Article September 16, 1905 Issue

God Known as Principle

JULIA KINNEY.

THE declaration of Christian Science that "God is divine Principle," is the great revelation of to-day. Other terms, such as Life, Truth, and Love, have been applied to God in the past, but mortals have so lost sight of the true meaning of these terms that, when employed to express the nature and character of Deity, they ofttimes fail to convey the true idea. It is sometimes said that the term Principle is cold and abstract, and that Love better expresses the nature of God, but it may be noticed that those making this objection usually think of a God whose wrath was appeased by the death of His only begotten Son, who afflicts His children with disease and all manner of discords; in short, a God who is the author of evil as well as of good, of discord as well as of harmony. All this goes to show that these persons have no conception of the meaning of the word Love, much less the word Principle, which, when rightly understood, includes in its meaning unchanging, divine Love.

To the Christian Scientist, this word Principle is far from being cold or abstract, for, having learned that the universe, including man, is governed in perfect harmony by divine Principle, they are striving to learn more and more of God and His laws, in obedience to Jesus' command, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." The fact that God is Principle in no way prevents Him from being Love, but only excludes the belief in a human and imperfect sense of Love. That God is a loving Father who guards His children well, the Christian Scientist has constant and satisfying proof.

To-day it would be difficult to find two people, outside the ranks of Christian Scientists, who have the same concept of God; hence the question arises, Who is worshiping the true God? Christian Scientists are convinced that their text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, reveals "the only living and true God;" and as a proof of this they have the same evidence as was offered by Christ Jesus when his mission was questioned,—"the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk,... the deaf hear." Throughout the Scriptures we find that God delivers His children—those who know and love Him—from disease, sin, and discord of every nature.

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