Who is your teacher?

Joyce Voysey

The testimonies in Healing Spiritually are telling me of the shaky nature of human knowledge; the inaccuracy medical predictions and assessments.  Judith Hepburn’s testimony (p. 50) confirms this, giving both the medical nurse’s view of treatment of the sick and the Christian Science view: I became convinced that medicine is not a science but a compilation of opinions.

I have the impression that the early healings in the book came about through the person’s understanding gained through reading Science &Health, i.e. without the help of a Christian Science practitioner. There is a BIG emphasis on S&H’s wonderful message that God is the healer.  I am reminded of the sentence early in the Chapter “Prayer”: Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-immolation, are God’s gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind.  (S&H 1:6).  We certainly are seeing that demonstrated.

How about the professor who mentioned that Christian Science presents God as a healing power…and left his students with the thought that they could “go and see” if they wished to learn more about it!  What a wise man!  See page 42.

I keep thinking of a statement on page 52: “She pointed out how the chapter from Science and Health called “Atonement and Eucharist”, relates that during his crucifixion, Jesus had to heal the hatred of what he stood for, more than the pain of being on the cross.”  It sent me back to reading that chapter, for I had never seen the chapter explained in those words and wished to have them authenticated.

I am reminded Calvin C. Hill’s piece in We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, 2nd Series.  I will quote from page 18: She (Mrs. Eddy) asked me many questions, evidently testing my grasp of Christian Science.  My answers were based on what I had gleaned from her writing.  Finally in a flash of apparent satisfaction with one of my answers, she said, “By the way, who is your teacher?” 

“Well, Mrs. – Mother,” I replied, “I believe I shall have to call you my teacher.  I have been studying your book, Science and Health, and your other writings for the past four years, and if what is said to me by one of your own students or by one of your students’ students is not backed up or verified by your writings, I take no stock in his statements, none whatever!”

Mrs. Eddy stepped forward, placed her hand on my shoulder and patted it gently, saying, “My child, my child, my child, you’re safe, you’re safe, you’re safe!”