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 THE METAPHYSICS OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE

In attempting to criticise the Metaphysics of Christian Science, as put forth in the book which claims to be the authority for its doctrine, 'Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures,' one is tempted to quote the famous chapter on 'Snakes in Iceland,' which runs 'There are no snakes in Iceland,' and to say at the outset that Christian Science has no Metaphysics. Since, however, it claims to explain the Universe, and to give a theory of such metaphysical subjects as Matter and Spirit, as well as of Unity and Reality, it may be well to examine its statements on these abstruse matters to see if they can justly claim to have value as Metaphysics, to search the island, as it were, before pronouncing that there are no snakes in it.

Undoubtedly Christian Science owes a good deal of its attractiveness to its teaching of