The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-12-20
Animal Magnetism.


Our critic in the Universalist Leader
of April 1s, 1908, declares that in the
days of Jesus and his apostles, the at
tempts at the healing of the sick were
incident to the popular belief of Satan
as the cause of disease" and that they
healed the sick by virtue of their pow
er over the devil He adds that the
method instituted by Mrs. Eddy is an
abnormal survival of this belief ''un
der such new names as malicious ami
NAL magnetism
Mrs. Eddy's definition of malicious
animal magnetism Is Identical with
our Lords description of Satan. 1t
is synonymous with the technical word
"pernicious mental evil used by psy-
biologists, and with the word drag
on of the Apocalypse which is said TO
be the same 'old serpent called Satan
and devil" which ST John said de
ceiveth the whole world" 1t was
called serpent because of its cunning
ness. The Masters declaration that
Satan is liar and that his own his
offspring, is "a lie,' is unmistakable
in it's meaning. Jesus referred to Sa-
tan as he but declared that he was
never in the truth. that there is no
truth in him, and that he is altogether
a liar. 1t is neither persC1 nor intel
ligence that lies, but mere mystifi-
cation or want of intelligence which
appears as q false sense of things. The
Scriptures refer to Satan as a deceiv-
er. Evil. like darkness, is not real
power, II simply obscures and 1t dis
appears with the revelation of truth.
Sin, sickness and death. which are
said to be the works of the devil, are
the result of deception, the offspring
of darkness. They are occasioned by
a lack of true understanding and are
overcome by Truth, God. Jesus spoke
of the woman as having been bound
by Satan, 10, these eighteen years"
and he said, Eye shall know the truth
and the truth shall make you free"
II Satan is liar, Satan's bonds must
be receptions The only way that
liar or devil can bind is by deceiving.
Hence deception or falsity is the prop
err name for the works of the devil,
sin. sickness and death.
From this description it is seen that
Christian Science does not endorse the
tabled devil with horns and hoofs, but
regards Satan in he light of Script
ural teaching, and while Christian
Scientists believe that Satan" is the
cause of disease they are not enter
tanning the superstitious belief that
1xrcO ynrf< of n
spell has produced this disorder, but
that because of a lack of understand
ing and practice OF righteousness NOR
tails have lived in t hat state of con-
seriousness wherein they are not prop
erly protected and are consequently
subject to disease. Now he Chris
tian Scientist does not believe that a
lie can be doctored with medicine, that
an error of consciousness can be des-
troyed by a drug. He knows nd DEM
onstrates the fact t hat it must be ov-
ercome by spiritual regeneration.
1t may be asked here how drugs
and will power heal he sick, and II
there are two distinct mental methods
of curing human woes. These ques-
tions involve a consideration of the
premises of Christian Science as we'll
as Of it's conclusions. Human will is
the cause of all trouble, it's misconcep-
lions constitute he basis of a II dis
ease Sickness is false belief based
upon tn evidence of personal sense.
This belief may be temporarily dis
placed by form of suggestion which
is based upon tn same sense, but the
patient would not be really cured be-
cause the foundation of the disease
would not be destroyed. To IL
lustrate: one who believes that
four times three are eight may
by persuasion be convinced that
four times three are sixteen and thus
cured of his belief that four times
three are eight; but he has another err
ror in its place. If. however, one who
understands the truth quietly makes
clear to him he fact t hat four times
three are twelve, he is permanently
cured of his belief that four times
three are eight, since he can not again
believe that falsehood after the truth
is made plain to him. The false be-
lief has not been overcome by will
force. nor by persuasion as in the
former case. but by a clear conscious
ness of eternal truth.
Sickness is based upon the belief that
man is material and has therefore
lapsed into discord. while Science
teaches that materiality, evil, disease
are no more part of the real
spiritual man than the smoke is part
of the bject which it hides, that the
material claims concerning man are
no more than a cloud of false sense
which to mortal sense temporarily
hides tho spiritual fact of being, and
which i dispelled as he individual
awakens to a realization of his true
being. Hence the Patriarch's declara-
ton: II shall be satisfied when |
awake in his likeness"
If one is cured by suggestion which
is based upon t he evidence of the
senses, upon t he same belief which
admits of the sickness in the first
place. he is not actually cured, though
the disease temporarily disappears, for
he still has the error in consciousness
which constitutes the foundation of his
disease. namely. the belief that man
is mortal and material. Christian