Health

W. Stuart Booth

Due to the generally accepted notion that men are physical beings, living in and dependent upon matter, mankind has associated both health and disease with what it terms material conditions. And because mankind has taught itself to believe that the human body is self-acting and creates its own conditions, a sense of helplessness and fear has been engendered in connection with the thought of sickness. In fact, humanity in general has come to regard disease, discord, and decrepitude as inevitable instead of health, harmony, and strength. That this sad condition inheres even with many who believe in the Bible is due to the fact that religious thought has been influenced largely by the commonly accepted systems of medicine.

During many years of illness and invalidism Mary Baker Eddy tried various forms of medical treatment, and in fact practiced homeopathy while living at Groton, New Hampshire, about the year 1856. Her medical experiences and experiments taught her that the apparent efficacy of medicine is due to human faith, in other words, is mental. Thus her thought was turned somewhat away from the generally accepted material beliefs. From childhood Mrs. Eddy had been a devoted student of the Bible, and it was the spiritual illumination of Scripture which led to her discovery of Christian Science, the Science of Christianity which was taught and demonstrated by Christ Jesus.

The Scriptural explanations and instructions regarding health and sickness are diametrically different from material theories. For instance, instead of inculcating fear of food Christ Jesus said definitely: "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. . . . For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts. . . . These are the things which defile a man." Our Master's words to a palsied man whom he healed, "Thy sins be forgiven thee," indicate his recognition and designation of the trouble as a condition and manifestation of evil thought. Christ Jesus' knowledge of God as the one infinite divine Mind, the Father of all true ideas, enabled him to rebuke the sinful thought and nullify its outward expression called palsy.

After Mrs. Eddy had spiritually discerned the law of God, by means of which Jesus, the master Metaphysician, had replaced sickness with health, and after she had subsequently verified her spiritual discovery by healing all manner of disease, she wrote this clear, definitive statement in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 120): "Health is not a condition of matter, but of Mind; nor can the material senses bear reliable testimony on the subject of health." In conformity with the explicit statement made by Paul, Christian Science teaches that we live, move, and have our consciousness or being in God. Then, since we live in God, divine Mind, it must be that our health is in and of Mind, not matter. That being true, mankind should cease its fruitless search for health in matter, and turn whole-heartedly to God, the infinite source and impartial supplier of good, health, harmony. and strength.

When one is tempted to believe that he is deprived of health, that his physical body has become disarranged, let that one but turn humbly and honestly to Christian Science with the desire and intent to depend solely upon the spiritual power and means employed by Christ Jesus, and he will find that he is being brought directly in touch with God, "who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." As one is led through honesty and humility to obey the spiritual demands of Christian Science, he will find that this needed cooperation aligns his thought with God's law of harmony, which is ever operative to annul all discord.

That the leaven of Christian Science is reaching even the medical thought is indicated by a statement of Dr. Robert Hutchinson, physician to the London Hospital: "What we need for the attainment of health, as individuals is not more knowledge, but a change of heart. We hear catch phrases about a 'Nation's health is a nation's wealth,' 'Health is the country's greatest asset,'and so on. Believe me, that is cant. A country's greatest asset is character. Let us, therefore, cultivate character and let health look after itself, being assured that to a nation made up of men and women of character, all things, health included, will be added."

Since, as Christian Science posits and proves, health is in and of Mind or God it is obvious that each one will obtain the immutable sense of health as he conforms his thinking to divine Mind's standard, as he accepts as true only those thoughts which bespeak God's goodness, harmony, perfection, and purity, and rejects as false every suggestion of fear, selfishness, envy, in fact, all evil. Because this is God's will for man we are assured that we have the support and protection of omnipotence in our every righteous endeavor to gain and reflect God's gift of health.

W. Stuart Booth

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October 15, 1932

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