The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-07-14
A Defense of Christian Science
ANSWER TO DR.. ]. NJ. THURSTON BY R. STANHOPE
YESTERDAY.

Il
Dr. j. NJ Thurston. writing again on
the subject of Christian Science in
your columns on a recent date makes
a further, but as ever, a futile effort
to explicate Christian healing as prac-
ticed by Jesus, and again today at
tempted with gratifying success by
Christian Scientists, from the view
point not of Christian ethics, but of
| ".vitalism.' The writer heads his ar
ticle with the quotation,
| Know thyself,
| Presume not God to scan:
The proper study of mankind
| Is man.
| Worship and service of the creature
more than the creator is a sin COM
mon to all mankind Finite human
| horizon of physical or material limita-
| ton, and a proper conception of deity
or of man in Gods image is gained on
| ly by slow process of spiritual educa-
ton and development. Environ
ment, precedent and dogma must be
risen above, and man must take no
| thought for the body" It is but rea-
sonable to conclude that if man is the
image and likeness of God, the eye of
human faith ana understanding
should constantly turn TO the perfect
model. to the original and uncontrolled
source of all true being. in order to
gain anything like a true conception of
the origin, possibilities and ultimate
of human destiny. The artist keeps
his eye on his model, not upon some
more or less imperfect work of his
own or of another's past effort. Chris
tian Science basing its reasoning upon
scriptural premises. arguing in compli-
ance with commonly accepted laws of
scientific reasoning, arrives at logical
and incontrovertable conclusions.
The scriptures inculcate that God is
omnipotent, omniscent and omni-
present, that God is spirit, mind.
Christian Science makes this the ma
jor premise in it's process of syllogistic
reasoning. The scriptures further
declare that man is Gods image and
llhSHcS5. uio ScHoId dSNcp,eu
fact constitutes the necessary minor
premise. The only possible and logic
al conclusion is the one basing all Mrs.
Eddy's system of teaching and prac-
tice. given in the following words in
her textbook on Christian Science,
Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures" Hence man is not mate
rial, he is spiritual Science and
Health. page 1861 1t should be noted
just here that while refuting the COM
monty accepted theory that man is
wholly or in part material. the Chris
tian Science process deduces that man
is. not "a spirit as our critic wrongly
infers, but that man is spiritual" If
our good critic questions the truth of
our major premise on the ground that
he considers the term divine Mind a
myth. he should recall that he himself
has designated deity "Omnipotent, On
niscience." that John in his graphic ac-
count of the creation denominates the
first great cause the Word while all
must reasonably concede that the
mind which was also in Christ Jesus"
and for which our Lords followers are
urged to strive in all generations to the
extreme point of bringing every
thought into absolute subsection
thereto is none other. can be none
other than the mind of the Father, the
mind of God, in other words the ''di-
vine mind.
Dr. Thurston argues the impropri-
ETY. of coupling the terms christian"
and science" as Mrs Eddy has done
y, a
ready, we believe, proven the method
of reasoning in Christian Science tea
ching to be scientific" Let us see
If there Is not further evidence of
christianity and scientific attributes to
the system. Supporting his own con-
tention to the contrary. the writer at
tempts to limit, all unwarrantably.
the scientific application of the fun
damental doctrine of Christ to the
realm of "civic righteousness" Jesus
in his demonstration of Christian
principles healed disease and deform-
ity, even raising the dead and walk
ing on the water and through walls
of solid masonry. doing all these
things, as he himself pointedly alleg-
ed. in fulfillment of 1.-The law" In
the generally accepted sense Oh the
word. science" means knowledge
classified or systematized and based
upon fixed laws or principles. If
therefore Jesus truly performed these
seemingly marvellous and unscientific
feats in accord with law and the
divine will, it must reasonably be
concluded that in spite of the fact that
their achievement was in seeming
contravention of so-calied material
law, they must have resulted from the
demonstration of a higher. spiritual
law. hence were pre-eminently ''scien-
tific" as we'll as Christian. The sys-
tenn which Mrs. Eddy has outlined in
her book Science and Health" is but
recapitulation of the teachings of
Jesus, and the healing in Christian
Science results from the demonstra
ton of the same spiritual and basic
Jaw of mans being which Jesus dem
onstrated. hence Christian Science is