The Denver Jewish news., 1922-01-11

mendous will to stay alive. his almost
morbid disre'ish of disease. his nerv-
ousnes, and timidity touching pain
and suffering. Jews turn to Christian
Science not because it is ncgation of
the realities of pnin and disease ana
death. but because. though covcrtly
and by indirection. the hrgcst. if not
entire. emphasis of Christian Science
Is however disguised. upon physical
health, upon added years. upon free
dom from pain, upon the annulmcnt of
suffering and upon the cancellation of
death.
Not few of the Jewish men and
women who for IA time call themselves
Christian Scientists have been aliented
from the synagog by its formaiism.
end even more than that by the made
1uate spiritual character of the syna
cog, or. to put it more accurately. by
the religisnlessness OF much that is
called Judaism. The acceptance of
Christian Science is of deepest mean
IIlS as VI tii' lh'biupis
religious Jews response to semi-plaus-
ibla and in somcwise attractive relig-
ious appeal after the orgy Of irrcligion
among Jews during the past genera
ton.
l believe that Jews have turned TO
Christian Science because there is
among American Jews today Il very
real spiritual hunger and unrest. n
hunger which orthodoxy as it is can.
not satisfy. an unrest which Liberal
or Reform Judaism does not avail IL
compose hunger and unrest which
are due in no small part to an eS.
picable and even justified discontei t
with the synagog. orthodox and liberal
alike.
But more important than the reason
just cited the failure of the syragoc
10 satisfy the spiritual lon-ings of the
jew. there is the truth that the Jew
is regrettably ready to turn away from
the altar of Israel to almost any
other altar that offers, To nearly every
shrine that bcckons. That readiness
of the Jew TO substitute strange
shrines and alien affairs for his own
is result of the influence which
centuries of stern and ccaseiess op-
preston have exercised upon the Jew
in moving him to under-nppraise that
which is his OWN.
And this readiness of che jew to
be diverted hithcr and thither from
his own shrincs, this passion OF the
self to faiths and cults remote from
the simple. reasonable faith of his
fathers is due most of all 10 the
Jews lamcntablc ignorance of things
Jewish. Nothing less than II wocful.
even trngid. i;tnorane.' Of the Jew
with respect to the content of the
religion of Israel makes possible the
Fastening of the jew in every direc-
ton and toward every altar other
than his own. | remember With -ainusc-
ment that so-c:ilicd Christian Science
Jews have commended me for what
they call your tolerance and broad
minde,lness in using the priestly bene-
diction in the synngog. seeing that II
is Christian
Not long ago Jewish woman given
To Christian Science said 10 me. after
funeral service: How glad am
that you pray to the God of the spirit
and that you read our beautiful twen-
ty-third Psalm" as if | had borrowed
il from Science and Health"
| have had the most absurd queries
put to me by Jews who Know nothing
with respect to the content of Jewish
creed and the import of Jewish prac-
tice. This ignorance coupled with an
inappreciation of all that i; Jewish,
with an over-appraisal of everything
non-Jewish and an ovcr-susccptibility
to the influence Wf everything that Is
not. or that is believed not to he Jew
ish, paves the way for the march of
table of Israel in order TO pick up n
few crumbs that fall from the unsus-
tanning tables that are of Christian
Science.
Moreover, and this subtle psychic
element has been insuiIiciently consid-
cred. Christian Science brought back
TO the Jew the personality of Jesus,
shorn of certain elements Jcwishly un-
acceptable. While Christian Science
from the Christian point Of view is ill.,,
Gcxibly loyal to Christian attitude. it
has. on the other hand. lurcd aud won
Jewish converts because il has implied
rather than explicitly said; Without
asking your faith in the divine Christ,