Imperial Valley press., 1917-01-29

Ine subject OF CHRISTIAN healing,
yesterday afternoon, at the Pal
ace Theatre, under the auspices Of
Ell Centro Christian Science Soci-
ETY., this city.
Mrs. Hester H. Brown intro
duced the speaker.
Mr.. Bell, who is a member of
the Board of Lectureship of the
Mother Church, The First Church
Of Christ, Scientist, in Boston,
Mass, said:
Christian Science is defined by Mrs.
Eddy on Page All of her book, "Sci-
ence and Health with Key to the
Scriptures" as "divine Science
reduced to human apprehension" The
definition is of value in two especial
respects. In the first place, if to
any of us the term Christian Science
has come to mean merely the aggre-
gated teachings of a particular reli-
gious sect or denomination, the term
"divine Science" may assist US to-
ward consideration of the subject in
its broad and true meaning, so that
when we refer to Christian Science
we shall be understood as having in
thought not merely the words of
book or the doctrines of church OF
the professions or practices of body
of persons, but rather the Science or
knowledge of being, of Life, of
Truth, of God; in other words, divine
Science.
The second important phase Of this
definition of Christian Science as di-
vine Science reduced to human ap-
prehension, is that the broadened
scope of the subject does not lead it
beyond the range of our view nor OBJ
scure its direct and practical rela-
ton to our affairs. Divine Science
or the correct knowledge of absolute
reality and the immutable law there
of, is according to this definition ca
pable of being apprehended by man
and applied to human needs.
1t is the mission Of Christian Sci
ence to bring to light the fact that
mans true selfhood is not separated
from the intelligence that makes and
governs all, and it is the purpose of
this lecture to indicate in a simple
and elemental manner some of the
ways in which that surprising fact
may be demonstrated in individual
experience, and is being thus demon
strated.
ONE CAUSE OR CREATOR.
Manifestly a working knowledge Of
divine law involves and requires a
correct understanding of the nature
and qualities of the cause or source
of all things, the infinite intelligence
of divine Mind that is God. In the
light of Christian Science man begins
to acquaint himself with his Maker
by processes as satisfying to his rea
son as those by which the mathema
tician is assured of the basic elements
of the science of numbers.
Christian Scince makes it clear
that there is God, and that the
Scriptural statements with regard to
Him are correct, namely, that He is
the one and only creator, having
creation was and is spiritual and per-
feet and good, as He is spiritual and
perfect and good; and that infinite
Spirit is necessarily omnipotent, om-
nipresent, omniscient; that is, the
only power, everywhere present, su
preme intelligence. In l John it is
stated that "God is love-" and Mrs,
Eddy, on Page 10 of Science and
Health, writes, "The Christian Science
God is universal, eternal. divine Love,
which changeth not and causeth no
evil, disease, nor death.
1t is needless perhaps to add that
those to whom this definition of God
is appreciable do not think of Him
as in the nature of magnified hu-
man being with a material form, oc
cupying great throne in the sky and
dealing with His children in man.
ner that would be considered repre-
hensible even in human parent, be-
slowing rewards on certain favored
ones and Furnishing others for doing
things He is supposed to have made
them capable of doing. Christian
Scientists learn to question the accu-
racy of any description of God that
does not conform to the highest
standards of justice, mercy, and love,
to say nothing of intelligence. There
fore they are not expected to believe
that God created evil or uses evil to
accomplish good, or that He could
put into the heart of man the capa-
city to yield to sinful temptation and
CNen eJcTIldlly JOi tuIC HlstH ioi ouI-
cumbing to God-bestowed tendency,
or that an infinitely good God ever
did or could destroy any of His chill
dren or even make them sick. In
Christian Science God is revealed as
a loving Father, whose love is real
and tangible, ever operative. impair
tial, and consistent. Christian Sci
ence thus honors Him supremely by
that Deity is not directly or
indirectly the author of or respon-
sible for sin, disease, death, or any
other form of evil.
THE NATURE OF EVIL.
The question that naturally arises
at this point is: What and whence,
then. is evil? Increasingly large
numbers of intelligent men and wom-
en- are finding that outside of Chris
tian Science there is no answer to
this question that they can conscien-
tiously accept. The ancient theory,
for instance, that appears to have
been offered merely for want of a |
better theory, that an individual
called the devil made evil, could have
been entertained only in disregard of