Article October 30, 1902 Issue

Children in Christian Science

S. W. H.

SINCE Christian Science became the motive power in my own life, its work for the children has seemed to me specially important on account of its far-reaching influence in the home, and also because of the unconscious power with which the child-thought touches all with whom it comes in contact. To the average man and woman, Christian Science comes as a complete reversal of all previous methods of thought and action. We enter upon "the eternal now" as we begin to mould ourselves anew, as we realize that in deed and in truth we are to find "the kingdom of Good" in our own consciousness, and not in some remote future state; so it is with a mighty struggle that those of riper years tear up the old landmarks. All this is eliminated for the children; they have nothing to unlearn, and they have no past to forget; from the outset, with them, to be metaphysical is to be natural. It never occurs to Christian Science children that Science and Health is hard to understand, and they put their sense of Truth into practice as soon as they walk and talk.

I recall a case of instantaneous healing in which a baby of two years was the mouthpiece for the Christ. The mother was a young Scientist, and after struggling for several hours with an old enemy, had finally given in, and had gone to her own room, asking her sister to keep the baby away from her; but the little fellow escaped and managed to open his mother's door. His amazement at finding her in bed, was, as she said, a rebuke. He ran to her, lisping, "Mamma, God loves you! Mamma, get up!" She tried to coax him to run away, but, slipping from the bed, he went to the next room, found her copy of Science and Health, and came back holding it up, saying, "Here it is, mamma, all right. Get up, mamma." She did, and in a very short time was entirely free from pain. The clear understanding of her own little one had destroyed her fear, and she was healed.

A child was brought to us for treatment by his mother who was not interested in Christian Science at that time, but who knew that material means could do nothing for the case in question, which was an ungovernable temper that had been hereditary in this family for generations. The boy was helped at once, but as the family lived at a distance from the city, and could not attend services, the mother promised to aid the work by reading Science and Health aloud to her son for half an hour every night. A few weeks later, in writings to the practitioner, she said that she could not understand the book, but that her children evidently did, for all four of them insisted upon listening to the reading. Within a very short time these children were helping each other to overcome all discordant conditions,—cuts, bruises, stings, etc., and they ceased to have the little illnesses to which they had formerly been liable. The mother frequently heard them quoting the book as a reminder to each other to stop impatience or selfishness, and she confessed that the whole atmosphere of the household had changed. After a few months had passed, the mother herself asked for instruction that she might be enabled to work intelligently. All these children have the clear understanding that brings quick results in Christian Science work. They have had considerable opposition to meet from other members of the family, and one boy was sent last year to a church school in Canada to lessen, if possible, the influence of this new-old thought. I will give an extract from a letter just received from him.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Children in Christian Science

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access