Article January 20, 1951 Issue

MAN'S INHERENT PURITY

STUART ERNEST CORNELL

Man, in Christian Science, is purely spiritual and spiritually pure. That this is true is clearly established in the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. In her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," she writes (p. 475), "Man is spiritual and perfect; and because he is spiritual and perfect, he must be so understood in Christian Science." And farther on she continues: "Man is incapable of sin, sickness, and death. The real man cannot depart from holiness, nor can God, by whom man is evolved, engender the capacity or freedom to sin."

Thus it is seen that man's inherent purity derives from his birthright as a son of God, of whom Habakkuk declared (1:13), "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity." Since purity is an attribute of God, a right understanding of the nature of God and of man's relationship to Him is requisite to and makes possible the expression of purity in our lives.

The teachings of Christian Science are founded on the Bible, and Mrs. Eddy has given us seven synonyms for God which set forth His nature as Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. The Bible states that man is made in the image and likeness of God; therefore man, as the individualized reflection of God, expresses His nature and qualities. Since God is Mind, man is wholly mental, the idea of Mind. And because Mind, God, is incapable of conceiving evil of any kind, man — Mind's idea — has no capacity to know or to express impurity of any nature.

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