The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-03-19
Voice Of the Peop.e
Answers Rev. EnaeI.

| Answers Rev. Eneel.
To the Editor Of The Gate City:
| / have before me your issue of
March 18th in which Rev. NJ. Ergel
undertakes to prove that Christian
Science differs from the fundamentals
of christianity. What he really means
| is that it differs from his peculiar
! ideas as to what constitutes funda-
mental christianity. This, we readily
admit r
In his effort, he resorts to the time
worn and somewhat unfair m ethod OF
selecting certain passages from the
Bible which apparently conflict with
his concept of what Christian Science
teaches. He then proceeds to select
certain other passages from Science
and Health with Key to the Scrip
lures by Mary Baker Eddy. which &C
cordins to his viewpoint contradict
the selections from the Bible.
/ wonder If Mr.. Engel is unaware
of the fact that critics of the Bible
have from time immemorial, pursued
this same method in order to prove
that the Bible is contradictory. iEogi-
cal and unreasonable. In order to
get the full meaning of any citations
from the scriptures, likewise any cita-
lions from Science and Health, it is
necessary that they be taken in con-
nection with their context, and not
ruthlessly separated therefrom, and SO
placed as to make possible, interpre
tations of them opposite or contrary
to the real meaning
In Science and Health with Key to
the Scriptures, page 1873, Mrs. Eddy
states: Jesus established in the
christian era the precedent for all
christianity. theology. and healing.
Christians are under as direct orders
now as they were then, to be Christ
like, to possess the Christ-spirft, to
follow the Christ-example, and to heal
the sick as well as the SHINING"
The average christian would doubt
less consider the above to be funda-
mental to Christianity. and to its
right practice. He might possibly OBJ
ject to the thought of healing as being
fundamental and yet, if the Bible
teaches anything in positive way, it
certainly teaches that the power Of
God Is sufficient to heal the sick as
well as to reform the sinner at all
times and under all circumstances.
Science and Health further states:
"Our master said to every follower,
Go We into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature -
Heal the sick Love thy neigh
Dor as myself 1t was this theology
of Jesus which healed the sick and
the SHINING. It is His theology in
this book and the spiritual meaning
of this theology which heals the sick
and causes the wicked to .forsake his
way and the unrighteous man his
thoughts It was our Masters theo-
logy which the impious sought to de-
stroy."
The history of the christian reli-
present time. is repIete with instances
Of persecution of those. who have
dared to differ from the accepted
standard OF theology, upon the part
Of those who arbitrarily claim to pos
sess the right to dictate what people
shall OF shall not believe theologi-
cally.
At the present time, there are more
than one hundred and fifty different |
varieties of theology, all of which !
claim to be based upon the christian |
II the life and exam pie of /!
Jesus Christ, is the accepted criterion !
and we naturally assume that 1t is, !
he question at once occurs why /
omit from christian practice that I
which Jesus gave as positive proofs !
II christianity in his statement, !
iark 16, II and IS: And these Sims /
hall follow them that believe; in my /
lame they shall cast out devils; they
hall speak with new tongues; they I
hall take up serpents; and if they
rink any deadly thing, it shall not
Lurt them: they shall lay hands on
he sick, and they shall recover"
We read in the Bible of certain
roman who had suffered many
bings of many physicians, and was
ot bettered, but rather grew worse
his woman found healing through
he spiritual understanding possessed
" Jesus. We also read of many in
tances in Jesus healing ministry
wherein he was prosecuted by the
'harisees, and those in ecclesiastical
during his time. They even
aid OF Him, He Is of Belzebub.
'hus we find that the criticism and
of Christian Scfen-
lists finds its prototype in the same
ort Of thing throughout all the ages,
,hen the intolerance of ecclesiastical
espotism is allowed to assert itself
Hundreds of thousands of people ]