"Neither shall they learn war any more"

Ella W. Hoag

Isaiah's prophecy of the time when "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more," has always held out a blessed hope to mankind, and mankind is beginning to think this hope may be realized. It is even commencing to believe it would like to be rid of war. Perhaps nothing is more in the thought of the world at large to-day than that the nations shall be spared present and future conflict. Men are surely learning that little can really be gained from strife, and they are talking of ways and means whereby all war may be avoided. They are wondering if their desires cannot be gained in some less terrible manner than that which not only results in destruction to their neighbor and his interests, but which also involves more or less disaster to themselves and their own affairs. Indeed, it is certainly dawning upon the world that one cannot suffer alone. The interests of all men are so interwoven that if one be blessed all are blessed, if one be harmed the blight falls in some measure on all.

Christian Science teaches clearly that in a certain sense every one's interests are identical. It is therefore quite impossible for any one to say, I am entirely independent of my fellow-men, hence it makes little difference to me what may be affecting them either harmfully or otherwise. All men are really linked indissolubly with each other, and it is only as they waken to this fact that they will give up their self-seeking and begin to look for their own in their neighbor's good. When men learn that in blessing their neighbor they really subserve their own interests, they will recognize Jesus' wisdom when he laid such stress on the commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 467) Mrs. Eddy has made a statement which is perfectly familiar to every Christian Scientist. It is one that Scientists have studied and quoted perhaps as frequently as any other. She writes: "It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brotherhood of man will be established." On the practice of the truth this statement sets forth the future prosperity of our Cause largely depends. Certainly it can never be considered too earnestly or used too exactly. Therein is the path to the demonstration of perfect unity among men and the consequent abolition of all that makes for war. Indeed it is only through the demonstration of this truth that war will finally be done away with. Christian Scientists therefore should awaken to the responsibility which it is theirs to prove,—first of all among themselves,—that this truth is practical, that it may be demonstrated here and now.

In all the breadth of the movement of Christian Science, which is so dear to every one of us, there is probably no one who does not accept this statement of our Leader as the absolute truth. We all believe we have the same God and Father; that we have the same Mind, Life, Truth, Love. Also, that we become perfect in proportion as we understand and demonstrate this. We have therefore all accepted this as a foundation stone of our faith. Then surly we cannot fail to see that the interests of all Christian Scientists are—must be—identical. It is therefore our responsibility, individually and collectively, to prove this among ourselves if we expect to reach out to a world which still considers itself more or less opposed to Christian Science, and to help that world to know this truth which will abolish all war.

The question then arises: If we were all really living this truth we profess, would it ever be possible that there could be any dissensions among Scientists? Certainly not! How easy then to see that if misunderstanding and disagreement ever appear, it must be because instead of considering only the truth of our unity with each other in God, in Mind, Life, Truth, Love, thought has been allowed to wander in the beliefs of some form of selfishness; in some way we are still seeking our own, not our neighbor's good.

It there is war against our brother in our heart, it will be well also to remember and use what our Leader tells us in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 224): "It is our pride that makes another's criticism rankle, our self-will that makes another's deed offensive, our egotism that feels hurt by another's self-assertion." Whatever the mistakes, whatever the intentional wrongs, whatever the apparent provocations, we have always the method of Christian Science with which to demonstrate that there need never be war among brethren. Since this is our professed faith it is then the duty of every one of us to cast out the beliefs of pride, self-will, egotism, until we prove in our own thinking the truth that "all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love." In this way we shall show that we do love our neighbor as oursefl, and the world will rejoicingly embrace Christian Science, which fulfills Isaiah's prophecy, "Neither shall they learn war any more."

Ella W. Hoag

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