Article October 8, 1927 Issue

Activity

ANNIE GWENDOLEN ROE

In an age of much humanitarian activity, the student of Christian Science who wishes to be active in doing good should clearly comprehend the source and consequent right method of the activity in which he would engage. If he does not do this, he will find sooner or later that he has been wasting his time, because he has not been expressing activity in the true sense at all. Such an experience is quite unnecessary, and can be avoided if one is alert and obedient to the teachings of Christian Science. Our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, cogently writes in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 230), "Rushing around smartly is no proof of accomplishing much." Yet our Leader meant all students to be active, very active. And one knows that thought always precedes and accompanies right action.

Mrs. Eddy revealed to the world that God, Spirit, is the only Mind. She rediscovered the truth which Christ Jesus knew and taught to the world, making good his teaching by demonstration. She says in the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 275), "The starting-point of divine Science is that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other might nor Mind,—that God is Love, and therefore He is divine Principle." Farther down on the same page she says: "All substance, intelligence, wisdom, being, immortality, cause, and effect belong to God. These are His attributes, the eternal manifestations of the infinite divine Principle, Love. No wisdom is wise but His wisdom; no truth is true, no love is lovely, no life is Life but the divine; no good is, but the good God bestows." These are some of the fundamental truths which Christian Science teaches.

The student is aware, however, that another mind or process of thinking appears to be present to his consciousness which, in the light of Christian Science teaching, bears no relation to and is not subject to the one Mind, God, but is apparently governed by all sorts of material theories and beliefs. It would seem to be a natural thing to be obedient to Truth and so reflect the one divine Mind; but the human belief of a mind in matter is most unwilling to allow itself to be annihilated without much opposition. It will claim even to suggest to the student ways and means of achieving good which involve compromise with the essential basic truths of Christian Science. A limited understanding of Truth may argue for compromise, but this should be rigidly scrutinized. Slackness in this respect, if allowed, with consequent succumbing through mental indolence more and more to the wisdom and ways of this world, will mean the loss even of the spiritual understanding already possessed.

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