Article January 3, 1942 Issue

Man's Inalienable Rights

PAUL J. LICHTENFELS

In Christ Jesus ' prophecy of wars and uprisings, he foretold the abrogation of individual rights which accompanies attacks by the seeming forces of evil. He indicated that rumor and treachery would be partly responsible. But he also promised that to the righteous the Word of God would be an instantly available defense. He said, "Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." Many of his followers have effectively silenced the arguments of evil with the Word of God, Truth.

The Declaration of Independence proved the power of true thought and speech, supported by simple faith in God. In an address on July 4, 1897, Mary Baker Eddy set forth the higher expression of freedom that spiritual understanding of God supplies. She said, in part (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 251), "To-day we commemorate not only our nation's civil and religious freedom, but a greater even, the liberty of the sons of God, the inalienable rights and radiant reality of Christianity." In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 106) Mrs. Eddy states, "God has endowed man with inalienable rights, among which are self-government, reason, and conscience."

True self-government is the result of understanding true selfhood and true government. True selfhood is spiritual man, the likeness of Spirit, God, evidenced in spiritual ideas, which include perfection, dominion, intelligence, life. The expression of true selfhood constitutes citizenship in the kingdom of God. Man's inalienable spiritual rights are secured by allegiance to the government of God. God's government is characterized by law and order, by intelligence, peace, power, permanence, reality, infinity. Through Christian Science we learn to express God's government, and this expression is a guarantee of freedom and safety even in the midst of the most aggressive and erroneous perversions of true government.

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