Article May 16, 1914 Issue

Bearing False Witness

JOHN M. DEAN

Viewed in the spiritual light of Christian Science, it is natural and logical for things to take on a much deeper meaning than is generally attached to them, and thus the definition of sin comprehends far more than is meant by the ordinary interpretation of that word. This larger way of looking at things at once impresses the beginner in Christian Science, who inevitably realizes a constant widening and deepening of his thought; and this expanded understanding not only takes in the round of daily experience, but it revitalizes the sacred pages of the Bible to such a marked degree that the student begins to wonder why its transcendent truths were not always apparent. A study of the ten commandments through this scientific method is peculiarly interesting.

Time and again, by her compelling logic Mrs. Eddy has driven home the thought that the first of these commandments is the key-note of all, for to have "other gods before me" is not merely to bow down before a carved image of wood or stone. It is done every moment of the day by teeming millions of people throughout Christendom, who in countless ways, by thought, word, or deed, ascribe place or power to aught beside God, infinite good. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 340) Mrs. Eddy vividly shows the all-pervading influence of this commandment in the affairs of men and throws a wonderful light on these words of James: "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." All the other commandments are thus seen to be elaborations of the first, and serve simply to forbid the various phases of idol worship which mortal mind has subdivided to suit its own whims.

In line with this spiritual mode of reasoning, it becomes plain that the command, "Thou shalt not kill," cannot be confined to the ordinary conception of physical murder with a material weapon, for it must be evident that one who thinks harmful thoughts of his fellow man,—thoughts of malice, hatred, jealousy, revenge, and all the hideous train which human thinking ofttimes, and always vainly, attempts to clothe with respectability,—is, in a greater or less degree, a murderer. It is impossible to separate from the thought the intent or desire to injure. Indeed, they are one and the same, for the thin partition dividing thought from action is removed. In a similar manner, Christian Science enables one to perceive the deeper meaning in each of the commandments, so that the act of stealing, of breaking the Sabbath, of dishonoring one's father and mother, etc., becomes imbued with a nearer significance, and each positive and negative command stands out like a beacon-fire to light the dark nooks and crannies of human consciousness, and to govern one's relations with his fellow men.

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