EDDYISM

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 429, 21 November 1930, Page 6

EDDYISM

Sir, —Miss Hewitt, in Friday’s issue of the “Chronicle” defends Mrs Eddy’s doctrine and her claim to possess divine power to cure disease by men tat healing, and that such power was of the same nature as that manifested in the, miraculous healing of the Prophet of Nazareth; that claim will not stand examination any more than Airs Eddy’s assertion that she is “the comforter” whom Jesus promised to send into the world. Miss Hewitt would have us believe that Airs Eddy follow ed and applied the method of the founder of Christianity, but if it can be shown that the method of Jesus was in dany respects radically different from

that prescribed by Mrs Eddy, the claim that the religion is founded upon the teachings of Jesus falls to the ground.

Mrs Eddy’s assertion that the origin of disease was mental and that Jesus healed it with mental medicine cannot be squared with the practice of Jesus as we find it in the Gospels. St John relates the cure of the man born blind as follows: “When Jesus had thus spoken He spat on the ground aud made the eyes of the blind man with the clay and said unto him: ‘Go wash ia the pool of Siloam.’ ]s that the Christian Science way of healing the sick? Do Christian Scientists use clay? Do they “anoint” the sick with salve of any kind? Do they counsel bathing or washing for curative purposes? There is nu evidence forthcoming that Jesus regarded disease as mental in origin, nor that he taught that disease was caused by “mental mind” and that mental medicine was the only remedy he used. The difference between Mrs Eddy and Jesus lies in the spirit in which they performed their miracles. Jesus had no scheme to make money out of his healing and He told his followers Io give freely the power which they have themselves freely received. Jesus would have been shocked at the idea of taking money for a cure or that some day a woman would copyright and commercialise his divine power of healing, nor would He have any sympathy with a woman who not only sold what she called the Divine power of God, but also secured by legal procedure a corner on it. Afrs Eddy forced u price on her mind healing averring that God directed her to only charge 300 dollars. She was sorely troubled over it, but wa> finally led by a strange providence to accept this fee. Her compliance with the dictates of Deity was amply rewarded; for she reaped a rich harvest from her dupes as she is repoited to have left over half a million of money. Alias Hewitt lays stress on what. Mrs Eddy termed “mortal mind” and that sin, disease and death, had only existence as such and that God was free of such temporalities. Afrs Eddy averred that there was no room in an infinite God for the evils of 44 mortal mind” and that mind is the sole reality and 44 nothing is the matter.” Although common sense and experience deny the tnfth of her assertion Mrs Eddy replies “I find that God is true, and every 44 mortal man a liar.” One wonders how Afrs Eddv would explain the origin of mortal mind where her God was the only reality and the cause of all things. Tn conclusion. Sir. one may venture to declare that tho people of this country want a more rational message than Christian Science can deliver to (hem. A.T.