Instead of leading men to destruction, Christian Science...

Miss Emily Johnson Jones, Committee on Publication for the State of North Carolina,—Charlotte

Hamlet News-Messenger

Instead of leading men to destruction, Christian Science is saving them every day from sin, disease, and destruction, by giving an understanding of God that they can demonstrate in their daily lives. Our Master's delineation of evil is scientific and can be proved; namely, that evil is a lie without cause or effect. Most men desire to be better, but know no way by which they can permanently overcome temptation and all evil.

What the world needs most to-day is to be saved from false concepts and teachings about God and man. What hope of salvation can one have who believes that God, who is the one infinite good, made and permits evil, actually using it for His own ends, and that evil is a power equal with God? This is in itself the greatest of evils, and breaks the First Commandment. If God made evil, and He is the only creator, He must be ever conscious of evil. It must be infinite, therefore indestructible; so that the nearer one might draw to God, even in prayer, the nearer would he be to evil! Such man-made doctrines, if they were true, would lead to self-annihilation. How all-important, then, that we have the right idea or knowledge of God!

The Scriptures tell us that God is infinite Mind, Life, Truth, and Love, the one and only good. "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity." Here then is our salvation,—to become Godlike. Through the ages men have persisted in worshiping a concept of God that is like themselves, sometimes even like the very worst of them,—filled with passion, anger, revenge, destructive hate, and so on,—all false gods. The prophets of the Old Testament had, in degrees, clearer views of God than the people in general, but Jesus was the first to teach mankind that God is Love; yet, God had not changed. Only the knowledge of God as infinite Love can prove the kingdom of heaven to be "at hand," and by reflecting this Love do we find the kingdom of heaven within us. Then have we the Mind that was in Christ Jesus, and are saved. This is the salvation that Christian Science brings to all.

The carnal mind includes the sickness and the sin that must be put off daily in order to reveal the image of God. When one begins in his daily thinking to give all power, intelligence, and reality to God, good, then he is giving up his belief in evil; in proportion as he does this he is himself being freed from all evil influences, from sickness and sin. This is the truth Jesus taught; but he left no definite rule by which we could demonstrate it completely after it was apparently lost in the first centuries. To Mrs. Eddy was revealed the rule by which all men may gain an understanding which they can demonstrate for themselves, how to express good instead of evil, truth instead of error, love instead of hate. On page 340 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy says, "The First Commandment is my favorite text. It demonstrates Christian Science." And farther on, "One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself;' annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry,—whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed." Christian Science does not ignore evil, but recognizes it for what it is,—a lie,—a lie about God and man; for we are told in Genesis that man is the image of God; that is, the image of good; the image of Love; the image of Life, divine Mind. Christian Science shows the only scientific and Christian way to destroy evil,—namely, through the demonstration of good.

Christ Jesus never thought or taught from the standpoint of the belief of condemnation and death, but from God's viewpoint of salvation and life, here and now. He lifted his concept of the world above evil into the allness of God, good, the kingdom of heaven within. Mrs. Eddy says in "Pulpit and Press" (p. 3), "Our surety is in our confidence that we are indeed dwellers in Truth and Love, man's eternal mansion."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Christian Science is the Science of Life

March 17, 1923

Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit