The Washington herald., 1915-02-01
CITES religion
AS WAR CAUSE
William McCracken, Chris
tian Scientist, Sees Strife
In Many Denominations.
IEHTIIn &c AT nnII,c
LECTURES AT POLI'S
Declares Obedience to One God by
Men a Mutations Would Insure
Peace and Cooperation.

A lecture on Christian Science was de-
livered by William D. McCrackan, NJ.
A, c. S. B., at Polls Theater yesterday
| afternoon under auspices of First and
| Second Churches of Christ, Scientist, Of
| this city. The theater was crowded. Mr..
McCrackan is a member of the board Of
lectureship OF the Mother Church in Bos-
ton. He was introduced by Hiram w.
| Hayes, of the committee on publication
for the District of Columbia. Among
other things the lecturer said:
| 1T Is evident that the belief OF many
gods lies at the base of all strife be-
tween men and nations. II different
religious denominations. different political
| groups ana different racial units each
possess a different god, then it becomes
/ the duty of each to fight in behalf of
their own god, and the result is pande-
monium. But il there is only one God
governing the universe, including man,
| then obedience to that one God insures
peace, cooperation and mutual helpful
ness among men and nations The science
which is giving man an understanding
| Of the one God is, therefore. providing
the final cure for all religious. social,
political and economic conflicts and con-
tests.
God Is Spirit.
Every step in the direction of the
| AiehN VI OOu bIllES llS
own reward. The study OF each of the
synonyms for God leads to practical con-
clusions which becomes at once available
in everyday experience. The use of the
word Spirit in defining God reveals the
| essential nature of man, for the Scrip
| lures assure us that man was made in
the image and likeness Of God: then, il
| God is Spirit, as Jesus declared to the
Samaritan woman. man must be spiritual,
must partake of the nature of God. This
| description of man is at variance with
| the teaching OF scholastic theology that
man is miserable sinner. and with the
| teaching of the sO-called physical sciences
that man is a material mechanism.
! The saving and healing practice of the
! founder of the Christian religion was
| based upon spiritual understanding, not
upon the evidence OF sense testimony.
The theology, medicine, and science of
| Jesus were all one. His understanding
Of God and Of man constituted the whole
of His culture and learning, and made
Him the wisest, as well as the most
scientific, of all men. He did not need
one kind of wisdom in order to save the
sinner, another kind to heal the sick,
and yet another kind to enable Him to
walk the waves and still the storm. His
understanding of God made Him master
over sin. sickness. death, and material
law, gave Him authority to say to the
man sick of the palsy not only Thy
sins are forgiven thee but also Arise,
take up thy bed and walk and to COM
mand the storm with his authoritative
| Peace, be still
What Is Matterf
when we come to consider the essen
tial nature of matter the question arises,
Is matter of Gods creation? Is God,
who is Spirit, Mind, Soul, the creator
of that which is so unlike Himself?
"It should be noted that thinkers in
all ages have found IL very difficult to
define matter. The most successful def
nitions of matter have been in terms of
mind, that is, have been metaphysical,
not physical.
In recent years the popular supposi-
ton that matter is indestructible SUBJ
stance has received some very marked
notifications. The theory that the atom
has substance has now given place to
/ the theory that the atom is an electrical
ion, and that the electrical ion is equiv
| alent to energy, or to a form OF motion.
The more the atom is pursued the more
evanescent it becomes until it is reduced
to mere suppOsition.
| Now if matter resolves itself into
supposition IT is obvious that its SEEM
| ingly pernicious activities can be cor
rected mentally, through spiritual un-
derstanding, through Christ Truth. II
matter is not an independent entity, die
tating terms to man, but is under con-
troll through Christian Science. then one
! of the most prolific sources of fear has
been overcome-the fear that matter is
an uncomfortable power urging man for
ward to an irresistible doom. Public
opinion is being constantly prepared.
through the investigation of the physi-
cists themselves, to accept the conclu-
sions reached by Mrs. EDDY so many
| j..
Science textbook, namely-'Matter is an
error of statement