THE CHURCH & CHRISTIAN SCIENCE

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 40, 16 August 1920, Page 8

THE CHURCH & CHRISTIAN SCIENCE

TO THE EDITOR,

Sir,—The encyclical letter of the Archbishop of Canterbury on behalf oh the recent Lambeth Conference will be read with great interest, and will receive, no doubt, the earnest attention it desarves in all parts of the world; . consequently, when the Press Association cables out a resume of this important letter, it does not consider it necessary, when introducing the Archbishop's references to the findings of the conference on three "movements" outside the Church, to discriminate between Christian Science, Spiritualism, and Theosophy, whereas, as I have had occasion to point out before, there is absolutely 'no connection between these movements. Now, in reviewing the references to Christian Science in the encyclical, one would naturally expect to find, in the matured verdict of such a cultured body of men, no error of statement or of fact. We find, however, from the cabled report, that " the teachings of Christian Science injure spiritual life and endanger loyalty to Christ"; and yet, in face of this verdict, is is added "there was much in Christian Science which ought 'to be found within the Church.'" There is a further reference to Christian Science in the second cable, in which it was declared in a conference resolution that "there was a. direct ten-, der.cy in Christian Science to pantheistic doctrine, while denial of the reality of disease and^suffering was irreconcilable." Now, with the exception of the assertion that "there was much in Christian Science which ought to be found within the Church," all the above statements are erroneous, for: Christian Science immensely helos to forward the spiritual life; for it deals solely with the fact that God is' Spirit), and therefore His creation must be spiritual not material. Without loyalty to the Christ a Christian Scientist could not demonstrate the truth he professes to know, for his,view of the Christ heals the sick and the sinning. Christian Science denounces pantheism in* every form % Christian Science does not deny the 'reality—to human sense —of disease and suffering, but in their scientific denial of these—-in the realm of reality—and by knowing the' " Truth which makes free," Christian Scientists are able to deonstrate the power of Divine Mind which destroys even the, evidence of these terrors. Men have only to seriously study the Science to know the truth of it, but they are turned away, by erroneous conceptions of what it is not,-and thus fail to grasp the good which is there all the time for them to grasp. The time is coming, however,' when not only part of Christian Science will bo within the Church, but the whole of it. —I am, etc.,

A. W. SAXTON.

14th August.