Article January 18, 1941 Issue

The Nature and Character of Man

MARY H. OLIVER

In the year 1866 Mary Baker Eddy discovered Christian Science, and afterwards wrote and published her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." Her purpose in writing this book was to bring freedom and happiness to others, even as this Science had brought these blessings to her. The inspired message of Christian Science fills the receptive heart with hope and strength, and it shows mankind how each one may prove his identity as the child of God.

Under the marginal heading "Scientific man," on page 94 of Science and Health, we read: "Jesus taught but one God, one Spirit, who makes man in the image and likeness of Himself,—of Spirit, not of matter. Man reflects infinite Truth, Life, and Love. The nature of man, thus understood, includes all that is implied by the terms 'image' and 'likeness' as used in Scripture." Not many people think of themselves as "image" or "likeness," even though they may have read the Bible many times. And yet we have the record of the spiritual creation in the first chapter of Genesis, where it is written: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. . . . So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." The last verse in the chapter states that "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."

The chapter in Science and Health entitled "Genesis" is a constant source of inspiration to Christian Scientists. We find that in the Bible the book of Genesis contains two records of creation, which are the direct opposites of each other. Naturally both cannot be true! The first is the spiritual and scientific record, and the second deals with a material sense of creation. Because the first record tells of the creation of God, divine Spirit, which "was very good," Christian Scientists accept it as true and real, and the other as simply a fable, and therefore untrue.

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