Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1942-05-14
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE VERSUS
MATERIAL MEDICINE

and medicine are one and inSep-
arabic; one worships God as
Healer as we'll as Saviour. The
office of Christ is set forth in
Jesus example. He healed the
sick and saved the shining in one
and the same way, namely by the
corrective and preventive power
of Christ, the spiritual idea of
Truth, over error of belief. This
Christly power to heal and save
Jesus said his followers should
understand and use. In Christian
Science a consistent effort is be-
ing made to follow Christ Jesus
in his healing office.
In no way has humanity bowed
down to idols more persistently
and more fatuously than in it's
worship Of the false gods of med
icine. Belief in the curative
power of matter is inherent in
mortal man in all the history of
the human race. Through the
centuries the gods of medicine
have changed form, but not their
matter basis and false claims. In
all ages material medicine has
been a false claimant to the heal
ing and savings power of Christ.
The case Of Christian Science
against material medicine calls
for a proper reduction of disease
to it's falsely mental state.
Science and Health says, "the
mental state is called a material
state" We need to know dis
ease, the material state, for what
it is actually, an erroneous condi-
tion Of thought, subject to cor
rection with Truth. Truth re-
versing, rejecting, and replacing
error of belief makes the case of
Christian Science against ma
terial medicine. In the words of
Science and Health, Jesus dem
sonstrations show his disregard
of matter and it's so-called laws"
Can we call ourselves Christians
rightly when we regard matter
and it's so-called laws by
acknowledging them and making
concessions to them? Are we
not rather bringing forth the
fruits of Christianity only as we
scientifically disregard matter
and its supposed laws? We
should always remember that
Science and Health declares un-
equivocally: "There is no dis
ease" This is a literal state
ment of truth to be taken liter
ally. Then if there is no dis
ease, there is surely no cause of
disease and no effects from it.
There is no etiology, no pathol-
ogy, no bacteriology, no diagnos-
is, no prognosis. These all are
idols and like all false gods, they
originate in and thrive on fear,
or false belief. 1t is as idolatr-
Gus then to adhere to the theory
of disease as to the practice of
material medicine. Spirituality
and the Christly power to heal
and save is not gained merely
by throwing away drugs while
retaining faith in matter and
material methods, and in the the
cries of material medicine. The
ory and practice are not proper
ly separable. One cannot be-
lieve in the material theories of
disease without believing also in
the material treatment. This
may explain why under stress
many of Jesus own disciples
"went back, and walked no more
with him." They could accept
as miracles the healings Jesus
performed but could not follow
Christ in the reputation of mat
ter and its laws. In the history
of the children of Israel, we read
that although repeatedly, under
a wise king, they destroyed the
idols out of the land, yet the
groves and the high places were
not removed. A portion of the
Canaanites escaped destruction
because the Israelites were lack
ing in spiritual discernment. But
we have Christian Science and
that is a complete equipment.
All the gods of the heather are
idols. All unthinking, habitual
worship based as it is on matter
and the human mind, is heathen-
ish and vain. Every pill INCEST
ed is a prayer to the false gods
of medicine. How crude to swal-
low a pill to rid oneself of false
belief! Every physical diagnos-
is accepted, every material the
ory of disease and medicine hon
ored is a bowling down to Aescu-
lapius. Every added concession
to material methods, is a rever-
sion to Canaan. Every clinging
to the old materialism is a pres
ervation Of the groves and the
high places. The Israelites did
not have the final revelation of
Truth. They needed to grow in
to a fitness and strength to ex-
terminate the Canaanites, to cut
down the groves, to destroy the
high places. We today are with
out excuse if we continue to
withhold the offensive against
heather beliefs and all their false
gods. Let it not be said of us
that the groves and the high
places remain untaken away, and
that we inflame ourselves under
every green tree. The case of
Christian Science against mate
rial medicine is the case of
Christ, the idea Of Truth against
error. In Christian Science,
Christ, the spiritual idea de-
stroys faith in material medi-
cine. The oneness of man with
God constitutes the health,
Wilderness, completeness of man.