Denying Detrimental Descriptions

George Shaw Cook

A recent issue of the Boston (Massachusetts) Herald contained a news item, the first paragraph of which is as follows: "While hearing a case involving an alleged epidemic of gastro-enteritis among infants at Lynn hospital, one of the members of the jury was stricken with the same ailment today."

This item reminds one that Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, at one time a resident of Lynn, says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 197), "A minutely described disease costs many a man his earthly days of comfort."

When Mrs. Eddy wrote these lines she had already discovered that what is called disease exists only as a belief of the so-called mortal mind. She knew that a description of the symptoms of disease creates, in belief, a mental picture which may be accepted to his detriment by the one who reads or listens to such a description. Thus is seen the importance of heeding the admonition given by Mrs. Eddy on another page of her textbook (ibid., p. 392): "Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously." And she continues on the same page, "Exclude from mortal mind the offending errors; then the body cannot suffer from them."

It should be plain to students of Christian Science that instead of admitting as reality the suggestion of disease, they should immediately reject it as a false belief of the carnal mind. Upon the thoroughness of one's rejection of aggressive mental suggestions of disease, disaster, discord, and death depends the immunity he enjoys from the supposed effects of such suggestions. An intelligent denial or refutation of the claims of mortal mind, in order to be thoroughly efficacious, must, however, be based upon scientific understanding of their utter unreality.

Christian Science enables one to know that there is one infinite cause or creative Principle. It shows that this divine Principle is God, infinite good. And since effect must always be like cause, it is ovious that all that really exists by way of creation or expression of the one infinitely good cause, must of necessity be good and perfect, like its Principle. Therefore disease, imperfection, impairment, inharmony, cannot and do not have any basis in Truth.

Jesus never for a moment admitted the reality or validity of discord in any of its phases. His thinking dwelt habitually at the standpoint of spiritual perfection, which precludes the possibility of admitting the actual existence of anything unlike itself. For this reason the Master was able instantly to reject the false mental pictures of man as sick and sinning, which mortal mind presented to his human gaze. Thus, when he encountered in the synagogue a man who, according to material sense testimony, had a withered hand, he was able at once to see man as the spiritual likeness of God, divine Mind, having complete dominion—including perfect freedom of action. His understanding of the true spiritual status of man resulted in releasing this mortal from his human sense of bondage to disease. The account of this healing as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew reads: "Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other."

At another time Jesus was confronted by a woman who had "a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself." Again he instantly refused to accept the testimony of the senses, and effectually denied the power of disease. He said, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity," and, the record continues, "immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." These two instances of healing by the Master, through his understanding of the Christ-power, show us the beneficial effect of rejecting rather than accepting the mental pictures of discord and disease which are presented more or less continuously in our daily human experience. Such rejection not only protects us and obviates the necessity of later ridding ourselves of a false mental concept, but likewise it helps to lift the burden of disease and discord from others.

Jesus included in his consciousness that divine or spiritual view of man as perfect and complete which excluded the belief that man is or ever was sick, sinning, or dying, and as our Leader tells us on page 477 of Science and Health, "This correct view of man healed the sick." Christian Scientists, as followers of the Christ, are grateful to have had revealed to them the demonstrable Science of Truth, by means of which they are able, more and more effectually, to exclude from their thinking mental pictures of sin and disease which, if accepted as real, cause untold suffering.

George Shaw Cook

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