Editorial April 1, 1933 Issue

Scientific Renunciation of War

Duncan Sinclair

In a letter to a student Mrs. Eddy wrote (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 285), "Bloodshed, war, and oppression belong to the darker ages, and shall be relegated to oblivion." And her words find an echo in the hearts of all true well-wishers of their fellow men. Only the evilly disposed will oppose them. But today, even with the tragic experience of the last great war still fresh in the memory of many, when anxiety brooded over the entire world and grief was poured forth as a torrent, we hear frequent reference to the possibility of another war, perhaps in the not very distant future. This, after all that was said and written of the last war as a war to end war!

Christian Scientists have a great duty to perform. They must face the fact of the world's uncertainty about peace, and through their understanding of things beyond the ken of the vast majority of their fellow men—spiritual things—do their utmost to prevent another insensate outbreak of hostilities. They know that many today are deliberating on how best to eliminate the risks of war by attempts at reduction of armaments, by arbitration agreements, by leagues for promoting concord among themselves, and they are glad for all such efforts after peace; but they are aware also that the majority of those same high-minded people lack the scientific understanding of spiritual being which alone is able utterly to overthrow the monster that they dread. Christian Scientists can and do rejoice, however, in every conscientiously directed effort after peace, accepting it as a sign of the coming of the time when all mankind will acknowledge and prove their allegiance to good alone.

Fundamentally, the difficulty in overcoming the mesmerism of war lies with the unregenerate human consciousness, which believes in the reality of both good and evil. It is in this consciousness that selfishness seems to reign; that envy, jealousy, malice, greed, hate, and fear seem to hold sway. It is this false consciousness that precipitates war. Briefly, the so-called human mind believes in the reality of evil, and so becomes the tool of evil. But as Christian Science reveals, good alone is real, since God is infinite good. Further, the carnal mind believes that material or mortal man is a creator; while the truth is that there is but one creator—God, Spirit—and that His creation, the real man, is altogether spiritual and perfect. This "carnal mind," which Paul said "is enmity against God," is the enemy of mankind, and from it in belief originates all inharmony, all discord.

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