Editorial January 18, 1919 Issue

Symmetry

Annie M. Knott

From the Christian Science viewpoint it is of utmost importance to lift thought above the outward material manifestation of man and to lay hold upon the divine idea which is never less than perfect. To the student of Christian Science, symmetry refers both primarily and ultimately to character and expresses poise and balance, in other words, God, Mind, made manifest. It goes without saying that the absence of well balanced character, which is so much in evidence in the world to-day, is not due to outward circumstances, but rather to wrong views of God and man, for if God is man's original, then an imperfect sense of God would inevitably express itself in imperfection on the human plane. For the same reason, the belief that God is Spirit and yet that man, His likeness, is material would in itself make impossible the manifestation of God through man, which is the end and should be the aim of all human endeavor.

In Mrs. Eddy's Christmas Sermon, which begins on page 161 of "Miscellaneous Writings," she presents the Christ-idea as revealed through Christ Jesus, whom she names "the Godlike, the anointed;" and on page 167 she asks, respecting what she terms "the infantile thought of God's man," this question: "Is he deformed?" The answer which she says pertains to the spiritual idea is as follows: "He is wholly symmetrical; the one altogether lovely." This may remind us of Isaiah's words which present the mortal and material estimate of God's man, "He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him."

Humanly speaking, many of the greatest characters in the world have not been symmetrical. It is, indeed, usually conceded that genius itself means in most cases one-sidedness, because the human energy is directed almost exclusively to the pursuit of some one thing, which does not bring out the rounded perfection of character that marks the expression of God's idea. Such lack of balance is, of course, abnormal, and does not meet the demand of Principle, which is never less than perfection, and perfection by its very nature calls for symmetry, a well balanced character, with all the moral and spiritual activities working together to express what Paul characterizes, in the fourth chapter of Ephesians, as "a perfect man," and reaching up to "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Symmetry

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access