Article August 23, 1941 Issue

True Democracy

ALBERT F. GILMORE

Amid the welter of statement and discussion relative to true democracy which is so prevalent at present, only now and then is there uttered a word of recognition of the spiritual basis, the only permanent basis of democracy, of all true government. The notion that the voice of the people is the voice of God has lost much of its former impressiveness, for it has often been and still is being demonstrated that popular acclaim, even through the agency of the ballot box, is far from giving expression to the divine will. Facing this fact, we are prompted to inquire what method may be adopted to ensure that the will of God be actually expressed in human endeavor, in righteous government as well as in other phases of Christian living.

When through prophetic vision Isaiah foretold the coming of the Christ, one of the activities in which the divine presence would be manifested was government. "And the government shall be upon his shoulder" were the exact words of the prophet. That is, the Christ, Truth, would direct and govern the nations righteously when the people themselves desired a just form of government, when there was willing submission to divine law. Through the centuries of the Christian era not infrequently has the effort been made to establish government under divine will, that is, government in the form of a theocracy under divine law. This has not succeeded, however, because of a false concept of Deity, and, consequently, a misconception of the character and mission of the Christ. As the fundamentals of government have been wrong, there is little wonder that the structures reared thereon have not been successful and lasting. The result has been what is witnessed today, a type of democracy based for the most part upon human will and self-seeking, with little regard for the need to ascertain and apply the divine will in order to establish a just, a righteous, and, in consequence, a permanent form of government.

Christian Science defines God as divine Principle, the governor, governance, and government of the universe. Consequently, this divine Principle, being also Love and Life, being Mind and substance, righteously and intelligently, justly and impartially, rules the universe of spiritual ideas. These ideas, which constitute man, accordingly express righteous government. This is true democracy, in which divine will, the law of God expressed by each individual man, becomes the governing motive and power. Mary Baker Eddy states on page 125 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," "Reflecting God's government, man is self-governed." Man, possessing by reflection every quality and attribute of God, expresses, that is, possesses, the functions of government. Thus both as the governor and the governed does man possess the status of self-government.

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