SPIRITUAL OR MENTAL HEALING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19235, 26 January 1926, Page 7

SPIRITUAL OR MENTAL HEALING.

Sir, —I read the letter by "A Seeker after Truth" on spiritual healing with interest, and quite agree with him that in this age of rank materialism —when Yoga philosophy and Oriental occultism, mental science and psychology are being preached and held up as being the salvation of man—we need more spiritual healing instead of less. All the above doctrines teach a man how to work out his own salvation in his own strength regardless of how weak he may bo »s far as heredity goes. - It is hero where they all . miserably fail. They only dishearten, instead of encourage a man to persevere with them, because, after all, the majority of men find they cannot live up to them scientifically in their own strength. Only the few specially endowed from birth or born under. a lucky star, as far as heredity is concerned, can live anywhere near up to the teachings of the sciences enumerated above. Knowledge does not save a man from his besetting weakness when he has been unfavourably endowed from birth through the weakness of the parents. Then again tiie professors and others who write on the subjects I have mentioned use terms in their books, as far as human i nduct and ethics are concerned, which after all. in the last analysis, mean the will of God. The "Power of Will, written by an American author, mentions the " "universal law of righteousness " which, after all, means the will of God' It seems to mo all the writers are using terms, as their own, which are culled from the Bible, simply because they are not humble enough to accept divine truths, and ask men to pray, to enable them to carry out their scientific teachings. on this account, 1 look on the Lord's Prayer as the highest form of psychology, because it teaches little children and men, in the majority of cases, that their own streugth is insufficient to carry out the high standard of human conduct—or God's will—exacted by psychologists. I would like also to ask where does mental science or psychology come in at the time of sorrow. Here is where it fails to heal the poor, troubled soul of man or woman at such a crisis of their lives. Let anyone be honest with himself and he will tell you at such a time that the only thing that heals _ the poor, troubled soul or mind is communion with God—or religion. *l. I l '- Ohamherlazn.