Mrs. Eddy tells us in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 407): "In Science, all being is eternal, spiritual, perfect, harmonious in every action. Let the perfect model be present in your thoughts instead of its demoralized opposite. This spiritualization of thought lets in the light, and brings the divine Mind, Life not death, into your consciousness."

Jesus, our beloved Master, gave the cue for the spiritualization of thought in this statement (John 6:63): "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing." The flesh, in all its allurements and threats, must be denied as factual or substantial and must be ruled out of consciousness. Christian Science shows that to use matter as a basis of thought and deed is a repudiation of Spirit and spirituality.

Dematerialization of thought takes a mighty effort and can be achieved only in connection with spiritualization of thought. Mortal mind, in its mesmeric attempt to influence thought and deaden the spiritual sense, says: "I am tired," "I am hungry," "I am in pain," or "I am weak." Our efforts, however, in the direction of dematerialization and spiritualization of thought, if ardent and sincere, will lead us right up to the threshold of heaven, the spiritual sense of things. To rule matter, or the flesh, out of consciousness through consecrated prayer and hunger for the things of God opens the way to understand the nothingness of evil.

The activity of Spirit, evident in individual being through the spiritualization of thought and living, is the liberator of mankind from the harsh bondage of the flesh, from imperfection and mortality. Jesus healed mortal mind's vicious and debilitating effect and influence through his application of spiritual laws, through seeing what was really going on instead of seeing mortal mind's hideous farce.

On the cross Jesus refused to yield even partially to Spirit's opposite, matter, evil, or imperfection; hence he was victorious. He loved his fellow men; he saw them as in reality wholly good, spiritual, and perfect and knew the appearance of evil to be only a spurious influence, never a part of the individual.

Science and Health refers to the modus operandi of Jesus thus (pp. 476, 477): "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy."

A moral responsibility rests upon every student of Christian Science to accept as real only the good, the perfect, and the spiritual, no matter how persistently error in its various modes presents its case. In Christian Science, good is a name for God. When insisting upon the reality of good, one is virtually obeying God, maintaining His standard of perfection, being His faithful witness and agent.

As one accepts and assiduously holds to the reality of good and perfection, his life is lifted above the sordid miasma of evil and matter. As he rejects as unreal whatever is not good and perfect, evil and matter cease to appear real and substantial to him.

In "Miscellaneous Writings," Mrs. Eddy states (p. 85): "The Christian Scientist learns spiritually all that he knows of Life, and demonstrates what he understands. God is recognized as the divine Principle of his being, and of every thought and act leading to good." And she adds, "Perfection, the goal of existence, is not won in a moment; and regeneration leading thereto is gradual, for it culminates in the fulfilment of this divine rule in Science: 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." '

Living good, making good and perfection the basis and also the goal of life, spiritualizes thought and leads it away from a material basis. Evil cannot be used temperately. Evil, the opposite of good, of perfection, of spirituality, must be banished totally from thought. But someone may ask, How can I do this with so much evil and imperfection confronting me in my daily life? Through understanding the allness of Spirit, God, one can forsake the belief in evil and its imperfections as real; one can begin to refuse to believe in matter as substance.

Paul wrote (II Cor. 10:3), "Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh." Even though one is not at once able to prove absolute Truth in its entirety, it is possible and necessary for him to have as the basis of thought the absolute unreality of matter and evil. This position won, progressive spiritualization will follow.

As a young student of Christian Science, I once recited to a Christian Science practitioner a long series of erroneous conditions and happenings. The practitioner's simple reply came softly but firmly, "But you know it is not true." It seemed to me as though a huge balloon had been pricked with a pin, and a whole world of error had simply vanished. I have never forgotten that incident, and from that moment on, evil has never seemed so real to me.

Imperfection is not real, and all the forces of heaven and earth can never make it real. There is a tremendous release of energy from Spirit in one's individual experience when one accepts only perfection as the real and bases his living thereon. Evil does not have true energy. Real energy proceeds from God alone and is perfect, spiritual, and good.

Basing one's thought on perfection makes possible great achievement and satisfaction, because they are the outcome of the spiritualization of thought, wherein matter has ceased to be a real factor in being.

There is nothing mysterious concerning the spiritualization of thought. The good and perfect as motive and base satisfy, strengthen, and develop thought and being because they are real. Evil belabors, limits, frustrates, destroys, and intercepts because it is not real and does not proceed from the true source of all things, which is God, good, the perfect One. Spiritualization of thought is the sure basis for the handling of animal magnetism in all its spurious aspects, because spiritualization of thought has as its basis perfection in all its infinite variety. If perfection is not the basis of one's thought, then animal magnetism is at work.

Perfection as one's starting point rules matter out of thought. Spiritualization of thought, then, is starting from the standpoint of perfection and good and basing all one's activity and mental processes thereon. Paul wrote to the Romans (2:10), "Glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good."