Editorial October 18, 1952 Issue

WORDS, THEIR DEFINITION AND USE

Richard J. Davis

Mary Baker Eddy , the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, saw that a really correct understanding of words and their definition reveals shades of spiritual meaning which the average person perhaps may not perceive. Earnest Christian Scientists should therefore be continuous users of the dictionary, because one often discovers that he does not know the full and correct meaning of words even in common usage.

On page 349 of her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy writes: "The chief difficulty in conveying the teachings of divine Science accurately to human thought lies in this, that like all other languages, English is inadequate to the expression of spiritual conceptions and propositions, because one is obliged to use material terms in dealing with spiritual ideas. The elucidation of Christian Science lies in its spiritual sense, and this sense must be gained by its disciples in order to grasp the meaning of this Science.Out of this condition grew the prophecy concerning the Christian apostles, 'They shall speak with new tongues.' Speaking of the things of Spirit while dwelling on a material plane, material terms must be generally employed. Mortal thought does not at once catch the higher meaning, and can do so only as thought is educated up to spiritual apprehension."

As students, we need better to understand the definition of the word "know" and to utilize it in oral statement and practice. In Science, knowing is not an intellectual process. It has nothing to do with the brain. True knowing is something far more important than thinking, which is generally associated with the activity of material thought. The best authorities define the word "know" as follows: "to perceive directly; to apprehend as true; to perceive with understanding and conviction; to be convinced of the truth." The word "know" is used not only to describe the act of being conscious, or knowing, but also to describe a mental awareness of a fact, as, "I know that God is All-in-all."

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