Article April 30, 1932 Issue

Relinquishing Error

ETHEL COLWELL SMITH

A STUDENT of Christian Science was once suffering from what claimed to be a painful illness. While striving to apply what had been learned about God's law for man, a mental picture of a former experience presented itself, an experience which had occurred at a time when she knew nothing of Christian Science. Even though apparently in the clutches of the same difficulty, the student began to review that former experience in the light of the new understanding of God and man as His likeness. It could be clearly seen that the former experience had not been God's will for man; and yet how much attention had been paid to all phases of that false belief! How much intelligence had been allotted to matter! Somewhat interested in the discovery that matter can be so great a tyrant until its false power is disproved, the student turned to a copy of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, and read this sentence on page 7: "The relinquishment of error deprives material sense of its false claims."

Returning to the present problem, the student saw that the first step was to relinquish the error, which had not been done on the previous occasion; for it was seen to be impossible to deprive "material sense of its false claims" without taking this first step. A dictionary gave this definition of "relinquish": "Surrender; abandon utterly; give up wholly." Since God's will for man is that he be well and active, it must be human will which was insisting on her being ill. Unless this error was abandoned utterly, it might insist on the trying phases of the former experience. Deciding to accept God's law for man and to give up the error wholly, the student made the effort to rise and dress. Some stern denials of the claims of matter and some very joyous acknowledgments of the allness of God were required. But at the end of an hour or so she stood fully clothed—and wholly well.

Such proofs of the ever present power of God are not uncommon to students of Christian Science. The circumstances and conditions of our daily lives affect us adversely or harmoniously in proportion to our grasp of the one Mind and intelligence governing man, and in the measure that we realize our ability to utilize this power to correct our own thinking. One problem, failing to terrify, may be quickly solved. Another difficulty may prolong itself because, through fear or lack of understanding of God's will for man, we fail to handle it quickly.

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