Articles on Christian Science.
By Editor
THE first article appears in this issue. A proof was shown, at his request, to Mr. F. W. Gale, Christian Science press agent of the West. The quotations by Mr. Underwood are from the edition of "Science and Health" of 1905. Mr. Gale compared them with the edition of 1907. We have compared them with this edition also, and find no material change. Mr. Gale thinks it unfair to take a sentence out of a paragraph; the whole paragraph or division should be quoted. But in no case has the sentence quoted misrepresented the context; the context is usually a defense of the theory stated in the sentence quoted. Mr. Gale says "Christian Scientists do not hold 'Science and Health' as higher authority than the Bible, and Mrs. Eddy says, 'Follow me only as I follow Christ.'" But we do not know how the second quotation from Mr. Underwood can be understood in any other way. If "Science and Health" should be used as a "text-book," if it is "the voice of truth to this age and contains the whole of Christian Science," why should they not hold it above the Bible? Consistently, they could do nothing less, especially when Mrs. Eddy declares portions of the Bible "a lie," "error," "legendary," "a myth," as she characterizes the second and third chapters of Genesis. Do Christian Scientists believe this account of creation? When Paul said, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ," he meant the divine-human Saviour; but by "Christ" "Christian Science" means Truth, of which Jesus was an exponent or exemplification, to be understood as Mrs. Eddy has revealed (?) it. We may be pardoned if we prefer the Christ of the Bible.