Many readers may have seen recent media reports referring to two articles on Christian Science healing in The New England Journal of Medicine. The articles, which appeared in a section entitled "Sounding Boards," expressed radically different viewpoints.
One was sharply critical of Christian Science—and of laws permitting reliance on spiritual healing in the raising of families. The other, explaining our Church 's perspective, was supplied by the Committee on Publication at the specific request of the medical journal's editor.
The latter article, reprinted below, is the first comprehensive statement on Christian Scientists' approach to the care of children to appear in a medical forum. The article naturally addresses the specific concerns of physicians and others in the health care professions. But since these issues have been the focus of considerable public attention—and misunderstanding—in recent years, the following article may also be of broad interest to church members and other readers of The Christian Science Journal:
