Bombings in the United States, unrest in the Middle East, tornadoes, floods, and wildfires—scanning this year’s headlines, one might be tempted to lament in the words of the Psalmist, “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid” (Psalms 18:4). Thankfully, the Bible offers inspiration to combat the fear that we are vulnerable to dangerous forces. The same psalm identifies the solution: “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears” (verse 6). Later the Psalmist rejoices, obviously relieved, “He delivered me from my strong enemy … he delivered me, because he delighted in me” (verses 17, 19).

A spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures as revealed through Christian Science identifies two facts: first, the supreme power and all-embracing love of an infinite God; and second, the supremacy of this power over any condition or circumstance confronting humanity. Indeed, Old and New Testament figures were no strangers to terrorism. Yet in case after case, they were delivered by God from the tyranny of kings and princes, religious zealots, mighty armies, beasts of all kinds, mobs, prisons, poisons, plagues, and—in the life of Christ Jesus—death itself.

All terrorism rests on one of two premises: a power called evil opposed to God or the absence of God, infinite Spirit. In the first instance, some might perceive a semblance of order in the universe, but only in conjunction with intervening evil forces, or laws of chance, that set aside this order. In the second, to an extreme materialistic viewpoint, God as Creator is nowhere to be seen: man is formed materially, is dependent on matter, and is merely a pawn in the uncontrollable contest of titanic material forces. No wonder the early Greeks, in their effort to rationalize existence, worshipped mythological gods that through human caprice and artifice arbitrarily ruled the world.

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discover and Founder of Christian Science, pursued this link between matter and mythology. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, her first definition of matter is “mythology.” She further defines it as “mortality; another name for mortal mind; illusion; intelligence, substance, and life in non-intelligence and mortality; … the opposite of God; …” (p. 591).

The central truth of Christian Science is that God is Mind, Spirit, the creator of all that exists, and that there is no opposite; that He is All and fills all space, and, therefore, there can be no absence of God. And since a characteristic of this Mind is love, all that exists must reflect Love. Through this splendid metaphysical revelation, man is seen to be a spiritual idea, the manifestation, of God’s presence, a fact Jesus proved through healing the sick, reforming the sinner, and raising the dead.

What does this mean to us in terms of combating a rampant sense of fear of man-made or natural disasters? It means that we can be assured that above the mental clouds and beyond the outward storms of a physical sense of life, the one infinite Mind, Love, is in complete and total control, and this control is exercised through spiritual laws that prevent or cure the perception of terror in all its mythological presentations. Wherever we find ourselves, we can derive great comfort from such assurances as this, found in the 91st Psalm: “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day” (verse 5).

Some years ago, I found this elevated state of spiritual consciousness, or prayer, a practical help in the midst of a potentially dangerous gang situation. After attending a six-week company training session during what seemed an interminably long and gloomy winter, three companions and I decided to take advantage of a break in the weather for a walk in a park in a large city. We were unaware that a spate of racially charged events had rendered the whole area a tinderbox of upheaval. Suddenly we found ourselves surrounded as more than 20 individuals began threatening us through their words and actions. A hat was knocked off. One of my companions was tripped and fell to the ground. Another’s clothes were torn. As more joined the gang, the senses screamed that here was mob-like, life-threatening violence.

I silently expressed my gratitude for the divine intelligence that operates often unseen, but is always supremely powerful.

The situation was changing so quickly that I found myself in that state of conscious prayer that reaches out without words to the Almighty. A series of what I would describe as angel thoughts came to me. The first was not to stop and engage the group. Then, in an instant, I became aware of a street we had not seen before bordering the park about a hundred yards away. I urged my friends to follow toward the street, and as we ran up to it, a taxi suddenly appeared and swerved to the curb. As we climbed into the cab, the driver, who lived in the area, expressed his amazement that we had chosen to walk in such a dangerous park—and that we had emerged unhurt. 

On our drive back to our hotel, I silently expressed my gratitude for the divine intelligence and Love that operates often silent and unseen, but is always readily available and supremely powerful. It watches over us and keeps us safe no matter what adverse situation may present itself. To this day, I am amazed the gang did not follow us or attempt to impede our escape—they simply and inexplicably parted and let us through.

As dramatic as the situation had been, the spiritual fact is that God, or divine Love, is All and expresses Himself through His idea, man and the universe. God is not separated into material personalities subject to evil influences. His ever-operative law of the unfoldment of good eliminates any physical error or evil suggestion to the contrary. Why? Because, as Mrs. Eddy wrote, “All is Mind and Mind’s idea” (Science and Health, p. 492). God is one, undivided good. He is not at war with Himself, or with His own ideas of Himself. This is the truth and the law of Love that annihilates terror in any form. It is the law that stays the intentions, or uncovers the actions, of those whose mentalities have been co-opted by evil belief, otherwise known as mortal mind or mythology.

I love to remember that God’s laws operate as both a preventative and curative agent when we’re confronted with disasters. To human sense one might count lives lost or altered beyond repair—but the truth of the continuity of God’s goodness and ever-present power remains unchanged and unchecked by the vicissitudes of human belief and its events. The higher law of Love comforts those who have suffered, and reaches even those who would perpetuate evil acts. The true spiritual facts of God and man, as revealed through the Science of Christ, can heal not only the victim but also the victimizer, who is not exempt from the law of divine Principle and cannot be kept from recognizing his true identity as God’s image.

Terror is not a law. God is law and the only lawgiver to man. As we strive to maintain the fact that the kingdom of heaven is present and operative on earth, we will find and prove, as Jesus did, that fear, and its extreme form, terror, are ultimately illusions that can be corrected and overthrown. In the words of Isaiah, we will rejoice in the promise that “in righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee” (54:14).