The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1907-03-12
FREDERICKSBURG va, TUESDAY MARCH 12, 1907.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
An uoffIcIa Tells Something Of What hs
Knows and Gives Advice.
To The Free Lance

MiOHS dHu ufoS AusiCt
To The Free Lance:
For more than three years with all
the earnestness Oi which ! am capable,
| have devoted myself, body and soul, to
the study and practice Of Christian
Sciencr, and have reached conclusions: :
/. Christian Science healing isfounded
on substantial truth, which. though
unknown to the orthodox churches, is
taught by Cnii,t and His apostles, au0
is quite cOncOrdant with the orthodox
creed when that creed is stripped Of it.,
anthropomOIpbi Interpretations.
,. The understanding of the fruth
and utter selI-sufrender are qualifications
indispensable TO the genuine christ
healer. When the orthodox churches
acquire the understanding, and their
members are willing 10 make the sell
surrender, they will be- able 10 heal the
sick, thus joining together again what
only man has put asunder preaching
and healing.
q There are many true followers ol
Christ among the Christian Scientists,
but much Of the healing IL hypnotic and
comes under the head Ot suggestive
therapeutics"
4. In cruel disappointment, with bitter
grill and bleeding heart, | write what
follows, and cheeiiully could cut of my
right hand II it might not be true. Mrs.
Eddy is posing under false colors. She
is NOT the 'discoverer OF Christian
Science. For years she herself acknOwl-
edged Quimby, of Maine, az the discoverer,
and only turned him down when she
determined 10 found church Of rowD.
She thea became not only discOverer and
founder, but female Jesus as well Found
ing church, when no church was needed
and that, I %, on false claim, il the
root of all the bitterness that has filed
Mrs. Eddy's subsequent career. This
vitiating error, as a ghastly nightmare,
has only recently taken shape in my
consciousness The doctrine that Mrs.
Eddy represents the feminine element IN
the Christ rs Jesus represented the mascu.
line element, is kept quiet and even de-
MED, but IL is insidiOusly inculcated
throughout the Christian Science lltera-
ture, and may be read explicitly on page
565 OF Science aud Health. In Retro
spection, page / she speaks Of a cup
which she alone can drink Ia the dregs,
but which her followers must taste. In
the same book, page 90, she groups her
self with Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and
gives To each "his own niche in time and
eternity" The teaching is that her
niche is the largest and highest The
new cover OF her weekly is adorned by
the right and left hand figures OF a
woman on pedestal. holding lamp as
the light of the world. Jesus IL no longer
the name above every name, but is
dimmsd by the superior radiance of Mary
Baker q. Eddy Christian Science is
wrongly named IL should be The
Eddy Cult" Her church is founded on a
lie, and il the superstructnre OF error
When facts interfere with her claims she
says: The human history needs to be re-
yised and the material record expnnged." ="
Retrospection, page 34.) Expunging
facts, commonly called lying, is one OF
the alarming tendencies in the Eddy cult.
Her followers are mesmerized, the VIC
tins OF the delusiOn. Great is Diana OF
the Ephesians!' Mountains Of proof
compel this conviction.
). The growth OF Christian Science is
grossly exaggerated. The number ofad-
herents is commonly placed at a million,
v hile Mrs Eddy In her latest writing
puts il at ''miIlions" The official figures
are, 10 round numbers, 10000 members
OF the Mother Church, and 10000 men,
bers OF branch churches, but as most OF
the members of the branch churches are
also members OF the Mother Church, the
total membership cannot exceed 10000,
as against 300, 900 for the Mormons.
Great is the power OF advertising.
G. 10 order that the truth ofChristian
healing may not be lost, but iostered
aud spread, let Christian Scientists or
ganize themselves in an unsectarian
society, practicing healing aud main
tanning their publications. There is no
doubt that material churches are built
at the expense OF spiritual power, and
therefore Christian Scientists should
disband their churches and go back to
the old churches, where the humility,
purity. and wholesomeness of their lives
would attest the healing power OF the
Truth. and clothe orthodoxy's dry
bones with 1.-THE beauty OF holiness"
The truth OF Bible healing will spread
much more rapidly when separated from
the vanities and iealousies OF church
building. IL ia the testimony of q
veteran Christian Scientist that the
present day healing is not to be- COM
pared with the results obtained before
this church.building craze set in.
Z. OH Mrs. Eddy! How could you
mar the beauty OF the Truth with the
pride OF place and powerl How could
youl
For myself let me quote Thomas q
Kempis: 80 Lord. Thou knowest what
Is best for US: let this or that be done
as Thou plessest. am in Thy hand;
turn me round, and turn me back again,
which way soever Thou please"
C.. Herbert Pierson.
Late Christian Science Publication Com
mittee for Virginia.
al