Man and Woman

"From the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. . . . What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." —JESUS.

One of the first lessons learned in Christian Science is that the spiritual sense of being is, in every particular, the opposite of the material. Science reverses the false concept of man's relation to God and to his fellow-man. Respecting this relationship to God and to each other which truth brings to men, we may say, "it doth not yet appear," but of this we are sure, that whatever comes from God, will bring only help, happiness, strength, and, above all, freedom, — a condition indispensable to spiritual and intellectual growth. When shadows fall across our path, when human affection fails to sustain or inspire, or worse, when through ignorance or selfishness it even becomes a constant menace to happiness, we may think upon Jesus' words: "From the beginning it was not so," respecting the thought of which our Leader has said, "Sometime we shall learn how Spirit, the great architect, has created men and women in Science" (Science and Health, p. 68).

The recent By-law, "Church Organizations Ample," ought to set us all thinking as to how we can most effectively meet the demand of the hour. We have had glimpses, even in the midst of confessedly imperfect conditions, of the possibility of pure and uplifting intercourse between the sexes, and we have the example of Christ Jesus, who drew to him men and women alike by the all-compelling attraction of his spirituality. To every man there is always a sacred circle which holds for him his mother, sister, possibly a wife and daughter. He tolerates no invasion of this precinct by profane intruders, which is well; but does he himself always take off his shoes when he approaches the sacred domain? If so, it will become an ever-widening circle, which must at length include all women, of whom he will come to think as the daughters of his Father-Mother God, whatever be their rank, station, or experience.

A man once said that men are far kinder to women than are they to men, and for the reason that men demand of women goodness and purity, while women tolerate a lower standard. He was informed that in Christian Science there is but one standard,— that of the Christ, —and that obedience to its requirements can only be reached by the understanding of the one Mind, since "the carnal mind" is "not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." The time has now come when woman can go among her brother men with the Christ message of deliverance from the thraldom of the senses, from sin and suffering, and for this priceless gift she will receive that gratitude and reverence which to the true woman is more precious than all the jewels in earth's diadems.

An old-time clergyman once said to a young Christian Scientist, that he thought it dreadful for a woman to be at the head of this movement, and for so many women to be ministers in it. The young lady replied that it did seem "dreadful" that after so many years of the ministry of men alone, women should have to take up the work of healing the sick and the sinful just where our Lord left it. He was so startled at the apparent audacity of the response, that he was led to look into our text-book, with the result that in a short time he was proud to be called a follower of our Leader.

In the light of Christian Science we see before us a glorious future wherein we shall know each other even as we are known of our Father, and in our united effort for good it were well to remember the vow of the knights of old :—

To break the heathen and uphold the Christ,
To ride abroad redressing human wrongs,
To speak no slander, no nor listen to it,
To live sweet lives in purest chastity.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit