Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-02-14
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
ExP0UNDED SUNDAY
Full Text Of Virgil 0. Strick|er's
Lecture at the Wi||mar
Opera House.

Inc 1OllOWlnS IS Tue complete text
of the lecture delivered by Mr.. Virgil
O. Strickler, Of New York, Sunday af-
ternoon at the Opera House. This is
published at the request and at the
expense Of the adherents Of the local
Christian Science church:
AS it becomes more generally under
stood that through the ministry Of
Christian Science people are being heal
ed of sickness, sin. unhappiness, worry,
fear, and other discordant conditions,
there is an ever-increasing desire upon
the part Of the general public to learn
how these results are accomplished. 1t
is the purpose of this lecture to explain
how Christian Science does these things.
There is no mystery about Christian
Science healing, nor is it difficult to un-
derstand. 1t can be stated without any
reservation whatever that every person
who is willing to do so may learn how
to heal sickness and to destroy the de-
sire to sin for himself and others thru
Christian Science.
Investigate Subject With Open Mind
In approaching the investigation of
this subject one should do so with an
open mind. Christian Science is prOduc-
ing certain very definite and very benef-
cial results, and it behooves every
thinking person to try to understand
how they are accomplished. No prog
ress will be made by closing ones eyes
to the facts and blindly denying their
existence. Neither will it serve any
useful purpose to attempt to minimize
what Christian Science has already ac-
complished. The honest investigator
who desires to know the truth about
the matter will take the case as it
stands. He will waste no time in fruit
hirlra cfoh Itch re
but will strive to understand how the
healing and regeneration are brought
about.
Both in the medical profession and
among the clergy there are many such
open-minded students, with the result
that some eminent physicians are now
sending to Christian Science practition-
ers those of their patients who do not
! recover under medical treatment; while
many clergymen are openly declaring
from their pulpits that the fruits of
Christian Science are good, and not
few of them have left their pulpits to
| become Christian Science practitioners.
These facts are worthy Of serious con-
sideration.
| If it is true that Christian Science is
teaching people how to rise above sinful
appetites and desires, and how to be
healthy and happy, then surely it is the
greatest and most vital thing that can
s. b
Science does these things to some ex-
tent at least Is no longer an open ques-
tion, and the proof Of it is to be found
in the practical benefits that have come
to its adherents.
Many Different Religious Beliefs
Another fact that should be taken in
| to account by every earnest 1nVesti-
gator Of Christian Science is that there
are many different kinds of religions in
| existence at the present time. It is said
| that there are more than two hundred
different kinds of the Christian religion
alone, not to mention the hundreds of
| other forms Of religions that are not
Christian. It is fact that people do
entertain widely differing religious be-
| liefs. In many instances the differ
| ences are trreconcilable and yet every
one believes with all of the sincerity
of which he is capable that his own
particular beliefs are true. It must be
conceded that, in the main, all people
are equally honest and equally sincere
in their religious beliefs. The only rea-
son why they are grouped together in
different forms of religions is because
they honestly believe that through their
own particular form of religion they
will find the good which they so earn
estly desire.
AS one considers the subject Of relig-
ion from this broad viewpoint it be-
comes entirely plain that most Of the
people in the world are believing as
their religion many things that are not
true.
There is only one truth about any
subject although there may be many er-
roneous beliefs about it. This is as true
Of religious subjects as of others. If
one believes enormously as to what is
the law he will not be safe lawyer,
nor will he be an efficient engineer If
his beliefs concerning the rules of math-
ematics are faulty. In each case erron-
eous beliefs must be displaced by posi-
tive knowledge before correct results
can be attained.
Every one will recognize not only the
desirability, but the necessity, Of ex.
changing false and erroneous beliefs
about religious matters for positive
truth. In no other way can he grow
spiritually. Spiritual truth is the truth
about spiritual things, but as long az
one believes enormously about spirttua
things he is on false track and hi:
erroneous beliefs will deprive him O.
the benefits that would otherwise cOm'
to him through a correct understanding
of the truth. Likewise, if one wrap
around himself the robes of self-satis
faction, and maintains that there is NJ
spiritual truth outside his own beliefs
he is not likely to progress. He shoul
remember that Jesus proved that ther
is enough spiritual truth in existenc
that can be taught to and understood b.
human beings to enable them to hea
the sick and raise the dead, and no on
should be satisfied until he has attaine
to this understanding and demonstra
ton.
True religion consists of spiritua
truth, and. not of erroneous belief!
= hence it follows that ones religion
- limited to the amount Of spiritual trut
J he knows, and that erroneous religion
I beliefs are only so many delusions thu
( serve no other purpose than to obstrut
{ spiritual growth.
s. Moreover it is plain that since relis
J ion in its true sense is spiritual trut
! it necessarily follows that real religio
( for truth whenever and wherever four
is capable Of proof by demonstrate
) Hence the term, Christian Science,
J perfectly correct, for it is a stateme1
Of the spiritual truth composing tt
Christian religion, and, as such, it ms
! be proved by demonstration in healir
} sickness and destroying sin.
The trouble with most Of US has BET
I that we have believed enormously wit
x out knowing it. In my own case it W:
not until Christian Science came to n
- and taught me the difference betwe,
= spiritual truth and erroneous human b
lief that I learned how to dissect n
own beliefs. No one could be more ce
tain of the correctness Of his religion
beliefs than I was Of mine at that tim
had been believing honestly and ST
cerely many things that I found cou
not possibly be true. Many scales b