Article December 14, 1935 ISSUE

Confidence

OLIVER BOWLES

Beginners in Christian Science, and some indeed who have been students for a longer period, are sometimes beset with doubts and fears as to their ability to make the necessary demonstration when the occasion arises. They acknowledge the truth of Christian Science, recognize its unanswerable logic, and believe that "with God all things are possible." But nevertheless they are occasionally disturbed by a sense of inability to prove or demonstrate that which they have accepted as the truth. They, in fact, lack spiritual confidence, and confidence is a condition or state of mind which each must gain if he is to advance in understanding and attain the full fruitage of his study of Christian Science. The writer of Hebrews recognized the need for confidence when he said, "We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;" and again, "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward."

What is the reason for lack of confidence? May it not be due in some instances to a mere academic acceptance of the Principle of Christian Science, a condition of mind which our Leader designates on page 23 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," as "the helplessness of a blind faith"? True confidence is born of spiritual understanding; it is not built on a foundation of mortal belief. It comes from a deeprooted conviction of God's allness, His omnipotence and omnipresence. A clear recognition of the spiritual nature of creation and of the unreality of all things material and temporal is essential to the cultivation of confidence. Mrs. Eddy has made this clear on page 368 of Science and Health, where she states, "The confidence inspired by Science lies in the fact that Truth is real and error is unreal."

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