Article September 20, 1975 Issue

Physical Diagnosis? Why?

AURELIO J. COLTRI

The Bible teaches, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up."^{James 5:14, 15;} Mrs. Eddy has made provision for Christian Science practitioners to whom we may turn when we feel unable to heal ourselves through our own prayerful efforts.

The Christian Science practitioner heals through the power of divine Mind over error. He raises his thought to the reality of perfection in man and in the universe. Like Jesus, his approach to healing is diametrically opposite to human ways. Regarding matter as powerless, Jesus looked through the material mist to the evidence of God's love for man. He healed the blind, the sick, the deaf, and the dumb, and raised the dead through the power of divine Mind. He saw God's own likeness, perfect man.

Sometimes, if a healing is protracted, however, the temptation to seek a medical diagnosis may present itself. "Oh, I'm going to stick with Christian Science, but I would like to know what the claim is. A physical diagnosis will at least tell me what's wrong." Occasionally we hear statements such as this. And if we do, we can regard such thoughts as opportunities to see through their false suggestions and to know Truth. Even if he thinks he is going to stay with Christian Science, a patient may believe, as a result of a physical diagnosis, that something not already present will be supplied, that an additive or alterative process is required for healing. Acknowledging God as the one and only Mind, omnipresent, we can reject this false sense of help.

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