Article July 5, 1969 Issue

Spiritual Discernment

DONALDA VON POELLNITZ

Spiritual discernment is an ever-present, ever-active faculty of Mind individualized in man, a faculty that perceives the true concept of man and the universe. God, good, is aware only of His own perfect creation. Man is His representative. The perfection of God and of man is the central theme of Christian Science. All healings are based on this divine premise.

The human individual must work out of fleshly beliefs toward the goal of perfection. The Christian Scientist knows that his real selfhood exists at this standpoint of perfection now, despite sensetestimony to the contrary. Desire for spirituality and surrender of self-will and vainglory are requisite for the attainment of true discernment. Receptivity and humility are stepping-stones to this goal.

These words from the Bible: "Where there is no vision, the people perish,"^{Prov. 29:18;} depict the darkened state of mortal thought deadened to Truth. Spiritual illumination dispels opaque, material sense, revealing facts indiscernible to uninspired thought. And as we perceive the exalting ideas of Soul, these facts are manifested in our human experience.