Article December 6, 1913 Issue

Right Thinking

KENNETH B. ELLIMAN

We learn in metaphysics that life abides in consciousness; that the character of any one's life is determined by his thinking, hence right thinking means a right life. But how can we know how to think rightly? Most people naturally want to think and to do what seems to be right, but the amount of sickness, accidents, troubles, and failures in most lives, indicates that much of the thinking of the past has not been right. In Christian Science, as set forth in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy has shown us how to think rightly by teaching us the Principle of all true being and the rules for its demonstration. These the earnest and faithful student can learn to understand and live accordingly.

The beginning of all right thinking is God, the divine Mind, the creator and cause of all that is real, and we begin to apprehend God's character and how to distinguish His creation from everything else, when we accept Jesus' statement that God is Spirit. This being true, His creation is spiritual, and the spiritual is the only real. Matter being the opposite of Spirit, material things are unreal. Having grasped this clearly, we begin to think rightly, and if we adhere to this truth, namely, that God is the Principle of all real being, we shall continue in right thinking. The recognition of Spirit as divine Principle is the touchstone, as it were, by which we can test all thoughts to see if they are true and right.

But according to the teachings of Christian Science, besides being Spirit, the Principle of being, God is divine Mind, the source of all right ideas; hence all true thoughts are from God. Moreover, God is infinite, therefore the study of God is an infinite subject; and we can think rightly about everything only when we have a perfect knowledge of God. However, the habit of right thinking will fit us for further revelations of God's nature, until He is fully revealed in us and we are at one with Him. God being the source of all intelligence and all good, if we look constantly to Him we can but have an abundant supply of right ideas. Every idea that comes from God partakes of His nature; hence man, who is God's highest idea, is spiritual and perfect, and we should thus think of him. Furthermore, it is manifest that we can know the real man only as we know God.

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