Article April 14, 1923 Issue

The Golden Rule

WILSON M. SOUTHAM

Jesus' priceless statement, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them," has become known as the Golden Rule, and is now recognized as a fundamental law by conscientious Christians in their dealings with others. Most Christians, when practicing this rule, believe they are complying with its requirements fully when it governs their physical activities. Christian Science teaching, however, is making increasingly clear to its students that one's actions are but a part of one's endeavor to practice this rule; that its full requirement demands the closest possible watch over one's thinking, in order always to think of others as we would have others think of us, as well as to act toward them as we would have them act toward us.

As students of Christian Science, we know how important it is to perceive only the truth about all things with which we come in contact in our day-to-day living. Then, how very important and helpful a bearing it would have on our experience, if every individual with whom we had any dealings, or whose thought rested on us at all, would accept as real only the divine idea of man. We would surely prefer such a perfect concept to be held in others' thoughts, rather than the imperfect and materially limited one usually held toward us. It is our duty, as sincere Christian Scientists endeavoring to practice the Golden Rule, persistently to contemplate only the pure and perfect image of the Father, in whom are reflected the God-qualities of justice, wisdom, intelligence, understanding, truth, love, harmonious activity, selflessness, peace, patience, righteous judgment, and so on.

In other words, we must do as Mrs. Eddy points out that Jesus, our Way-shower, did, when she states in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 476): "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick." To the degree we are successful in practicing the Golden Rule in this manner, in the home, in the church, and in our social and business life, we are bringing into our daily experience the kingdom of heaven, manifesting health, joy, and well-being in all our activities.

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