Article August 1, 1908 Issue

Christian Scientists see more clearly than do most others...

Clarence B. Hadden

Uncle Eli's Magazine

Christian Scientists see more clearly than do most others the effects of wrong thinking all about them. They are not blind to the greed, selfishness, pride, arrogance, and intolerance that exist; they do not shut their eyes to the intemperance, lust, hatred, jealousy, and wickedness in high places. Desire for unearned riches, the vanity of extravagance and display, dishonesty, social oppression and injustice, often under the guise of law and order,—all these subtle and hidden improper motives and evil thoughts they see producing misery, disease, poverty, crime, and death. The rich man is frequently unhappy, if not diseased, though surrounded by all the luxuries that money can buy. The poor man is often a slave to ignorance, drudgery, and false appetites. Wrong, unchristian standards of thought and conduct are responsible for all the evil in the world, and as the thought of the world gradually changes for the better, so will the evil effects disappear. This seems self-evident, but it is in the application of this Science of Christianity to the needs of mankind that this new spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures proves of chief service to humanity.

Christian Scientists should take an active part in all reforms that are clearly for the good of the individual and society. It matters little what the particular form of government may be. That is a mere shadow behind which is the real substance. The shell of the nut may be of one shape or another, but the kernel must be sweet and wholesome. If we had a pure democracy and the men elected or appointed to positions of power and control were evil-minded, no matter to what a slight degree they deviated from Christ's Sermon on the Mount and the Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments, the actual results would be evil to that extent. You must have individual purification and salvation from all sin before you can have a perfect collection of individuals, called society, for no chain is stronger than its weakest link. Christian Science stands for civic, social, industrial, and individual righteousness in the full meaning of the word as used by Christ, when he said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." They take the broadest possible view of life and personal liberty and freedom, but they do not allow this so-called "breadth of view" to blind their vision to the laws of God; namely, that "the wages of sin is death" and that an evil or erroneous thought surely begets an evil or erroneous action. It will solve all the many problems of industry and society, but not with human weapons of warfare, for the "weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." Neither will it solve them by violence, destruction, or waste on the one hand, nor by a corrupt or wrong use of money and the resulting contempt and supercilious scorn of our fellow-men on the other. It is in favor of peace at all times and at all hazards,—peace and harmony in the individual first, then in the home, in the city, and Nation, and lastly, international peace, which is bound to come as soon as we are awakened to the proper method of obtaining and preserving it.

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Christian Scientists see more clearly than do most others...

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