Article November 7, 1942 Issue

"Power to think and act rightly"

WILLIAM MILFORD CORRELL

At one time a student of Christian Science was laboring under the delusive sense that evil or animal magnetism was a reality, and that he had to fight against this supposed power with all his strength and understanding. He seemed to be abnormally sensitive to error, and sometimes fearful of the thoughts of others. Later, in a period of systematic and consecrated study, he began to discern the allness and omnipotence of God, good, the false nature of error, and the baselessness of evil. No longer did he feel belief in the reality of evil weighing him earthward, and with grateful joy he pondered Mary Baker Eddy's description of error on page 102 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures": "Animal magnetism has no scientific foundation, for God governs all that is real, harmonious, and eternal, and His power is neither animal nor human. Its basis being a belief and this belief animal, in Science animal magnetism, mesmerism, or hypnotism is a mere negation, possessing neither intelligence, power, nor reality, and in sense it is an unreal concept of the so-called mortal mind."

Today, through Christian Science, the means and methods of evil are being exposed to the awakened thought. Mrs. Eddy has uncovered the despotic nature of evil as a blind and illusory belief, and has shown us the effective way to deal with it. She has shown us that when confronted by the evidence of evil we can intelligently and consistently deny its claim to existence or reality and be increasingly responsive to the laws of Life, Truth, and Love. Referring to Jesus' words, "The kingdom of God is within you," she has written (Pulpit and Press, p. 3), "Know, then, that you possess sovereign power to think and act rightly, and that nothing can dispossess you of this heritage and trespass on Love."

The grand facts of Christian Science reveal that God is the divine Principle of all existence, the originator of all being and action. He is Spirit, Soul, Mind—the only Mind. He is the source of all control, for He is infinite divine intelligence. Hence He governs man directly through wisdom and love. Man as the reflection of God is necessarily spiritual; he is the expression of divine Mind. He is at one with Mind, and reflects this inspiring presence through perfect spontaneity and freedom. He expresses the freshness and continual newness of life in the unfoldment of God's plan. Man as the child of God dwells in light, in the spiritually clear atmosphere of Love. He represents uninterrupted activity, unceasing Love, and deathless Life. He is perfect, sinless, individual. With this higher sense of God and man we can break the bonds of illusion and free ourselves from the tyranny of belief in evil.

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