Article December 7, 1946 Issue

What Are the Facts of Being?

ALEC B. MURRAY

On page 370 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, we find these words: "To be immortal, we must forsake the mortal sense of things, turn from the lie of false belief to Truth, and gather the facts of being from the divine Mind." What a wealth of spiritual instruction is to be found in this sentence, each part of which merits attention!

False theology has educated many people to think of immortality as relating solely to a future state of existence, which is attainable only by dying. But Mrs. Eddy in using the phrase "to be immortal" indicates that we can become conscious of our immortality as children of God here and now. Christian Science teaches that we are not mortals striving to qualify for a future immortality, but in reality immortals entitled now to all the freedom from mortal limitation which this fact implies. When Christ Jesus said (Matt. 5:48), "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," he linked perfection with immortality, for perfection is not to be found in anything mortal. To obey the command to be perfect is "to be immortal."

Accepting the reality of a material universe and mortal man, and recognizing that they express neither perfection nor immortality, orthodoxy is compelled to interpret Jesus' words as applying to some state of existence other than the present. But this is obviously incorrect. "Be" indicates present possibility. It is an invitation as well as a command and is capable of acceptance and obedience.

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