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Show I CHRISTIAN SCIENCE LECTURE I H ; In introducing Virgil 0. Strickler to H : an audience of the local First Church H jl of Christ Scientists last evening, Geo. H : Tolmie said: H "From the earliest period of which H -we have any record, good and evil !" have been at war, and from the very nature of good, it will continue to war against evil until every trace of evil H It is destroyed. H f: "The good that has resulted from H J Christianity proves that the advent j and teachings of Jesus, was the all H important event which will finally de-H de-H stro3r error of every name and nature. H j That Jesus' teachings have not been H ; more fully adopted, is no doubt the result of more or less attention being given to the arguments of the same old serpent that beguiled Adam and Eve. "In this age, thousands are turning to Jesus' teachings, and accepting them, not in part, but as a whole, and I believe Christian Scientists are foremost fore-most in adopting his teachings in their entirety. "We have one with us this evening who will present Christian Science as fully as it can be presented in a short letter. "I take pleasure in introducing Virgil Vir-gil 0. Strickler, C. S., member of the board of lectureship of the Mother Church, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass." Mr. Strickler spoke as follows: "As it becomes more generally understood un-derstood that through the ministry of Christian Science people are being healed of sickness, sin, unhappiness, worry, fear, and other discordant conditions, con-ditions, there is an ever-Increasing desire upon the part of the general public to learn how these results are accomplished. It is the purpose of this lecture to explain how Christian Science does these things. There is jno mystery about Christian Science healing, nor is it difficult to under- stand. It can be stated without any reservation whatever that every person per-son who is willing to do so may learn i how to heal sickness and to destroy the desire to sin for himself and others oth-ers through Christian Science. "In approaching the investigation of this subject one should do so with an open mind. Christian Science is pro- , ducing certain very definite and very beneficial results, 'and it behooves every thinking person to try to understand un-derstand how they are accomplished. No progress will be made by closing one's eyes to the facts and blindly denying their existence. Neither will -hi,. -mii n-ii.,ii....p1J-'Vraia ", it serve any useful purpose to attempt lo minimize what Christian Science has already accomplished The honest hon-est investigator who desires to know the truth about the matter will take the case as it stands. He will waste no time in fruitless bickering over established facts, but will strive to understand how the healing and regeneration re-generation are brought nbout "Both in the medical profession and i among the clergy there are many such oppn-minded students, with the result that some eminent physicians are now sending to Christian Science practitioners practi-tioners those of their parents who do not recover under medical treatment; treat-ment; while man clergymen are openly declaring from their pulpits that the fruits of Christian Science are good, and not n few of them have left their pulpits to become Christian Science practitioners. These facts are worthy of serious consideration "If it is true that Christian Science is teaching people how to rise above sinful appetites and desires, and how to be healthy andvhappy, then surely it is the greatest and moat vital thing that can engage human thought. That Christian Science does these things to some extent at least is no longer an open question, nnd the proof of it is to be found in the practical benefits bene-fits that have come to its adherents. Many Different Religious Beliefs. "Another fact that should be taken Into account by every earnest invosti-gator invosti-gator of ' Christian Science is that there are many different kinds of religions re-ligions in existence at the present time. It is said .that there are more than two hundred different kinds of the Christian religion alone, not to mention the hundreds of other forms of religions that are not Christian. It Js a fact that people do entertain widely differing religious beliefs. In many Instances the differences are ir-rcconciliible, ir-rcconciliible, nnd yet every one believes be-lieves with all of the sincerity of which he is capable that his own particular par-ticular beliefs are true. It must bo conceded that, in the main, all people are equally honest and equally sin-cero sin-cero in their religious beliefs. The only reason why they are grouped together to-gether in different forms of religions is because they honestly believe that through their own particular form of religion they will find the good which they so earnestly desire. "As one considers the subject of religion from this broad viewpoint it becomes entirely plain that most of the people In the world are believing as their religion many things that are not true. "There Is only one truth about any subject although there may be many erroneous beliefs about it. This Is as true of religious subjects as of others. If one believes erroneously as to what is the law he will not be a safe lawyer, law-yer, nor will he bo an efficient engl- roni- if Viic VoHof3 cnnnnrn In f thfi rnlrs of mathematics are faulty. In each case erroneous beliefs must be displaced dis-placed by positive knowledge before correct results can be attained. "Every one will recognize not only the desirability, but the necessity, of exchanging false and erroneous beliefs be-liefs about religious matters for positive posi-tive truth. In no other way can he grow spiritually. Spiritual truth is the truth about spiritual things, but as long as one believes erroneously about spiritual things he is on a false track and his erroneous beliefs will deprive him of the benefits that would otherwise come to him through a correct cor-rect understanding of the truth. Likewise, Like-wise, if one wraps around himself the robes of self-satisfaction, and maintains that there Is no spiritual truth outside his own beliefs, ho is not likely to progress. He should remember remem-ber that Jesus proved that there is enough spiritual truth in existence that can be taught to and understood by human beings to enable them to heal the Hick and raise the dead, and no one should bo satisfied until ho has attained to this understanding and demonstration. "True religion consists of spiritual truth, and not of erroneous beliefs, hence it follows that one's religion is limited to the amount of spiritual truth he knows, and that erroneous religious beliefs are only so many delusions de-lusions that serve no other purpose than to obstruct spiritual growth. "Moreover it is plain that since religion re-ligion In its true sense is spiritual truth it necessarily follows that real religion and real science are one and the same, for truth whenever and wherever found is capable of proof by' demonstration. Hence the term, Christian Chris-tian Science, is perfectly correct, for it is a statement of the spiritual truth composing the Christian religion, and, as suh, it may be proved by demon-stratiin demon-stratiin in healing sickness and destroying de-stroying sin. What Christian Science Seeks to Accomplish. "Christian Science aims to destroy erroneous religious beliefs by substituting substi-tuting a knowledge of truth in place thereof, and to destroy out of the human hu-man mind all evil qualities by planting plant-ing good qualities in their stead. It wages- relentless warfare against all wrong mental qualities. It seeks to substitute love in place of hate, unselfishness un-selfishness in place of selfishness, honesty in place of dishonesty, and truth in place of error. It lays tremendous tre-mendous emphasis upon the necessity for 'bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,' (II. Cor. 10:5) as the Bible commands. It shows that the cause of all disease and sin is mental, and not physical, and that both sickness and sin are destroyed by the evangelization of the, human mentality with truth and love. It teaches without any reservation whatever that the truth taught and practiced by Jesus, when understood and applied, is sufficient "without drugs or any material means to heal the sick and regenerate the sinner.and Christian Scientists everywhere are engaged daily in demonstrating and proving this to be true. "Every student of religion should begin to give heed to what tho Bible teaches concerning the importance of looking to the mental rather than to the physical for deliverance from lulman discord. We read in Romans viii. 6, 7, 'To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither, neith-er, indeed, can be.' Again in Phil-ippians Phil-ippians ii. 5 It is said, 'Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus;' and in Romans xii. 2, 'Bo ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.' "These significant statements from the Scriptures leave no room for doubt as to tho cause of sin, disease, and death, or their cure. The carnal mind is nothing more nor less than the unregenerated human mind. It is tho human mind in its natural state, when filled with hatred, selfishness, deceit, dishonesty, and other avll Qualities, |