The Book of Acts relates that when the Apostle Stephen was brought before the leaders of the temple in Jerusalem to be judged, certain of them persuaded "false witnesses" to make accusations against him. The account is a sad commentary on the lengths to which some individuals were willing to go in the effort to stop a young religious movement that seemed to them to threaten established tradition.
In this respect, unfortunately, times haven't changed! There is still a great deal of false witnessing done in the name of religion, including a significant amount directed specifically against Christian Science. Usually the misrepresentation is unintentional. Sometimes it is more conscious. There have even been instances in which accusations have been literally manufactured out of thin air, as in Stephen's case, and flung like stones in derisive sermons, tracts, books, television and radio broadcasts, and so forth.
Recently an individual sent a letter to The Mother Church that began, "I was a faithful student of Christian Science until...." The individual then explained that he had been given a pamphlet attacking the theology of Christian Science and containing many charges against Mary Baker Eddy. He was troubled most, he said, by the author's allegation that Mrs. Eddy had plagiarized portions of Science and Health from a manuscript essay on the German philosopher Hegel. This charge, if true, would cast doubt on Mrs. Eddy's integrity and that of her teaching. The letter writer asked: "Can you prove any or all of this untrue?"
