Editorial June 8, 1940 Issue

The Determining Factor

Alfred Pittman

The supposition that it makes little difference what one thinks, so long as what he says and does meets the human requirements, is completely disproved in Christian Science. Thought is shown by this Science to be not only relatively important, but the determining factor in all experience. The Scriptural declaration concerning a man, that "as he thinketh in his heart, so is he," is shown to be a statement of fact for all men—a statement which, when understood and utilized in the light of Christian Science, becomes the means of liberation from every trouble.

Thinkers in many fields of human endeavor have observed that every experience is an experience of consciousness. They have recognized what indeed becomes obvious to anyone who considers it, that when one sees a mountain, for example, all that he is aware of is his consciousness of the mountain; that one can be aware of nothing but that which he entertains in his consciousness.

This fact is now widely recognized, but what is clearly set forth only in Christian Science is that consciousness, and not something outside of it, is the controlling factor in experience. The common opinion, in the case of the mountain, is that something at a distance from the beholder, something material, determines his consciousness, and thereby his experience. But Christian Science shows that true experience is determined, not by matter, but by the measure of spiritual understanding possessed by the beholder. If he understands that God, Spirit, is the only creator, and that His creation expresses His nature—the beauty, majesty, and infinite goodness of Mind—then he will see more of beauty appear in the mountain, because his concept of creation will have become less material. His viewpoint will have improved, because his vision is more spiritual. As Mary Baker Eddy writes in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 516): "The substance, Life, intelligence, Truth, and Love, which constitute Deity, are reflected by His creation; and when we subordinate the false testimony of the corporeal senses to the facts of Science, we shall see this true likeness and reflection everywhere."

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