Article August 26, 1933 Issue

Contradicting Material Sense

CLARA SCHRADER STREETER

Material sense bases the belief that life, substance, and intelligence are in and of matter. This sense, limited and false, cognizes only the temporal phenomena of so-called material existence. It has no place outside of supposititious mortal mind. To break this false sense, the human mind needs to be instructed out of its false assumptions, and through a process of right reasoning to become convinced of its erroneous postulates, and to abandon them for the true.

In her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy shows how the change from a material and illusive sense of existence to the perception of spiritual realities may be accomplished. On page 298 she says, "Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality." To involve is to infold, to include, or imply. "Spiritual sense," denying or contradicting the material senses and their evidence, reveals those qualities of divine Mind through which the evidence of the senses is reversed.

Spiritual intuition may be said to possess immediate and spontaneous cognition of the absolute truth, which is true knowledge. Spiritual intuitions, "the angels of His presence," writes our Leader (Science and Health, p. 174), "are our guardians in the gloom." They lead the perturbed thought away from material sense and self, and enable us to understand God as Spirit and to apprehend the wonderful heritage of man created in His image and likeness. Hope and faith give pinions to right endeavor; while understanding distinguishes between the true and the false, the real and the unreal. This enlightenment comes through spiritual sense, changing human consciousness until fruition is realized and reality appears.

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