Editorial October 30, 1926 Issue

True Witnesses

Ella W. Hoag

It is generally understood that to be a witness means to bear testimony. One who makes anything known, who declares for or substantiates a thing, who gives evidence of or for something, is a witness thereto. Since the beginning of time mankind has accounted it as highly commendable to bear true witness, while it has been considered equally reprehensible to testify falsely. In the Decalogue we have the definite commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour;" and in Revelation John honors Jesus by speaking of him as "the faithful witness."

To the Christian Scientist there, perhaps, comes no greater desire than to walk in the footsteps of Jesus by always bearing witness to the truth. When Christian Science first knocks at the door of one's consciousness, it awakens him quickly to the fact that he has not had a very clear understanding of what it implies to be an unfailingly true witness. One may have believed himself to be thoroughly honest; indeed, he no doubt would repudiate vigorously any implication that he ever permitted himself to express dishonesty. He, however, discovers in this new light that to stand for the truth, and the truth alone, in the way Christian Science demands evidently requires a greater understanding of Truth itself than he has yet attained!

Christian Science teaches primarily that since Spirit, God, alone is real, spiritual sense only can bear witness to Truth. Herein is the basis for all Christianly scientific demonstration of the power of Truth over error. The material senses, because they are but the supposititious opposite to spiritual sense, cannot testify truly. They are but the false testimony of a false sense, and their witness is unreliable, untrue. Since evidence based on the testimony of matter is untrue and powerless, it is only as we learn to reflect the witness of God Himself that we can ever do similar works to those of Jesus and his disciples.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial

"If God be for us, who can be against us?"