Disrobing Errors of Belief

MARIAN GREGG

Throughout the Scriptures thought is sometimes likened to garments; and Mary Baker Eddy, the author of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," sometimes employs the same metaphor. Such comparisons often bring home spiritual truths to us very forcibly.

Mortals have been falsely taught to believe that man is a material being; so they have come to believe that thinking may be of a material nature. It is the discovery that all true thought comes from God, and is therefore a spiritual activity, that enables men to understand the erroneous nature of that which calls itself material thinking. Or, to follow the metaphor, the robes of right thinking must replace the soiled garments of materiality before one can even begin to understand God or to comprehend one's own true nature.

When men become dissatisfied with the false coverings of material thinking and sincerely long for the robes of righteousness, they at once start clothing themselves with true, spiritual thinking. Christ Jesus came, in response to this true longing, to show men that the only way to peace and holiness is through thinking only true thoughts, which come from God. He used a similar metaphor in his parable of the wedding guest who could not remain in the presence of Truth and Love because of his failure to clothe himself with the spiritual thought-robes necessary for communion with the one Mind, God.

Christian Science shows men what spiritual thinking really is, and how they are to understand and utilize it. Mrs. Eddy says on page 406 of her textbook: "The Science of being unveils the errors of sense, and spiritual perception, aided by Science, reaches Truth. Then error disappears." When one is willing prayerfully to study the Science of being, or Christian Science, and at all times endeavor to put into practice what he has learned, he becomes conscious of holding in his grasp a real, spiritual weapon. This weapon is spiritual perception. He learns that only as thought dwells on goodness, purity, joy, strength, beauty, health, wholesomeness, and the like, can it be called thinking at all.

As we strive daily to keep our consciousness filled with the spiritual requisites for true thinking, our false mental coverings begin to drop away from us. As we become more familiar with the nature and quality of spiritual thought, these counterfeits and substitutes for real thinking become increasingly easy to detect and cast aside. Unreal thoughts have never been able to give us comfort or protection. Our daily effort to hold thought to that which is good and beautiful, to God as Mind, Truth, Life, and Love, and to man as His image and likeness, increases our spiritual perception. This true perception unveils the errors of sense and aids us in the destruction of the warp and woof of envy, hatred, revenge, fear, and the like. Spiritual perception supplies us with the understanding with which to recognize true thoughts; and we find our comfort and pleasure and health in letting them replace the false beliefs of sin, disease, and death.

Little by little, day by day, this regeneration goes on in our individual consciousness until of our old beliefs and fears only the shreds and tatters of false thought-habits are left. At this point there is great need for the Christian Scientist to examine with sincerity and humility his attitude toward these last-remaining shreds. False theological views, health theories, self-love, self-justification, vain excuses, blaming others for our lack of progress, silent or verbal dissertations on the hampering effect of our environment, our work, or our family—the tatters of these false coverings may still be trailing for us to stumble over as we climb.

On page 201 of Science and Health we read: "Let us disrobe error. Then, when the winds of God blow, we shall not hug our tatters close about us." We can draw upon the inexhaustible source of divine Mind for sufficient strength, honesty, courage, and wisdom to recognize these tatters for what they are and cast them aside, knowing that God, our Father-Mother, will clothe us in the garments of true, spiritual thought, sufficient to protect us from every adverse wind. As we understand and demonstrate this fact, we can sing with Isaiah, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Election Meetings in Christian Science Churches

January 10, 1931

Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit