Authorship

Annie M. Knott

First and last the world has a good deal to say about authorship. That the use of the word author is not confined to one who has written a book, is made clear if we study some of the dictionary definitions of the term; for instance, "The beginner or first mover of anything; hence the efficient cause of a thing; an originator." This is of course very comprehensive, and rightly so, and in Christian Science thought is at once lifted to the divine Author of man's being, the first and only cause of all that is real. Apart from Christian Science, however, we sometimes hear a mortal spoken of as the author of another's existence, but students of Christian Science learn to be very discriminating in dealing with such vital questions, and so they fully accept the statements of their text-book to the effect that God is the only cause and creator, or to use the apostle's words, "the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

There are of course a great many who are ready to admit that God is the author of all created things, but to them this means that He is directly or indirectly responsible for sin, disease, and death, hence their author, although the Bible tells us that all which God created is like Himself, good. On one occasion two young students of Christian Science were talking in the presence of an elderly lady respecting a case of healing which was being brought out under this treatment. This lady, who knew about the case, asked some questions, and as the ailment had been diagnosed by physicians as an incurable disease, she ventured to say that she thought it was wrong for any one to attempt to heal such an awful illness, as she was sure no one could do this except the one who had caused it.

One of the Scientists smilingly responded at this point, "You mean the devil, do you not?" which brought forth from the other lady the sharp rejoinder, "No, indeed; I mean God." This was of course a sobering thought to the Christian Scientists, because they had learned that such a belief not only dishonors God, but is in direct opposition to the teachings of Christ Jesus. They therefore ventured to remind their friend that, according to John, Jesus came to "destroy the works of the devil," and that he healed all manner of disease. It goes without saying that this lady, although a Bible student and a sincere Christian, had never thought of this; but the logic of Christian Science is inexorable, and the beauty of its arguments is that they always honor God and Christ Jesus and exalt the true idea of man as His image and likeness.

In referring again to this question of authorship, there is a beautiful passage in the twelfth chapter of Hebrews, where we are encouraged to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us," all the while "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." Now before we came to Christian Science we were taught to think lovingly and reverently of Jesus, sometimes to believe that he was one of the persons of the Godhead; but if we had thought about the authorship of disease and death, we should probably have said that Jesus as the Son of the Father must likewise be responsible for them. Paul's inspiring statement, however, gives us quite a different view of the situation, and Christian Scientists joyfully acknowledge that Christ Jesus is indeed the author, the "originator," of the faith in God and the all-power of good of which they have gained such clear views through Mrs. Eddy's teachings.

We come to see that while there are many authors of disease theories, there can be no author of disease, for disease is not a reality on which any veritable hypothesis can be based. It is at most a negative condition based upon a false supposition, and its tendency from first to last is self-destructive. When we turn away from this to the teaching of Christ Jesus as understood in Christian Science, we at once lay hold upon divine Principle, and thus we have a sure anchor for our faith, one which holds in any storm of mortal experience, and this means that we have accepted his unequivocal assurance of life eternal.

Annie M. Knott.

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