Article April 15, 1950 Issue

YES

DUMONT BEERBOWER

One of the most frequently used words in the English language is the word yes. However, we often use it without giving very much thought to what we are giving assent to or admitting as true. Christian Scientists know that problems in human experience arise from the so-called mortal consciousness saying "Yes" to that which is a lie and has no place in spiritual reality, whereas all that can be properly affirmed as true is spiritual reality—God and His creation. In this light our use of the word yes becomes highly important.

The Apostle Paul must have sensed the fact that his professed followers did not fully understand what their assent to the Christian teaching really meant, for he put this soul-searching question to them (Rom. 6:16): "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Does not Paul's question apply with equal force to the professing Christians of today? Surely when we say "Yes," or in any other way acquiesce in any proposition that comes before us, we have, in the words of Paul, yielded ourselves servants to obey it, whether for good or for evil. This being true, it becomes a matter of first importance that we establish for ourselves without question the validity of every proposition to which we give our consent.

It is obvious that the validity of any proposition depends upon the reality of the foundation upon which it rests. The student of Christian Science understands and accepts the fact that God is divine Principle, the foundation of all that is real and true. He has learned from his textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, and from his own experience in Christian Science practice, that "to grasp the reality and order of being in its Science, you must begin by reckoning God as the divine Principle of all that really is" (p. 275). The student likewise has discovered and understands that he apparently experiences conditions which are unreal and untrue because he has consciously or unconsciously given his consent to them. Therefore he must be ever alert to the rule given in his textbook (p. 167), "Our proportionate admission of the claims of good or of evil determines the harmony of our existence,—our health, our longevity, and our Christianity." He finds a continuing study of the Bible of great help in maintaining his position of alertness, and he utilizes the Christian Science textbook as a key to unlock its spiritual treasures. The study of the spiritual experiences of the various Biblical leaders and their followers throws great light upon his own experience, for they reveal patterns of unfoldment, sequences of thought which may be readily recognized in modern daily life and which provide trustworthy guideposts for those who truly seek guidance.

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