page SAL, 18th
edition.
:. But / am charged with the sin of
mlsquoting my text 1 find in examin-
| ing the report of my sermon that the
word vain" in Pauls phrase, "profane
and vain babblings," does in fact not
! appear. This error, l beg to saw. was
| inadvertent and may have been dine
/ either to my own failure to correct nv
sermon brief, or to the slip of one of
the good printers who. as a rule, are
so accurate as to make the Morning
News model of correct Typography.
mat word was not omitted however
in my reading of the text to NV con-
| gregation. count it specially applica-
Die to Christian Science and I wouId
thank Mr. Carman for acknowledging
that orthodox ministers do believe that
the whole passage is properly descrip
tive of his ''nisnamed theology" II il
comfortable to have an opponent CON-
cede to us the common virtue of hon
esty. -Ao"
AS to my use of that particular
word. l had special reason for NOT
omlttlng 1t. l consider Christian
science, like the horse, "a vain thine
lor SAFETY, when relied on too much
ms discovery has been made by very
many A certain little boy of whom
| have read. found it out when he was
kicked nv r1111la II;. -.