Editorial August 26, 1922 Issue

A Sure Defense

Ella W. Hoag

The psalmist sang, "My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart." Since Christian Science defines God as Truth, the conclusion naturally follows that Truth is our defense. How simple the further sequence,—that Truth defends us from its supposititious opposite, the liar and its lies! Then the question arises, But how does Truth do this? The Christian Scientist would quickly reply, First, by showing us a lie as a lie; secondly, by rebuking it; and, finally, by destroying its every least claim that a lie could ever have power or reality.

In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 334) Mrs. Eddy writes: "Why do Christian Scientists treat disease as disease, since there is no disease? This is done only as one gives the lie to a lie; because it is a lie, without one word of Truth in it." Were evil ever real or true, it would be hopeless and useless to try to defend one's self against it. Reality, however, can never be changed. It can never cease to be the truth. In all the mental work of the Christian Scientist he must, therefore, recognize that he is not striving to destroy something real. On the contrary, his defense is always in convincing the human consciousness with the truth that the evil is not real, is not true; that since it is unlike God, good, it must be without origin or cause, without law to support it, without Mind to defend or to sustain it. It is, therefore, nonentity, nothing!

Now, a sure defense is that which is impregnable, since a right defense is always unassailable. It has no least point of weakness, and perfectly surrounds that which needs protection. "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever." What a marvelous understanding of the spiritual import of this statement the illumination of Christian Science gives us! What but Truth itself could present such an absolutely impregnable, all-surrounding, ever present defense!

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