Mrs. Eddy has made a priceless contribution to the progress of mankind in unfolding the nothingness of error, of matter, or mortal mind, in the light of the allness of God, infinite Mind. In statement after statement she points to the illusive nature of sin, disease, and death. On page 346 of Science and Health, she writes: "It is sometimes said that Christian Science teaches the nothingness of sin, sickness, and death, and then teaches how this nothingness is to be saved and healed. The nothingness of nothing is plain; but we need to understand that error is nothing, and that its nothingness is not saved, but must be demonstrated in order to prove the somethingness—yea, the allness—of Truth."

A study of this statement and its demonstration in our individual experience bring rich rewards in the destruction of mortal mind's false claims to be someone and to do something. People are prone to discuss something that is not even real. But why discuss an illusion except to point out its nothingness? The old-time wagon master, guiding people across the waterless desert, knew from experience that what seemed to be water on the horizon was only a mirage, and unlike his less experienced companions, he was not tempted to make something out of nothing.

Jesus asserted that evil is a lie. It is nothing claiming to be based on something. He said (John 8:43. 44): "Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. ... When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

Christian Science shows us how to make mortal mind cease its willful, fraudulent, deceitful thinking about something as good or bad, real or unreal, and its reaction to its own delusive decisions. In giving Christian Science treatment, one does not make a powerless ritual of such phrases as: "It is nothing," or, "That's just error." One acknowledges the scientific truths of perfect God and perfect man and brings these spiritual truths to bear on a supposed inharmonious condition. Truth then exposes and destroys the condition on the basis of the allness of God and the nothingness of error.

At one time an unpleasant series of events, and conversation about these events, persisted in an organization to which I belonged. I became very much disturbed over these unkind rumors. For two or three days the phrase "dust to dust" kept coming to me, and I prayed for enlightenment. Then the thought came clearly: "Dust to dust" is nothing talking to nothing about nothing and getting no answer! What a summing up of the situation! It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from me; and no further disturbance occurred.

At another period, in line with my duties as a Christian Science Minister for the Armed Services, I made visits to several military installations. For several weeks, as soon as I left a base, I would become nauseated. Finally, I requested help from another student of Christian Science. He asked what I had been doing; had I been uncovering lots of error?

Since the answer was Yes, he recommended that I study this passage (Science and Health, p. 92): "Uncover error, and it turns the lie upon you. Until the fact concerning error—namely, its nothingness—appears, the moral demand will not be met, and the ability to make nothing of error will be wanting." The healing was instantaneous, and never again was the false sense entertained.

How grateful we can be that because error has no foundation it is nothing and that through the intelligent denial of the reality of sin, disease, and death and the affirmation of the allness of God, we have a practical way of proving error's nothingness!