Inasmuch as a church organization is an aggregation of individuals, it necessarily follows that the spiritual status and progressive aspects of the organization are dependent upon the collective spiritualized consciousness of the church body as a whole. A moment's consideration of this fact impels the inference that each and every member has a direct and individual responsibility, duty, and privilege in establishing and upholding the ideals of that organization.

The Christian Science church organization is composed of those individual members of society who, through the redemptive and healing ministrations of the Christ, Truth, have been, in differing degrees, delivered from certain traits of carnal-mindedness, lifted, perhaps, out of poverty or limitation, or healed of disease. They come from many different nationalities, from nearly every state of society, with varying degrees of education and a wide variety of culture, traditions, temperamental tendencies, as well as ideals, not only of religion, but of practically all other human endeavor. And no member is satisfied with the good he has demonstrated, but wishes to be better. He is also actuated by the desire, if he has given as careful consideration to the Manual of The Mother Church as he should, to take an intelligent, active part in the organization, with all that that implies.

The Manual of The Mother Church is to the establishment of the Cause of Christian Science what the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, is to its elucidation. It therefore behooves the Christian Scientist to familiarize himself with all the By-laws of the Manual, strive to live up to the requirements himself, foster the highest possible Christian ideals for the church organization as a whole, and work for their fulfillment.

In view of what our Leader has said about evil, it would be superfluous to venture an interrogation as to whether or not it should be a topic of serious consideration for the Christian Scientist. It would be absurd for him to contend that any sensual pleasure is innocuous. All practices have their effects in the experience of the individual who indulges them, and frequently they encroach on the rights of others. Like thoughts, they are either good or bad; and they cannot be neutral in regard to effects. The way to prevent baneful practices is exactly the same as forestalling the beliefs of limitation or disease; that is, by handling the temptation, the suggestion, whenever it presents itself. Thus the way to dispense with established bad practices is precisely the same as dispensing with limitation or disease; namely, by the introduction to human consciousness of counteracting right ideas, and the relentless denial of erroneous mental pictures.

On page 404 of Science and Health under the marginal heading, "Appetites to be abandoned," our Leader says: "If a man is an inebriate, a slave to tobacco, or the special servant of any one of the myriad forms of sin, meet and destroy these errors with the truth of being,—by exhibiting to the wrong-doer the suffering which his submission to such habits brings, and by convincing him that there is no real pleasure in false appetites." Now as the indulgence of bad habits has its ill effects on the individual church member, tending to limit his progress in the matter of spiritualizing consciousness, it necessarily follows that he, being a component part of the whole membership, is lending himself as an instrument for restricting the demonstration of the church organization as a whole. So, then, it is clear that the problem of dispensing with a false appetite is not wholly a personal affair, but a church problem as well. Christian Scientists, then, should not lose sight of the fact that their conduct has a direct bearing on the standard and standing of the church; and if for no other reason than the progress of the church, they should always be eager to take a progressive step. When fairly confronted with that conviction, there is no other course for them to take than lovingly to overcome such habits as bring discredit to themselves, as well as to the Cause of Christian Science.

The argument may present itself that this interferes with one's personal rights—meaning really, one's personal desires; but that is not a valid reason, as the same thing might just as well be said of all the restrictions imposed by the Mosaic Decalogue, the demands incurred by the Beatitudes, and all the laws of one's country. In Proverbs we read, "The foolishness of man perverteth his way." The alert Christian Scientist will not be found arguing for, or justifying, even what may be considered the milder forms of vice, any more than he will argue for, condone, or in any degree tolerate what may be denominated the milder forms of disease. There is but one course to take when confronted with the temptation to indulge in any bad practice, and that is to be alert to "the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion," as Section 6 of Article VIII of the Manual of The Mother Church so strongly emphasizes.

The argument may present itself that dispensing with a bad practice of long standing will cause suffering, or may even be dangerous. Such a position cannot reasonably be taken, because every demonstration of the power of divine Mind to heal is the direct result of the application of divine law, and in direct contravention to man-made laws, so called, or false beliefs; and the Christian Scientist should never lose sight of these two important facts. Regardless of whether or not the phase of error that may have to be eliminated seem great or small, it is incidental to the operation of divine law. Paul declared in I Corinthians, "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."

Fear to face false, man-made laws and to assert one's rights as a child of God, is the bane of Christendom. Christians are accustomed to declare for the omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience of God, good; and yet how apt they are to fear the belief in an evil power! There are probably few fears more subtle than mankind's fear of dispensing with sensual pleasures; and this, primarily, because sin is supposed to give satisfaction; and, secondarily, for the reason that the beliefs of heredity and education tend to inveigle mankind into believing that in dispensing with such sinful pleasures it may suffer loss. In Science and Health (p. 242) Mrs. Eddy says: "There is but one way to heaven, harmony, and Christ in divine Science shows us this way. It is to know no other reality—to have no other consciousness of life—than good, God and His reflection, and to rise superior to the so-called pain and pleasure of the senses."

Copyright, 1923, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, Falmouth and St. Paul Streets, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.