Article April 29, 1911 Issue

PRAYER

WALTER SHAW.

Those students who have found the truth of Christian Science only after reaching mature age may (like the writer) sometimes discover their thought unconsciously reverting to their former concept of God in creedal theology. Christian people of all denominations have been so long accustomed to regard prayer more in the light of petition or supplication, rather than affirmation, that on coming into Christian Science they can only grow gradually into the truer sense of prayer. It is very important, however, to see positively the great distinction between our former concept of God and the teaching of Christian Science in relation to Deity as divine Principle. To the writer Mrs. Eddy's statements on page 167 of Science and Health appear to give the key-note to all successful treatment or prayer. Sometimes we may wonder why our success is so limited, even when our faith includes the certainty of God's power to heal. May not this be through our lack of understanding rather than desire? We may be honestly striving, and yet fail to grasp the scientific attitude of thought essential to the demonstration of truth upon a given problem. Belief and faith are not in themselves sufficient; clear, emphatic understanding of the divine Principle that heals, is also needed.

The writer well remembers a student, more advanced than himself, who once said to him, "Mind that you are not mesmerized into believing in the reality of that case." The full force of the remark was not quite apprehended at the time, although it was felt that the advice was kindly given. Since then, however, he has clearly realized how futile it is to expect to overcome an evil condition while mentally admitting its reality. Our text-book is clear and decisive on this point, but it takes years of study with most of us really to assimilate even a tithe of the vast truth this book contains. The page mentioned has recently become illuminated by the search-light of demonstration, and it is in the hope of helping some fellow-worker that these lines are penned.

When conditions arise where the help of divine Science is claimed, our first step should be to realize that good alone exists, and that all evil is false, because it is evil. Evil has nothing to do with the man that God made, and in reality there is no other; therefore we need not "implore a corporeal God to heal the sick" (Ibid., p. 167); but we have to understand clearly divine Principle, and this teaches us that the perfect man of God's creation is the only one that truly exists. The mortal counterfeit is but our false sense of the real man, and this false sense of man will disappear in proportion as we know the truth of being to be true; that is, let "Soul-existence in the place of sense-existence" become an actuality in our present consciousness.

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