Permanent Peace

W. Stuart Booth

On November 11, during the past few years, citizens of many countries the world around have for a few moments ceased their accustomed tasks to turn their thoughts gratefully to "the God of peace" in commemoration of the armistice for which many thousands of Christians had earnestly prayed. Apropos of the situation the world had been facing prior to that Armistice Day, Mary Baker Eddy wrote in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 286), "For many years I have prayed daily that there be no more war, no more barbarous slaughtering of our fellow-beings; prayed that all the peoples on earth and the islands of the sea have one God, one Mind; love God supremely, and love their neighbor as themselves." Because of their Leader's great love and spiritual vision as indicated in her prayers for the world, Christian Scientists are led to regard Armistice Day as having deep and broad significance.

Christian Science is leading people to see that every armistice between nations will evolve into a permanent peace as the recognition becomes more general that there is but one God, one Mind, one supreme law-governing divine Principle, and that mankind has one common enemy, which is none other than a false sense of self. It may seem anomalous that "the Prince of Peace," Christ Jesus, announced that he came not to bring peace on the earth, but a sword. The purpose of the Master was not to make mankind peaceful and comfortable in matter or in material beliefs, for "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," exterminates false and delusive material beliefs—the common enemy of mankind—and replaces them with satisfying spiritual ideas—the truth about God and man as His image and likeness.

Christian Science reveals that the cause of all strife between individuals and of all war between nations is and always has been a false sense of self, the belief that man is a material animal, dependent upon material conditions and possessions for his existence and welfare. These false beliefs in turn beget fears, selfishness, envy, pride, animality, in fact all the trouble-making camp-followers of Satan. Christian Science uncovers the erroneous nature of the material sense of man through its clear revelation of the truth that man, the image and likeness of God, Spirit, Mind, is a spiritually mental being expressing God's qualities, attributes, ability, and perfection. Man's true being, then, possesses no discordant, war-provoking tendency, influence, or capacity.

The revelation by Christian Science of God as divine Love and of man as the reflection or active expression of Love is the greatest pacifying, harmonizing influence among nations because it is the leaven spoken of by Christ Jesus, "which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." The influence of this spiritual leaven is felt first in the experiences of the individual members of the human family. As each individual Christian Scientist displaces from his consciousness the elements of war, such as fear, hatred, envy, selfishness, by means of the accession and active expression of kindness, forgiveness, courtesty, unselfishness, and justice, the whole world-consciousness is leavened by this reflection of Love.

To those who have been battling against the host of Satan in the shape of sickness, Christian Science comes with its assuring and healing message of God's omnipotence and omnipresence. As they hear, heed, and accept the message of Christian Science telling of the harmonizing influence of divine Mind's true ideas, such as love, gratitude, praise, spiritual desire, and spiritual understanding, the fears, hereditary beliefs, and other errors of thought which have caused the sense of sickness are dispelled. Thus the erstwhile sick realize somewhat the peace of God, which the world of material theories can neither give nor take away. The triumphs of Truth are peace-bestowing, and the peace which God gives is not merely an armistice, but is as permanent as is its source.

In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 288): "When the final physical and moral effects of Christian Science are fully apprehended, the conflict between truth and error, understanding and belief, Science and material sense, foreshadowed by the prophets and inaugurated by Jesus, will cease, and spiritual harmony reign. . . . As St. Paul says: 'There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God' (of Spirit)." Alert Christian Scientists recognize gratefully that they have an obligation and opportunity so to think and live as to promote the establishment of permanent peace, for which Mrs. Eddy so patiently prayed.

W. Stuart Booth

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