Article January 14, 1950 Issue

DISSOLVING ERROR

REUBEN W. SCUDDER

Jesus, in a talk to his followers, admonished them (Matt. 10:28), "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." In the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy makes this enlightening comment (p. 196): "A careful study of this text shows that here the word soul means a false sense or material consciousness. The command was a warning to beware, not of Rome, Satan, nor of God, but of sin."

In the Bible the word fear does not always mean "to be afraid of" or "to dread something." Instead of the word fear, Mrs. Eddy uses in her comment "beware," which carries the sense of caution or the need to be on guard in order to avoid that which "is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." This would indicate prudence or a recognition of the evil for what it is, a falsity, rather than something to be feared.

In the words under consideration, may not Jesus have urged his students to dig deep into human thinking and root out the carefully nurtured or well-hidden mental errors which, if not uncovered and discarded, seriously becloud one's sense of true being and of life as spiritual, harmonious, and joyful?

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

WHEN WE SEEK LOVE'S GUIDANCE