Christian Science -- Controversial literature; Eddy, Mary Baker, 1821-1910
As concerns one considerable matter I hope to convert him. He believes
Mrs. Eddy's word; in his article he cites her as a witness, and takes
her testimony at par; but if he will make an excursion through my book
when it comes out, and will dispassionately examine her testimonies as
there accumulated, I think he will in candor concede that she is by a
large percentage the most erratic and contradictory and untrustworthy
witness that has occupied the stand since the days of the lamented
Ananias.
CONCLUSION
Broadly speaking, the hostiles reject and repudiate all the pretensions
of Christian Science Christianity. They affirm that it has added nothing
new to Christianity; that it can do nothing that Christianity could not
do and was not doing before Christian Science was born.
In that case is there no field for the new Christianity, no opportunity
for usefulness, precious usefulness, great and distinguished usefulness?
I think there is. I am far from being confident that it can fill it,
but I will indicate that unoccupied field--without charge--and if it can
conquer it, it will deserve the praise and gratitude of the Christian
world, and will get it, I am sure.
The present Christianity makes an excellent private Christian, but its
endeavors to make an excellent public one go for nothing, substantially.
This is an honest nation--in private life. The American Christian is a
straight and clean and honest man, and in his private commerce with his
fellows can be trusted to stand faithfully by the principles of honor
and honesty imposed upon him by his religion. But the moment he comes
forward to exercise a public trust he can be confidently counted upon
to betray that trust in nine cases out of ten, if “party loyalty” shall
require it.
If there are two tickets in the field in his city, one composed of
honest men and the other of notorious blatherskites and criminals, he
will not hesitate to lay his private Christian honor aside and vote for
the blatherskites if his “party honor” shall exact it. His Christianity
is of no use to him and has no influence upon him when he is acting in
a public capacity. He has sound and sturdy private morals, but he has no
public ones. In the last great municipal election in New York, almost
a complete one-half of the votes representing 3,500,000 Christians were
cast for a ticket that had hardly a man on it whose earned and proper
place was outside of a jail. But that vote was present at church next
Sunday the same as ever, and as unconscious of its perfidy as if nothing
had happened.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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