Article April 1, 1911 Issue

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

LAURA B. DOORLY.

Should one question the man in the street as to the meaning of the commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," it is very likely that he would say it was a command to speak reverently of God, or not to speak lightly of holy things.

In the course of my Sunday School work I looked up the words "in vain," feeling sure that any study, in the light of Christian Science, would bring out a deeper comprehension of their meaning. The dictionary reminded me that "in vain" means "to no purpose." The command then ran, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God [to no purpose]." Of what avail, indeed, to call ourselves the children of the ever-living God, and then proceed, illogically, to give power to anything that is not in line with the nature of our Father. I saw that the commandment is broken every time reality is given to discord, limitation, pain, hatred, or under whatever guise evil may come, and whether it appears to be attached to ourselves, our friends, the home or church, or even the world at large.

In Science and Health (p. 262), Mrs. Eddy gives a solution of the problems of human existence in one short sentence: "To begin rightly is to end rightly." Ours it is, then, to guard the entrance to consciousness, challenging each thought or condition that presents itself, discerning its origin and type, and consigning everything that does not begin rightly, or measure up to the standard of Principle, to the nothingness of falsity,—where it will disappear in the outer darkness of supposition,—"a liar, and the father of it."

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