Disarming Mortal Mind

It is always desirable to disarm engines of human ill will, whether they appear as war's implements, or simply hate and jealousy between individuals or nations. But the abandonment of war paraphernalia and wrong motives really involves in some measure the disarmament or casting away of human or mortal mind. The mentality out of which proceeds that long catalogue of evils which Paul lists as "hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like," must be replaced by the divine Mind, the Mind that was in Christ Jesus. And knowing and adhering to infinite good, or Principle, as the one great power really opens the way to infinite armament, because the true man expressing Principle can never in reality be disarmed. The true idea, man or nation, is never absent from "the secret place of the most High," and possesses the "whole armour of God." The Almighty can no more be laid aside as man's upholder than God Himself could cease to be. If this were universally understood, it would take away at once all need of armies and navies and the "pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war."

The spiritual truth is always the best protection. Divine Mind or God is potent, and does not withhold His might from those who seek to understand and fulfill divine requirements. For infinite Love is indeed boundless and gives all good to its likeness. Often is there repeated in the Old Testament the statement that the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, together with the record of the troubles that came upon them in consequence, followed by the simple, inspiring assurance, "When the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel." It was the following after false gods that brought trouble to the Israelites, the false gods of material pursuits. When these ancient followers of the one God, or Principle, "cried unto the Lord" they defeated in war the enemies who were seeking to impose upon them those very gods of superstition and gross materialism. Crying to the Lord in this day, that is, having the desire to learn of divine Mind what is good for man, is bringing about disarmament of navies by achieving the disarmament of mortal or human mind, rendering its evil appetites and wrong purpose powerless. Just as the prohibition of alcoholic liquors comes swiftly when spiritual understanding has undermined the human belief of an appetite apart from the true desire to love God, so the disarmament of war's weapons will follow the subsiding of the desire for material power.

An example of the ultimate disarmament that nations will be expected to achieve and the true armament which will take its place is found in the story of the Master in the garden of Gethsemane when the armed servants of the high priest came to take him for trial and crucifixion. Peter, also armed, used his material weapon to wound one of the assailants. Christ Jesus healed the injury by restoring the ear that had been cut off and said to Peter, "Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" Thus the need of material arms was discounted in the face of spiritual understanding, and an ideal given for all time to men and nations by the scientific Way-shower. All who strive to do the healing works that Christ Jesus did will find that "twelve legions of angels" will be with them to flight their battles, nay, they will find that sooner or later the expression of materiality called war will begin to disappear. This wondrous time in near, and spiritual understanding is in a measure being used even now for the protection of nations. When it reaches its fullness all material armaments will be seen to be as obsolete as they really are now.