Article April 9, 1921 Issue

A Plea for Tolerance

HELEN B. BRIDGMAN

IN speaking of Jesus the Christ, Mary Baker Eddy has written in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 54): "Through the magnitude of his human life, he demonstrated the divine Life. Out of the amplitude of his pure affection, he defined Love. With the affluence of Truth, he vanquished error." This is not only a rare and beautiful triad of spiritual graces, revealing the complete and abundant proof of the wholeness of divine Principle, but it is also a very possible model for mankind to follow. Sometimes we are apt to hold aloof from individuals because of their differences of religious expression and because we suspect in them a spirit of unfriendliness; this also fosters in ourselves an attitude of clannishness far removed from the teachings of Jesus. This point of view has led many of us astray, often preventing that opportunity of divine proof wherein we have the privilege of displaying a magnitude of thought and beholding the offspring of God, instead of recognizing only the contrary expression, thus gaining the mortal's confidence and trust.

Such was the compassion and affection of Jesus of Nazareth, who wept because humanity could not understand his love and divine message; but he continued to teach and heal, knowing full well that the following would be inevitable when the Spirit of truth, the holy Comforter, became recognized. As Christian Scientists we must befriend all, substituting for the conception of friendship so commonly accepted a friendship that is always spiritual and loving, a friendship that is always true, with the motive of pure justice, and a friendship that is always compassionate, founded upon divine Principle, which is "the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." Consecration to this practice brings us into a larger and finer realization of the sweet and abounding amplitude of pure affection. It also gives us a deeper appreciation of the complexities and perplexities of error, and establishes in our thought that oneness of idea and unity of manifestation resulting in freedom from a sense of mortal selfhood in ourselves or others. To those who are richly supplied with this affluent truth there can never be any sense of cleavage or of separation.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

A Plea for Tolerance

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access