Article July 15, 1922 Issue

Limbo

ANNE CLEVELAND CHENEY

A Common experience of the young student in Christian Science is to approach the writings of its Discoverer and Founder, Mary Baker Eddy, with a certain challenging, critical sense toward her use of words,—a trick of supposed intellectual superiority by which those ignorant of spiritual truth are often deceived; prejudice having a way, like the ventriloquist, of making its voice seem to come from a direction quite other than its real source. With increasing joy and humility, however, the same student, if in earnest, finds with what accuracy and illumination she whose mission it was to reveal the Science of Spirit, chose her words.

One student, before she grew to realize the supreme debt of gratitude due our great Leader, often questioned Mrs. Eddy's choice of words in the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." The following passage on page 318, in particular, was sharply challenged: "The material senses originate and support all that is material, untrue, selfish, or debased. They would put soul into soil, life into limbo, and doom all things to decay." "Life into limbo" seemed obscure and unsatisfactory. The student even went so far as to be apprehensive lest the charm of alliteration had caused a swerving from accuracy of statement on the author's part. Later, however, being filled with a deep desire, the urge of a great need, to find absolute fidelity and correctness in one who had a message of such profound import to give to suffering humanity, she pondered this passage, with the inevitable result—that it proved to be clarity itself.

These three stages are common to the student of Christian Science: first, the challenge and criticism; next, the apprehensiveness lest the great expectation may not have its doubts cleared away; finally, the rich assurance that the Founder and Leader has given impregnable proof of her fitness for the task. Thus, we progress into full and reverent agreement with the declaration (Science and Health, p. 110): "No human pen nor tongue taught me the Science contained in this book, Science and Health; and neither tongue nor pen can overthrow it."

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