Spiritual Revival

George Shaw Cook

Nowadays one finds much space in the public press devoted to the subjects of demilitarization and remilitarization—disarmament and rearmament—but there is not much said about dematerialization. And yet in the latter lies the final solution of all problems involved in the former. This fact is becoming more and more evident to students of Christian Science, and in thinking about it they may remember that on page 10 of "No and Yes" Mary Baker Eddy said: "The feasibility and immobility of Christian Science unveil the true idea,—namely, that earth's discords have not the reality of Mind in the Science of being; and this idea—dematerializing and spiritualizing mortals—turns like the needle to the pole all hope and faith to God, based as it is on His omnipotence and omnipresence."

What is it, after all, that causes "wars and rumours of wars" and keeps mortal thought focused on the possibility or inevitability of military conflict? Is it not materiality? Did anyone ever hear of war resulting from truly spiritual thinking? History reveals the fact that wars, more often than not, have come to pass by reason of failure on the part of men and nations to keep the First Commandment, "Thou shalt have no others gods before me." Wars frequently are engendered by idolatry of one kind or another—worship of matter in various forms. For example, because of supposed material necessities, wars may be fought for the acquisition of territory, or for the extension of political or personal domination and dictatorship, or for the expansion of trade, or for other kinds of material gain. Wars may be the outcome of greed and avarice, or the worship of temporal power, or the gratification of selfish ambition, the desire for prestige and aggrandizement. All these causes of war have their genesis in the belief that matter is real, and consequently that material gains are substantial and satisfying.

This being true, it follows logically that the best antidote for war is spiritualization of thought, and the students of Christian Science are grateful to have made some progress in the direction of discerning Spirit as the only real and enduring substance. It is their constant endeavor to realize and prove more fully the allness and ever-presence of God, Spirit, Mind. To acknowledge Spirit as supreme, as the only real source of all good ideas, as the only power governing the real universe and spiritual man, is to find oneself in the realm of true spiritual thinking, where war and strife have no place. As mankind gains a more spiritual viewpoint, thoughts that make for war will decrease and eventually disappear. Then shall the nations be ready to "beat their swords into plowshares" and not to "learn war any more."

The dense cloud of materialism which has enveloped the world for many years past has been rightly regarded as the aftermath of the World War. The conditions of stark materiality, irreligion, atheism, and reckless behaviorism, which are observable to such a great extent today, may well have resulted from the unhappy experiences of 1914-1918. However, even this cloud may be found to have a silver lining, and it is of interest to note that a well-known statistician has recently predicted a great religious revival in the near future. Where is there a more fitting place for this spiritual revival to find its inception than in the Christian Science movement, and when would there be a more appropriate time for it to begin than now?

On page 2 of "The People's Idea of God" Mrs. Eddy has written: "Proportionately as the people's belief of God, in every age, has been dematerialized and unfinited has their Deity become good; no longer a personal tyrant or a molten image, but the divine Life, Truth, and Love,—Life without beginning or ending, Truth without a lapse or error, and Love universal, infinite, eternal." Should not these inspiring words of our revered Leader impel Christian Scientists to make a greater and more earnest effort to spiritualize their thinking? And what a wonderful opportunity and privilege is theirs thus to contribute to the spiritualization of the thinking of mankind. For it is only through individual spiritual thinking or knowing that the establishment of God's kingdom—the kingdom of righteousness and peace—will be acheived. Every right thought of each individual, every sincere effort to uphold the spiritual ideal in individual human consciousness, hastens the day of humanity's release from degrading material concepts. Did not Christ Jesus, the Way-shower for mankind, say, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing"? And on page 96 of Science and Health our Leader says, "Love will finally mark the hour of harmony, and spiritualization will follow, for Love is Spirit."

George Shaw Cook

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Admission to The Mother Church

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