Article May 18, 1907 Issue

THE TRUE CONVERSION

CLARENCE W. CHADWICK.

The true conversion rests not upon the plane of mere profession of faith. It is not a thing of the letter which killeth, but of the Spirit that giveth life and vitality to religion. It consists not in making good resolutions through fear of future punishment, and then failing to live up to them. The individual who through fear of a literal hell is driven to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is his Saviour, may be led to believe that he is converted from infidelity to Christianity, but unless he can prove his faith by his works there is no practical evidence of true conversion. According to Webster, real conversion "is not confined to speculation alone, but affects the whole current of one's feelings, and the tenor of his actions." In other words, it means a deep-seated conviction founded upon knowledge gained from experience, such as characterizes the new man in Christ, Truth. Practical conversion is practical reformation, brought about not through fear of an evil power, but through the love of good, or God's omnipotence.

The turning from that which is erroneous or evil means something more than the mere exchange of one human belief for another. The true convert to Christianity must necessarily relinquish all faith and belief in evil, else he will find himself in the embarrassing position of professing to believe in God's omnipotence and omniscience while also believing that evil has both power and intelligence. If truly converted he will be in position to deny scientifically the existence of any power opposed to God; in fact, this may be said to be one of the first signs indicative of conversion or reformation on his part. If he still believes that God is the author of matter or evil; if he still clings to the idolatry of matter in the use of drugs, he certainly does not know that Christ, Truth, is his Saviour, for his own actions invalidate such a claim.

Here is where countless thousands of religionists stand in their attitude towards the Christian religion. Unconsciously they are holding to the supposed reality of that which the great Teacher of divine metaphysics taught and proved to be temporal and powerless. They permit themselves to be mesmerized into the belief that "God blesses the means," which is equivalent to saying that God sanctions evil and recommends it for human use. In the case of the man "blind from his birth," where Jesus "spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle" to show his contempt for material methods of healing, according to a recognized custom of the Jews, are we to conclude that the Master was doing something contrary to the will of his Father, or that he was but expressing the divine disapproval of such means? The moment the man washed the clay from his eyes, in other words, dispensed with material means, he regained his sight. So it is with other mortals,—when they are truly converted they will recognize the healing power of divine Mind and gladly dispense with material methods.

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