Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-12-10
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
CRITICS ANSWERED
By Richard H. Smith, Christian
Science Committee on Publ
cation for Montana.

There is probably no subject about
which accurate information is more
lacking, among those who are not its
adherents, than Christian Science.
1t is with the hope that may make
clear a few subjects which are some
times the object of attack that this
article is written.
Essence of Christian Science
Correctly explained Christian Sci
ence is the religion of Christ Jesus
applied, praetised. and demonstrated.
It's accomplishments proceed entirely
and alone from the recognition and
demonstration of such spiritual
truths, as that God is the only Cause
and Creator;that He made all and all
that He made was good. We not only
ascribe to God all power, but know
Him to be the only power. He created
ALL "All things were made by him
John 1:3). What He created was
completely and wholly good. And
God saw everything thathe had made,
and, behold, it was very good Gene
sis 1871. Thus to Christian Scient-
lists, God is supreme and infinite good.
Man
From the established fact that God
created all, \ perfect creation logical
ly follows. In the case of man this II
made specific by the historical fact
that God created man 'in his own
image" Genesis I:27). To be tho
image Of God, man cannot be less than
perfect. But the Bible requires that
we distinguish between the spiritual
man Of Gods creation and the So
called human or mortal man. The
latter we are told in Romans, is en-
nifty against God and cannot please
Him. Therefore, in Christian Science
we accept as the real man the spir-
itual and insist that "this mortal
must put on Immortality
Christ Jesus
Christian Science does not deny
the divinity of Christ Jesus. On page
rs of Science and Health with Key
to the Scriptures by Mary Baker
Eddy we read "This Christ or d.
vinity of the man Jesus, was his d.
vine nature, the godliness which ami
mated him." The distinction which
Christian Science makes is between
Jesus the human. and Christ the di-
vine. Jesus expressly said that he
was not God in Matthew 1917 There
we read why cAllest thou me good ?
there is none good but one, that is
God" On the contrary, Christian
Science definitely teaches that Christ
Jesus was the son of God, the Mes
siah, and was and is spiritual and
divine.
Not Pantheism or Philosophy
What | have already written proves
that Christian Science is not panthe-
ism or philosophy. Atheism, panthe-
ism, theosophy, and agnosticism are
opposed to Christian Science, as they
are to ordinary religion (Science
and Health, page 1897.
Heaven and He'll
We do not need to await the life
after death to attain either heaven
or hell Luke 1921 tells us,'-the
kingdom Of God is within YOU We
may be in possession Of the mind Of
the Lord" now. To the extent that
we are in possession of this mind,
our experiences will be heavenly. To
the extent that we are not. will they
be hell. We may now be free from
sin, sickness, and discord in the pro-
portion that we possess and apply
the mind of Christ. Our concept OF
hell is given on page 588 of Science
and Health and on page 29l of the
same book is our concept Of heaven
The latter reads:
Heaven is not a locality, but
divine state Of Mind in which
all the manifestations of Mind
are harmonious and immortal,
because sin is not there and man
is found having no Righteousness
Of his own, but in possession of
the mind Of the Lord. as the
Scripture says
0ffr O~nthorfc RoonDr