Medicine and the Church: Being a series of studies on the relationship between the practice of medicine and the church's ministry to the sick
Religion
Medicine and the Church: Being a series of studies on the relationship between the practice of medicine and the church's ministry to the sick
Medicine -- Religious aspects; Pastoral medicine
There is nothing new, of course, in these two statements, nor anything
peculiar to Christian Science in them. They are put forward by the
majority of persons with these views, whether they belong to the
Peculiar People or to Christian Science.
With Christian Science, as with all these unorthodox and irregular
religious healing societies, it is almost impossible to find any matter
that is sufficiently definite to enable one to form any conclusion of
their objects. They talk glibly about having effected cures of various
kinds of diseases, but on their own showing there is absolutely no
evidence to prove that the individual ever had that disease or any
other form of disease. Mr. Stephen Paget has very kindly allowed me
to make one or two extracts from his invaluable work dealing with
Christian Science. He has, at great pains, collected cases of Christian
Science cures as reported in their own official publications. It is
only necessary to read a few of these to see the absolute hopelessness
of getting at the bottom of them, not merely from a medical standpoint
but from the point of view of common sense. I would ask any person of
average intelligence to read the following five testimonies to healing
that Mr. Stephen Paget extracted from Mrs. Eddy’s weekly journal,
the _Christian Science Sentinel_, and inform me if they convey any
impression whatsoever to his or her mind:
‘_Mrs. R._--Healed of “sense of fatigue, and throat trouble.” Also,
when knocked down by a bicyclist, she “suffered no pain at all, and had
little sense of shock.”’
‘_Mrs. E._--Was healed of the pain of a burn. “The healing went on
rapidly, and in a very short time all manifestation of the trouble
disappeared.”’
‘_Mr. W._--Cured of drinking and smoking, and of “stomach and throat
trouble.”’[1]
[1] A good case of a drunkard converted. The healing of the stomach
and throat troubles, of course, followed the giving-up of the drink.
‘_Mamie D._--“I seemed to have burned my hand very badly.” Healed.’
‘_Mrs. P._--“Many physical ailments have been met and overcome by
Truth.”’
And yet if they will refer to Mr. Paget’s book they will find hundreds
of similar instances. In an appendix to the second edition of his work
Mr. Paget quotes the whole of the correspondence in connexion with the
absent treatment of the Hon. A. Holland-Hibbert’s mare, in 1900. This
curious correspondence needs no comment.
The following is an account _in extenso_ of an alleged cure by
Christian Science taken from an article in the _Twentieth Century
Magazine_, published in Boston, U.S.A., October 1909.
The contribution in question is from the pen of the editor, Mr. B. O.
Flower. I leave my readers to form their own opinion on this remarkable
testimony.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account