Absolute Science

George Shaw Cook

The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. Mary Baker Eddy, in her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and in her other writings, often couples the word "Truth" with the words "Life" and "Love," as synonyms for Deity. For example, on page 330 of Science and Health she says, "God is what the Scriptures declare Him to be,—Life, Truth, Love." In many other places, however, she uses Truth as a synonym for Christ, as, for instance, in the following passage (ibid., p. 142): "Anciently the followers of Christ, or Truth, measured Christianity by its power over sickness, sin, and death; but modern religions generally omit all but one of these powers,—the power over sin. We must seek the undivided garment, the whole Christ, as our first proof of Christianity, for Christ, Truth, alone can furnish us with absolute evidence."

Christian Scientists, therefore, frequently refer to Truth as Christ, as that which reveals the nature of God and declares the truth about His creation. Students of Christian Science freely acknowledge that spiritually-minded persons in all ages have caught glimpses of Truth, and have used terms somewhat similar to those found in the writings of Mrs. Eddy. Nevertheless, they understand that it was she who discovered and founded in this age the Science, or demonstrable knowledge, of Truth that was taught and practiced by Christ Jesus.

Because of this discovery by their Leader, Christian Scientists are proving daily through the healing of sickness and sin, the overcoming of fear, discouragement, and doubt, that Christian Science is indeed Science, and is not merely a kind of so-called faith-cure. The demonstration of Christian Science requires faith based upon understanding. Many recorded cases of healing through reading the Christian Science textbook prove that this book contains the scientific explanation of the method through which cures were wrought by Jesus, by his disciples and his early followers. In this way and in other ways Christian Scientists are convinced that Christian Science is the Comforter which Jesus promised would come, to which he referred as the "Spirit of truth," and of which he said, "He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

All that Christ Jesus said and did was based upon his understanding of God. He never claimed ability to teach or to heal separate or apart from his divine Principle, or Father, whom he acknowledged as Supreme Being. He constantly pointed to that divine Principle as the inspiration of his wonderful words and works, and yet he left no written explanation of the Science underlying the healings of sickness and sin which characterized his marvelous ministry. This remained to be done later, when the thought of mankind was ready for it, and that is what the world now has in the Christian Science textbook.

It is obvious that since God is the only cause or creator, and that since man and the universe comprise all that exists by way of creation, all truth or absolute Science must relate to infinite Mind and its manifestation, expression, or idea. All other so-called sciences, which deal with matter and its phenomena, are of secondary importance, regardless of how relatively important they may appear to be in what is called human experience. Mrs. Eddy makes this very plain when she says on page 127 of Science and Health, "If God, the All-in-all, be the creator of the spiritual universe, including man, then everything entitled to a classification as truth, or Science, must be comprised in a knowledge or understanding of God, for there can be nothing beyond illimitable divinity."

Christian Scientists should never lose sight of the fact that in Christian Science they are not depending upon guesswork, belief, or mere faith, but upon absolute Truth. Even though they may at times seem to fail in the application of divine Science, even though it may appear that their understanding of Science is, as yet, inadequate, the fact remains that Truth is true, and that because it is true it is capable of demonstration.

In the proportion that students of Christian Science progress from belief, through faith, to understanding, will their work result in permanent healing and regeneration. Every proof of the power of Truth to heal and save will add to the student's confidence in his God-given ability to demonstrate that the Science of being is exact and therefore infallible when understood and correctly applied. It will be recalled that Jesus, to whom Mrs. Eddy refers (ibid., p. 313) as "the most scientific man that ever trod the globe," said to those Jews that believed on him, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

George Shaw Cook

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