Editorial November 5, 1932 Issue

Principle in Christian Science Practice

Duncan Sinclair

Christian Scientists are learning to turn to God for aid in the solution of all their problems. Christian Science has instructed them in the nature of God, has informed them of His altogether perfect and reliable nature, and so is enabling them to have recourse to Him at all times. And the nature of Deity it has revealed in no small degree in those various synonyms which Mrs. Eddy uses for God in her writings, namely, Life, Truth, Love, Soul, Spirit, Mind, Principle (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 465). No longer does the Christian Scientist have to turn to a Supreme Being imperfectly defined; he can now have recourse to the God whom he actually knows. And what a difference this makes in securing divine aid in solving the problems of everyday life!

God, then, is Principle, perfect, unchanging Principle. This means that real being is eternally supported by that which is unalterably good. In other words, creation is sustained by perfect intelligence and unlimited power. Furthermore, since man is God's creation, man must be ever at one with Principle. That is to say, man is never for a moment separate from the Principle of the universe, the Principle which originates and sustains in absolute harmony all reality. As this is understood by men, they can turn to unerring Principle for support and guidance.

Since divine Principle sustains good, and good alone, what is to be said of evil? That evil has no Principle, hence no reality. Mrs. Eddy discovered this fact. Her clear understanding of the truth that God is infinite good convinced her of evil's unreality. Christian Scientists do not fail to appreciate what this discovery means for the world. So far as they themselves are concerned the realization of it is enabling them to overcome the false claims of evil to reality and power, thus destroying sin; and as they go back in thought to Principle, affirming God's omnipotence and the consequent abiding nature of good, they likewise are able to help others to overcome the fallacies of evil and their seeming effects. Thus, what it means to have altogether reliable Principle to turn to, it is impossible to estimate.

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