Editorial September 15, 1934 Issue

Putting on Immortality

W. STUART BOOTH

IN announcing the advent of the promised and expected Messiah, John the Baptist said to the Jews, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And when Christ Jesus sent forth his disciples, he instructed them to preach the message of God's kingdom at hand. Also, he told them to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils," and thereby authenticate their message of harmony, peace, and present salvation. The Master stated that he was come that men might have life more abundantly; and on another occasion he defined life eternal and present as a knowledge of God and of himself—a present knowledge of divine Mind and of Mind's full idea, the Christ, manifested by Jesus. Surely present deliverance from evil, not postmortem salvation, was, is, and ever will be the Christian plan, aim, and message.

Due to materialistic and mixed beliefs, however, the religious teaching which was later offered to men dealt largely with preparation for a future-world salvation. Men have been threatened with the certainty of everlasting punishment if they sinned, or perchance if they did not accept some specific theological rite or dogma. In some instances much more time and attention have been given by well-intentioned men to the threat of purgatory and punishment than to the thought of heaven—immortality and bliss—as a reward for righteousness.

Such was the atmosphere of religious belief which prevailed during the childhood days of Mary Baker Eddy, but her true and inherent religious sense caused her early to reject some of the false and fearsome teachings of the church in which she was reared, and led her to strive, through prayer and study of the Bible, for the knowledge of God which Christ Jesus possessed and which based his preaching and practice. Thus this Christian woman's thought was prepared to receive the revelation of the Science, or exact and demonstrable understanding, of God and His healing law, which she later set forth in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." Therein on page 492 is this inspired statement: "Being is holiness, harmony, immortality. It is already proved that a knowledge of this, even in small degree, will uplift the physical and moral standard of mortals, will increase longevity, will purify and elevate character. Thus progress will finally destroy all error, and bring immortality to light."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Items of Interest