Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-09-10
VOLUME XXXXX
An Interesting Lecture

Christian Science, Demonstrate
Religion" was the subject of a lee
ture at Masonic Temple Saturday night
by Frank II. Leonard, G. S. B. of
Brooklyn, n. Y, member of the Chris
tian Science Board of Lectureship of
the First Church of Christ, Scientist,
in Boston, Mass. A large audience
was present and the speaker was at
tentively listened to. He was intro
duced by Attorney Nicholas Thauer,
who referred to the great strides
made by Christian Science within re-
cent years. Mr.. Leonard spoke as
follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen:-The is
nothing in the world today which is so
occupying the thought of the people
as Christian Science, and there is a
vital reason why, regardless of all the
misunderstanding and misrepresenta-
tion relative to the subject, people
should still insist on knowing THE
truth about it.
Until within few years, to the
average person religion was some
thing which required no thought, no
investigation; it was to be accepted
simply because this was believed to
be the right thing to do. without ones
having any wellformed idea as to
what it taught; but today, as a result
of the increased mental activity that
is now apparent in all directions,
people are no longer content to ac-
cept any teaching as true simply be-
cause some one has said that it is
true; in fact, more and more the de-
mand is being made that proof shall
be given of the truth of every state
ment made.
Salvation.
People are awakening to the fact
that the one great problem in life is
that of Individual salvation, and the
more they think about salvation the
more they are convinced that they want
it now, and the less willing they are to
wait for it until after they have passed
through "the valley of the shadow"
with all the mystery and fear and
doubt surrounding that passage. Here
tofore people have read the Bible; to-
day they are studying it; and the re-
suit is an awakening which carries
with it the conviction that many
things formerly believed to be real.
essential. God-created and God-given,
are now seen to be but misconcep-
tions relative to God and what He
creates, misconceptions which need
to be corrected so that freedom may
be obtained from that bondage where
in mistaken belief has held mankind.
People want to live, they do not
want to die, and yet their whole
teaching has been that the first
breath drawn by an infant is the first
step toward death and the grave. The
teaching has been universal that life
is a brief span of existence given
man, wherein he may prepare him
self to die SO saved from sin that he
may find God on the other side of
'the valley of the shadow" and dwell
with him eternally in the kingdom of
heaven. The cemetery, in this con-
nection and for this reason, has fire.
quently been referred to as Gods
acre." thus indicating that God is re-
sponsible for death, that it is a part
of His plan of Salvation, an avenue
provided by His infinite wisdom
through which man must go in order
to reach heaven. This teaching has
been almost universal, and has been
accepted by all as the truth, in spite
of the fact that Christ Jesus said in
so many words, IF a man keep my
saying, he shall never see death.
When one is brought face to face with
this statement, it does not take an
instant to realize that serious mis-
take has been made in placing the
responsibility for death upon God, for
we all know that to follow the teach
ings of the Wayshower brings us to
God, and in no way whatever shuts
us out from participating in any of
those good and perfect gifts which
our Bible tells us come down from
above.
Eternal Life.
Unconsciously we have all fallen
into the error of thinking that eternal
life will begin for each of us when
our experience here has ended, but
thoughtful consideration makes us
know that eternal life never began and
will never end, that it is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. The
fact that Life is and is eternal, is
positive proof that death is not, and
leads US to search the Scriptures that
we may find how to turn from death
unto life.
1t will be argued that this state
ment of Jesus referred simply to the
spiritual life; and this is true,
for there is only one Life and
that Life is Spirit, God. The work
which Christian Science is doing for
mankind today is enabling US to
eliminate from consciousness the be-
lief that there is any life other than
the spiritual, and is bringing dominion
and power 20 the one who before was
held in bondage-subject to all
things, master of none. When Jesus
said, If a man keep my saying, he
shall never see death" the saying he
referred to was this: He that be-
heveth on me, the works that L do
shall he do also; and greater works
than these shall he do; because l go
unto my Father" The works he was
doing when he made this statement
were these: he was healing the SICK,
cleansing the lepers, casting out evils,
and raising the dead, by the Spirit