Article February 21, 1942 Issue

Man's Dominion

ROBERT STANLEY ROSS

Instead of experiencing man's divine right to dominion over finite sense, mortals believe they are embraced in a material universe and in every way circumscribed by its fears and limitations. To appearance, this material universe includes innumerable persons and things, which are supposed to exist quite apart from the individual's own mentality or consciousness. However, the teaching of Mary Baker Eddy is making it clear that without human mentality or consciousness there would be no material universe, no finite sense of existence, no problems. This teaching declares that whoever and whatever plays a part in individual experience is one's own exclusive mental experience. Accordingly, it is only in individual belief, mentality, or consciousness that the solution of problems is seen to be necessary.

We need to keep this clearly in view when considering the nature of Christian Science practice; for how, otherwise, could we reasonably expect a spiritually mental treatment to change anything? Does spiritual understanding fare forth into space and come to grips with persons, circumstances, and things, either individual or collective? No; but it changes the mental concepts or finite points of view—points of view which seem to be outward material conditions, but which really are not.

Plainly, therefore, the solution of human problems, whether individual or collective, is not accomplished outwardly, but inwardly—in the secret place of consciousness—through individual communion with God, infinite Mind, to whom there are no minds, persons, or problems many, but only God and His infinite idea or manifestation. Evidently, Jesus meant this when he said that "the kingdom of God is within you." And evidently this is what Mrs. Eddy means in her Message to The Mother Church for 1901, where she writes (p. 20), "The Christian Scientist is alone with his own being and with the reality of things."

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