Article January 10, 1942 ISSUE

Spiritual Existence

LOIS J. ALLEN

Mary Baker Eddy writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 310 ), "God is His own infinite Mind, and expresses all." The teachings of Christian Science make it plain that there is only one divine, supreme, eternal, self-existent Being, or God. There is no other power, presence, or activity. The expression of the one divine Mind is necessarily perfect, harmonious, and concordant.

We are taught in Christian Science that God is Mind, and that He is reflected by man. There is no other Mind; hence there is no real expression but the expression of God, good.

To a Christian Science Sunday School class of girls, the teacher gave this very wise counsel: "Never take anything in that you will later have to put out." The writer has never forgotten or ceased to be grateful for this advice. It has been of inestimable help throughout her experience. In business, in the home, and in social life, it is the great privilege and duty of the student of Christian Science to realize and express the truth. Every affirmation of Truth, whether audible or inaudible, is endued with the omnipotence of God. The prompt rejection of whatever is not uplifting and pure in thought or conversation is thus a joyous and happy activity. This knowing of the divine fact results in more harmony in our experience.

Always aware of the wholly mythical nature of mortal mind, and knowing that it is without presence or power, that in reality it does not exist, we see that error is only a false claim. Should it appear in our experience, we can know that it does not in any way affect the glorious serenity of our real being, which forever possesses God-given dominion and is conscious of its divine nature. The man of God's creating—the divine idea—is totally unlike the depiction of human belief. God's idea, man, is spiritual, the full, complete, harmonious expression of Truth, Principle, Life, Love, Spirit, Soul. Let us see continually the spiritually substantial nature of our true selfhood in impregnable, invincible, indivisible being.

Whether error takes the form of gossip, slander, or any other form, we can and must declare the impersonality of error. We must realize that it is impotent, that it has no foundation in Principle, no cause, source, origin, or existence; no present or future, no locality in which to act, and no agent through which it may find expression. To do this is to love with the love which reflects Love—the Love which sees only its own flawless creation.

Because of his true concept of man, Jesus healed the multitudes. He saw perfect being alone as real. He beheld man as he eternally is, the manifestation of God.

As one learns that evil is no part of man, this understanding destroys the suggestion of resentment. Mrs. Eddy gives us an excellent illustration of freedom from resentment in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 224 ): "A courtier told Constantine that a mob had broken the head of his statue with stones. The emperor lifted his hands to his head, saying: 'It is very surprising, but I don't feel hurt in the least.'" If we refuse to connect ourselves with the belief of evil as person or thing, we cannot be hurt or offended as the result of any outburst of mortal mind. When we know that which is divinely real, the erroneous belief, or suggestion, is seen to be only a fabulous depiction of so-called mortal mind. It is nothing more than a false claim, and it has no basis in divine reality. Hence the serenity of our real being remains forever intact.

Are we truly conscious of our real identity as the child or manifestation of God and of our eternal oneness with God? Let us acknowledge this oneness, and never admit as real the false mortal sense of existence as material. As this rule is strictly adhered to, the nature of man in all his beauty, radiance, and perfection appears. Knowing what our true selfhood is, helps us to understand and express the love which reflects divine Love. This is beholding the perfection of God and His idea, inseparable, indivisible, and eternally one.

It is highly important that real selfhood be recognized as God's expression. As it is so recognized, more confidence in divine power, more blissful moments of quiet realization of Truth will be ours. Our Leader writes (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 131 ), "May apostate praise return to its first love, above the symbol seize the spirit, speak the 'new tongue'—and may thought soar and Soul be."

The Psalmist voices God's promise, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God." This salvation is ours now as we look to God. The status of man as the divine idea of God never changes. The perfection of man's being is established in all its beauty, radiance, and completeness.

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