Article March 21, 1970 Issue

Christ—The Divine Antidote for Evil

JOANNE SHRIVER LEEDOM

Five thousand dined on loaves and fishes, but only one disciple stood at the foot of the cross. Throughout the ages men have speculated about the desertion of Christ Jesus' disciples. Were the followers of the Master all ingrates? Did they completely misconstrue the purpose of his great sacrifice? Were they all so spiritually dull that Jesus' words and works had not penetrated their minds?

All these reasons may have some degree of validity, yet one must properly understand what seems to be great mental opposition to all good. Because Jesus was the human embodiment of purity and innocence, because he represented the Christ-idea, which reveals perfect man, animal magnetism, or the sum total of evil, had risen to try to destroy him. The disciples had not yet learned how to resist the suggestions of this opposition to good, so they failed to prove their loyalty and dominion.

Mrs. Eddy writes, "Animal magnetism is the voluntary or involuntary action of error in all its forms; it is the human antipode of divine Science."^{Science and Health, p. 484;} Animal magnetism is the pull of evil thoughts that would attempt to bring the human consciousness down to the level of animal nature.