Article November 16, 1912 Issue

Since very serious misconceptions prevail as to the...

E. M. Ramsay

Montrose (Scot.) Standard

Since very serious misconceptions prevail as to the methods employed by Christian Science, I hope you will find space for the following correction. Christian Science teaches that there is but one Mind, the divine intelligence, reflected or manifested by whatever is true in the thought of man or beast; it shows that the opposite belief that each one of us possesses a mind of his own is untrue and dangerous. If indeed each man possessed a mind of his own, there would be no possibility of heaven, and the race would be doomed to annihilation from the ceaseless friction of mind on mind. In considering the science of arithmetic, we see clearly the uselessness and absurdity of personal opinion; the student strives to find out what is true, and willingly subordinates his opinions and guesses to the truth which he sees. So the student of Christian Science is striving to divest himself of personal wishes and opinions, that he may learn what is true and yield it joyful obedience.

Let us suppose that the beginner in Christian Science is confronted with the problem of an enemy. A man has injured him, treats him unjustly, pursues him with hatred, stands in the way of his progress in life. What should the student do? How should he deal with the man? The first step he must take is to see clearly that there is in reality but one Mind; that consequently there are not two minds opposed to one another, however much this may seem to be the case. It is not enough, however, to see this theoretically, he must go deeper and begin to cast out of his own thought that which is unlike God. In examining his heart he sees how strong a hold on him fear has taken. What is this fear? Disbelief in the omnipotence of God, good, a belief that injustice, cruelty, hatred, though entirely opposed to God, yet possess some of the divine attributes, are powerful, enduring, and successful. Then, looking once more into his heart, he recognizes resentment, and sees that by answering injustice with resentment, he is himself keeping up the belief in an evil power, adding to its seeming strength. Perhaps he finds that he cannot get rid of this fear and resentment; they are too deeply rooted. Then let him turn to the beatitudes, and pray earnestly for meekness, purity, mercifulness, and he will find a new sense of power coming to him, a clearer sense of God's presence, a new, beautiful sense of tenderness taking the place once filled by fear and resentment. From this truer, higher point of view, he begins to see the injustice, cruelty, and hatred which once appeared to form a man, as apart from man, as false beliefs, false gods, as powerless lies. Since God is good and is infinite, good must be infinite. There can be no place for injustice, cruelty, and hatred in infinite good, nor can there be anything real outside of infinity.

This work, faithfully done and patiently continued, will bring results which would once have seemed miraculous. The student finds that the difficulties which have surrounded him were of his own making, or to speak more accurately, of his own acceptance; he finds that as he becomes more obedient to God, he becomes free from the tyranny of men; as his understanding of infinite Love increases, his sense of difficulty, of failure, grows less; by becoming a better Christian, he becomes a more useful and successful man. In this way the student of Christian Science defends himself from evil, is lifted out of bondage by the love of God, is enabled to return good for evil, and perchance may save his brother. "The weapons of our welfare are not carnal," the apostle Paul writes, "but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."

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