Right Resistance

Ella W. Hoag

It appears to take some time for men to learn the difference between right and wrong resistance, especially in the overcoming of evil. While those who stand for righteousness generally agree that all which is good and true should never be resisted, but obeyed and supported, when it comes to dealing with evil there seems much diversity of opinion as to the proper manner in which to do this effectually. Some argue for the universal and positive resistance of all that is wrong; while others insist that resistance is rarely, if ever, the correct method to be used in the conquering of anything. Indeed, this divergence of thought has been the ground on which many Christians have waged a more or less relentless warfare.

Now Christian Science stands unequivocally for the resistance of all evil. From beginning to end it teaches that evil of every name and nature is to be resisted, rejected, renounced, denied. In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 114), in speaking of the duty of Christian Scientists in this regard, Mrs. Eddy says, "They must always have on armor, and resist the foe within and without." Earnest students of Christian Science are all quite aware that this command of their Leader can be obeyed only as they cling so steadfastly to good that evil will be recognized as belief instead of person. So long as one identifies evil with persons it will appear to have a foundation, and the task of resisting and overcoming it will seem almost, if not quite, impossible.

Because nations and individuals have fought evil for centuries on a personal basis, they have found it apparently increasing in its claims to entity and power. When, however, Christian Science explains the way to divorce evil from persons by showing it to be only false belief,—the outrageous claim to a presence and power apart from God, who is infinite good,—right resistance immediately becomes possible. The instant one begins to regard evil thus, he sees that the place for resistance is in his own thinking. There is where every one must refuse to accept any belief in that which does not belong to God, divine Mind. There the foe both from within and without must be met and overcome with the truth of being. The temptations to admit, acknowledge, believe in, or express anything which is unlike good must there be resisted until they are proved unreal.

The foe which knocks at our mental door, whether it claims to originate "within" or "without," is therefore merely an error of belief. Whether it says it belongs to our personality or to that of some one else, always the belief in evil—not person—is what must be resisted. Always evil must be seen to be without basis or superstructure, without cause or effect, without entity or power, without personality or mind,—merely the nothingness of nothing,—since in infinite space there is room only for the infinitude of good. This truth makes it possible for us to understand that evil is the one common enemy attempting to deceive men into believing that it is real and true. Then we should hasten as quickly to resist our belief in the evil which claims to be expressing itself through our brother as through ourselves. While we always desire to leave our brother alone with God in our thinking, in order to do this we must refuse to admit the belief in evil wherever it may say it is operating.

One very important point to be remembered is that evil's claim to reality should never be allowed to remain for a moment in consciousness, but should be rebuked, rejected, denied, until it is completely silenced in our own thinking and experience,—until we have lost sight of its claim. When we thus realize the illusory nature of evil, we shall be able to speak with authority to it whenever it knocks for entrance at our mental door. Our own thinking may therefore at all times be kept undisturbed and triumphant over any sense of reality in evil, whether it presents itself as sin or sickness, as person or thing.

When James declared, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you," he comforted us with a great hope in connection with the warfare with evil. And Christian Science magnifies this hope by showing plainly that since all real law and activity belong to God, infinite good, evil must be without power to be or to act; hence it may always be resisted with good. How wonderful, then, is the constant privilege of the Christian Scientist! He may continually resist the temptation to believe in any claim of evil through knowing the presence of its divine opposite. As we press steadily forward, refusing to admit as real evil's every claim, we shall prove the truth of our Leader's unparalleled statement in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 364), "Animal magnetism, hypnotism, etc., are disarmed by the practitioner who excludes from his own consciousness, and that of his patients, all sense of the realism of any other cause or effect save that which cometh from God." This is always to have on our armor! This is indeed right resistance!

Ella W. Hoag

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