Editorial February 13, 1909 Issue

"RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT."

Annie M. Knott

In our text-book we read that "to decide quickly as to the proper treatment of error—whether error is manifested in forms of sickness, sin, or death—is the first step toward destroying error" (Science and Health, p. 463). The study of Christian Science has a wonderful effect in quickening and clarifying the intellectual faculties, and enables us to decide rightly, if not at first "quickly," on every question which comes to us for judgment. In arriving at decisions we soon learn the absolute necessity for a spiritual basis of judgment, which of course involves the reversal of material evidence, whatever it be. If the question is one of sickness,—perchance hopeless illness from the material standpoint,—the Christian Scientist instinctively thinks upon the angel's words to Mary at the early dawn of Christianity, "With God nothing shall be impossible." Nor is the decision based upon these words an unverifiable statement ; on the contrary it is a happy coincidence of reason and revelation, for the Christian Scientist has learned that what is possible to God is possible to man as His image and likeness.

Christ Jesus had much to say respecting right judgment. Once he said, "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me." No question can be rightly decided from the standpoint of the flesh, or matter, but we are never left alone, the Father is with us. When we see things from the spiritual standpoint, our judgment, like that of the Master, will be true, and we shall go on to prove the supremacy of good over evil, whatever be the phase of error which confronts us. To stand resolutely by the fact that God governs, and that evil has no authority to make one either sick or sinful, is a matter of tremendous importance to mankind. Sometimes this may be all that is required of us, but who can estimate the far-reaching effects of such a decision? To do less than this could never be right under any circumstances.

We are too apt to forget that an easy tolerance of mortal conditions does not constitute the righteous judgment which Jesus taught. There is nothing in the Gospels to show that he looked upon sick and sinful mortals as the divine ideas. Rather did he look away from these to the perfect, divine model, in order to do his healing work. Mrs. Eddy tells us that "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man" (Science and Health, p. 476). "In Science," be it noted, not in the sinning mortal; but mortal man has no place when the spiritual man is scientifically discerned.

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