Editorial September 5, 1953 Issue

MAN, THE IMAGE OF GOD

Richard J. Davis

In her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy writes (p. 491), "Personality is not the individuality of man." Christian Science has revealed to us man's incorporeal being as the individual consciousness of Spirit. It has revealed to us the way in which we may demonstrate that divine fact. But lacking the understanding which Science gives, the human being usually thinks of himself as a separate material entity —a personality. Believing that he possesses a personal, private, material mind, he almost inevitably has self-interests and self-opinions. He is concerned largely with thoughts about his personal body, personal health, personal success, and personal career. He is an expression of personal sense and thinks in terms of person.

In Science we learn that all the discords, divisions, and inharmonies of mankind are products of this so-called personal sense and its belief of many minds. A sensitive person is one who has a strong belief in a personal ego and the reaction of other so-called egos to his. His thoughts revolve around person, his ego as opposed to other egos. Christian Science is teaching us that it is the egotism of mortal mind which invariably hinders one's spiritual growth. Therefore, as one loses the sense of himself as a material person, as a human being with a personal mind, and recognizes man's true being as idea, the incorporeal, compound idea of Spirit, the less, of course, will he see others as material persons.

Mrs. Eddy writes in her book "Retrospection and Introspection" (p. 73): "Limitations are put off in proportion as the fleshly nature disappears and man is found in the reflection of Spirit. This great fact leads into profound depths. The material human concept grew beautifully less as I floated into more spiritual latitudes and purer realms of thought. From that hour personal corporeality became less to me than it is to people who fail to appreciate individual character. I endeavored to lift thought above physical personality, or selfhood in matter, to man's spiritual individuality in God,—in the true Mind, where sensible evil is lost in supersensible good. This is the only way whereby the false personality is laid off." In this respect, too, the words of Elihu to Job are correlative (Job 32:21; 33:4, 12): "Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man. ... The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. ... I will answer thee, that God is greater than man."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial

UNITY WITH OUR LEADER