Editorial February 26, 1927 Issue

Faith in God versus False Responsibility

Ella W. Hoag

Men have preached for ages that faith in God is a saving grace. They have declared that such faith will solve all problems, unravel all snarls, dissolve all difficulties, and establish good for the individual as well as for society at large. All Christian peoples have longed to compass this faith, and have worked and prayed to this end. They have seen that this faith must always be based on God's ability to govern; on the recognition that His power is equal to the perfect control of all things, at all times, under all circumstances.

The endeavor to gain this all-embracing faith in God, this unchangeable assurance that in Him is salvation from every form and claim of evil, has, however, appeared to be opposed and thwarted on every side by beliefs in a personal sense of ability, in a false responsibility rising from belief in a personal desire to govern, in a personal power to control. These beliefs have proved to be an almost universal deterrent to proper faith in God. To have faith in God's absolute, infinite government and at the same time to entertain faith in a personal ability to govern and control is an utter impossibility. Such belief in personal authority shuts out from consciousness any real reliance on God, and replaces true faith with a mistaken dependence on one's own belief in personal power to govern one's self or to control or be controlled by another person or persons.

When Christian Science was revealed to the world, it brought with it the definite method whereby all men are to learn to know and trust God's perfect government of the universe and all it includes. It is inevitable that eventually every knee must bow to God, and every tongue must confess that the Almighty God is the one and only governor of all. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 295) Mrs. Eddy writes: "God creates and governs the universe, including man. The universe is filled with spiritual ideas, which He evolves, and they are obedient to the Mind that makes them."

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