Awakening to the Facts of Existence

Duncan Sinclair

With a persistence that will not be stayed, that cannot be stayed, Christian Science is calling upon mankind to awaken to the facts of existence. It is the same call as was uttered by Christ Jesus and, in a measure, by every one of the prophets who preceded him. Repentance—repentance from sin—is included in the call, and reformation, too; but it goes far beyond that, even to the entire regeneration of the human selfhood.

What is the situation as it pertains to mankind? All believe more or less in the reality of matter and material existence; the majority believe more or less in the reality of Spirit and spiritual existence. That is to say, mankind as a whole believes in the reality of Spirit and matter, in the reality of spiritual existence and material existence. And it is spiritual sense which testifies to the former, and so-called material sense which bears witness to the latter.

Consider the position still more closely. Mortals appear to live in a material universe. The five physical senses plead for the reality of that universe: the eye to see it; the ear to hear it; the tongue to taste it; and the senses of touch and smell apparently add their quota to the evidence which it is held goes to prove the existence and reality of matter. On the other hand, there exists the spiritual realm attested to by spiritual sense. Here the qualities of Spirit are recognized, such as goodness, love, purity, courage, honesty, humility, constancy, faith, intelligence, and so on—qualities with not a trace of materiality about them. So that to mortals two distinct kingdoms appear to exist side by side. Briefly, that is the position as it presents itself to and concerns mankind.

Now Christian Science declares that spiritual existence alone is real. It argues that since God, Spirit, is infinite, what mortals call matter has no real existence; and it maintains that spiritual sense alone is capable of revealing the facts of existence. Thus Christian Science gives an unequivocal denial to so-called material sense and material existence. Mrs. Eddy states the Christian Science position perfectly when she writes on pages 95 and 96 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," "Material sense does not unfold the facts of existence; but spiritual sense lifts human consciousness into eternal Truth," immediately thereafter adding, "Humanity advances slowly out of sinning sense into spiritual understanding; unwillingness to learn all things rightly, binds Christendom with chains."

The beloved Master well knew the reason for all human burdens to be material sense. But he knew also the awakening or healing power of Truth, and the wondrous fact that if one should approach God with the sincere desire for an understanding of Truth, he would not be denied. "Ask, and it shall be given you," he said; "seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Jesus' own faith was so deep and pure, and his knowledge of the truth so profound, that he was able to realize the facts of real or spiritual existence, including sinlessness and health, so clearly as to be able utterly to deny material existence and all its illusory manifestations—thus healing the sick and the sinning.

The attitude of Christian Science to sickness and sin is precisely the same as was that of Christ Jesus. Christian Science holds that sickness and sin are the seeming effects of believing in the reality of matter and material existence, and that both are nothing more than phases of a dream consciousness. Our revered Leader writes (Science and Health, p. 417), "To the Christian Science healer, sickness is a dream from which the patient needs to be awakened," thus giving expression to what takes place in every healing of disease and sin through the understanding of the facts of existence, or the truths of being, which Christian Science reveals. The Christian Science practitioner never approaches a case of sickness under the belief that he can destroy, or needs to destroy, anything real. He knows that "sickness is a dream," and he approaches the case in order to endeavor to awaken the so-called sick person out of the dream.

Although in Christian Science practice sickness is known to be a dream, the Christian Scientist recognizes that to the sick person disease may seem to be very real. The Christian Scientist, therefore, does not ignore the suffering sense or the fear of the patient—far from it. In his treatment of the case he takes these and all other apparent false beliefs into account, handling them, denying them, through his understanding of the facts of spiritual existence. The evidence of material sense is seen by him to be erroneous; and he destroys this false evidence by the realization of the truth. Thus, Christian Science treatment is not haphazard, but scientific, being based on an understanding, clear and definite, of the facts of existence—God and His creation.

Duncan Sinclair

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