The Irish standard., 1910-01-15

If human natur6 is weak and liable
to be duped in the department OF re-
ligion, it is perhaps still weaker ard
still more liable to be taken in in the
department of medicine. There is no
need to pursue this point. Quacks,
we all know, with their Nostrums and
Panaceas, are slegion, and. to judge
from their ubiquitous advertisements,
they evidentlys drive thriving trade.
Christian Science processes to be able
to cure all ills and diseases, both of
soul and body. No wonder, then, that
it succeeds with many; the wonder
would be If IT did not make converts,
when we take into consideration the
helpless weakness OF human nature
in the presence OF quacks posing be-
fore the public either as doctors of
medicine or ofSdiyinity!
1 am, then, at no loss to account for
the progress made by Christian
Science, though absolutely deny its
claim to be either science or Christian.
1t is not science because it denies
that on which science is founded
fact and experience. The astonishing
lengths to which Christian Science
goes in this direction would be in
credible if we had not the most ex-
press statements OF Mrs. Eddy and her
disciples. An extract from Mrs. Eddy
and another from Mr.. Frederick Dixon
must suffice as specimens.
You say a boil. is painful; but that
is impossible, for matter without mind
is not painful. The boil simply mani
tests your belief in pain through in
fiammation and: swelling and you call
this belief boil; Now administer
mentally to your patient a high at
tenuation of truth ton this subject, and
it will soon cure, the boil. The fact
that pain cannot exist where there is
no mortal mind tp feel it is proof
that, this so-called mind makes it's own
pain-that is, its. own belief in pain"
t"Science and Health" p. 1889.
take the next extract from Mr..
. Dixon, which app barred in the "world"
for November 2snad. lii mis- reply to
Father Benson he wrote: "The mind
of Christ is gained exactly in the pro-
portion in which man, destroys his
own belief in the reality and power of
evil, and grasps exactly what Jesus
meant when He said Of personified
evil, He abode not in the truth, be-
cause there is no truth in him. or in
the less archaic phraseology of today,
in reality it never existed, because
there is no reality in it,
system which denies the existence
of such palpable facts as the painful
ness of a boil and the presence of evil
has certainly no claim to be called
Science. This denial seems to be the
fundamental dogma OF Christian
Science. 1t is non -science; it is nom
sense.
If Mrs. Eddy's system has not title
to be called science, it has still less
to be called Christian. Here are q few
fundamental doctrines Of Christianity:
The theory of three persons in ont
God-i.e.. Il personal Trinity, or tri-
unity-suggests heathen gods. Jesus
was the highest human concept of q
perfect man. He was not divine but O
mere healer Of the sick: the legend OF
the serpent is myth, q dream nara
tive; sin is a delusion" Quoted In
Father Conways Question Box" D
, PIP, where there is much more of the
same sort Of stuff My next extract
must be from the Rev. Percy Dearmcr
"The Church. he writes, "is essential.
ly Catho|ic-that is to say. over tn,
whole, federation of all local excel.
lences." Was there ever such a mud.
dle-headed definition given Of thu
Church Catholic? One more quota
ton from Body and Soul" by the Rev
). P. DearmerA' I'VE may hold that
as the Son of God emptied Himsel
of omniscience as we'll as of omni
potence at the incarnation, His human
l knowledge of pathology was merel,
:. the knowledge Of His time" No, WI
may no more hold that than we ma,
hold that "Man is in fact himself
:. sacrament" or that Sacramentalisn
is scientific and that science il sacra
r mental"
Who, then, lei me ask, are the I'VE
: who may hold" ETC.? 1--WE" are tn
dupes of Christian Scientists or Heal
ers not the followers of Christ, WI
K start their religion with the tremend
. GUS dogma of belief in the Divinity O
h Christ:
g. The highest faith makes still tn
n highest man,
g For we grow like the things our soul
believe