HOW DOES CHRISTIAN SCIENCE HELP THE COLLEGE STUDENT?

[Of Special Interest to Young People]

HELENA GRONLUND ALLEN

Recently a college student who was failing his college courses went to a practitioner for help. The practitioner assured him that failure was unknown to the man of God's creating and that it could therefore be ruled out of the student's experience.

The student was then asked about his study and work habits, and his reply indicated that he had succumbed to the mesmeric suggestions of procrastination, cramming, and handing in late, incomplete, and carelessly done work. Yet he expected through the help of the practitioner to achieve high grades.

After explaining to the student that Christian Science was not a mechanism or mental process by which one may escape from trouble, nor was it a false facade behind which error could hide, the practitioner drew his attention to a statement of Mary Baker Eddy's in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." It reads (p. 19), "Even Christ cannot reconcile Truth to error, for Truth and error are irreconcilable." Error must be eradicated before real manhood appears. It was further pointed out that his demonstration was to reflect the attributes of Mind, God, to such an extent that the error would be detected and destroyed. Laziness, indifference, and apathy were errors to be proved powerless. And accuracy, diligence, order, promptness, intelligence, and perfection were attributes of God to be proved active and present on the basis that man reflects Mind and all that it includes. Then good grades would surely follow.

The student agreed that if he expressed care and diligence in his studying, and accuracy, promptness, and intelligence in his examinations, naturally he would receive good grades. But he wanted to know where Christian Science came in.

Jesus said (John 5:30), "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." This was not a negative statement about the human Jesus. It was an acknowledgment of man's continuous inseparability from his Father, God. The Christian Science student through a scientific understanding of man's relationship to God can make the same positive affirmation with confidence of its truth and assurance of its attendant blessings.

In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 128): "The term Science, properly understood, refers only to the laws of God and to His government of the universe, inclusive of man. From this it follows that business men and cultured scholars have found that Christian Science enhances their endurance and mental powers, enlarges their perception of character, gives them acuteness and comprehensiveness and an ability to exceed their ordinary capacity." And later she adds, "A knowledge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities and possibilities of man."

Mrs. Eddy does not say that this Science gives the scholar higher grades or the businessman better business and financial gain. But it is obvious that in our human experience these improved beliefs will inevitably follow the manifestation of enlarged perception, acuteness, comprehensiveness, insight, perspicacity, and "an ability to exceed [our] ordinary capacity."

Some weeks later, the student that was mentioned at the beginning of this article showed marked improvement in his schoolwork. He had learned the value of Paul's words to Timothy (II Tim. 2:15), "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

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