LETTERS: PRAYERS CAN HEAL

To the editor:

We have just read the latest piece about Rita Swan in your April 25 paper, "Woman tries to stop parents from hurting kids in name of God." This article from the Associated Press does not present a balanced view.

We have to protest the story's clear implication that hundreds of children of Christian Scientists have died since 1975. While one is too many, only eight Christian Scientist families have had a child passed on since 1975.

Statistics aside, we say once again what we have said in the past, that we are deeply committed to the welfare of our children. We grieve over the loss of even one of them. But those eight families did what all normal parents do when a child is ill. They turned to the method of care they trusted most. Why? Because it had worked over and over in their lives. They did not, nor were they instructed to, shun modern medicine.

In 130 years of experience with prayer in Christian Science, the overwhelming majority of those cared for this way, including children, have been completely and permanently healed. A hundred years of published testimonies in the church's religious periodicals confirm this, and they relate only a fraction of the healings that have actually taken place. These testimonies are carefully verified before they are published. You are welcome to see these publications in your local Christian Science reading room.

In the matter of Lundman vs. McKown, yes, the Supreme Court declined to review the rulings by the Minnesota Court of Appeals, thus allowing the $1.5 million judgment to stand. Our understanding, however, is that a denial of review by the Supreme Court is neither unusual nor is it an endorsement of the lower court's decision. Nor does the Minnesota appellate ruling represent the law in any state other than Minnesota.

W. RILEY SEAY

Christian Science Committee on Publication for Missouri

St. Louis