"It runs in the family." How often we hear someone say this— perhaps despairingly—in referring to some flaw of character or a bodily weakness!

The mortal concept of heredity asserts man to be a material organism whose characteristics are determined by genes transferred from human parents.

But what does Christian Science teach about man's origin? It rejects the material belief of heredity, stating that it is not a real law. In Science and Health Mary Baker Eddy declares, "Heredity is a prolific subject for mortal belief to pin theories upon; but if we learn that nothing is real but the right, we shall have no dangerous inheritances, and fleshly ills will disappear." ^{Science and Health, p. 228;}

Christian Science finds its concept of man expressed in the first chapter of Genesis, where we read that God created man in His image and gave him dominion over all the earth. This true, spiritual man cannot be subject to any physical theory or law. His heritage is wholly good, because it is derived from Spirit, God, or good.

By accepting physical heredity as law human beings subject themselves and their children to much limitation and misery. They may believe that they have inherited impaired vision or hearing, susceptibility to certain diseases, or perhaps a delicate constitution. Then they suffer the effects of their belief, and may transmit that belief to their helpless infants.

On the other hand, many humans frequently have a false sense of pride in thinking they have inherited—through mere physical processes—a sound constitution, keen eyes and ears, healthy lungs and heart, strong muscles. Some believe also that they have inherited a superior degree of intelligence or a talent in a certain field. Then they take pride in thinking that they can pass this distinction on to their children merely through physical heredity.

Man has neither bad nor good physical heredity. In reality, matter is not a creator. It is not intelligent, not able to initiate activity, to move or to divide or reproduce itself. In reality, there is no matter or mortal concept. The material cycle of birth, growth, maturity, decay, and death is an illusion.

Christ Jesus, the great Master, must have seen this point clearly, for he advised his disciples, "Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven." ^{Matt. 23:9;}

In the light of Christian Science we understand God to be Mother as well as Father. As the textbook, Science and Health, expresses it, "Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and Mother of the universe, including man." ^{Science and Health, p. 256;} The real man has only one Parent, his Father-Mother God. It is a spiritual fact that each child is an individual expression of God, reflecting spiritual qualities and ideas directly from his divine Parent. Impartially and eternally, divine Love has provided an infinitely varied heritage of good for all His children.

Because he is God's reflection, man can never be separated from God. He continually expresses God's goodness, and because he is the exact reflection of his Father, he lacks none of the divine qualities.

Therefore, expressing Life, Truth, and Love, man evidences untiring activity, constant health and stability, unimpeachable integrity, selfless love. Reflecting God as Soul and Spirit, he manifests harmony, beauty, and joy, as well as true abundance and spiritual receptivity. He is conscious of possessing unlimited intelligence and ability from infinite Mind, and of manifesting the order and justice of divine Principle. All these qualities are man's birthright as heir of the one Father-Mother.

Ezekiel thundered, "What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?" Then he presented God's decree: "As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine." ^{Ezek. 18:2–4;}

By putting out of consciousness the false identification of man as a mortal and replacing it with the true concept of man as the spiritual son of God, one can demonstrate his freedom from the penalties of material heredity. One can remove limitation from his experience in the degree that he understands his spiritual being and heritage. Each idea of divine Mind has its own individuality and identity.

If one will separate himself mentally from the false belief of human parentage and acknowledge the one divine Parent, he need not suffer the limitations or diseases that his parents manifested. Each parent should also be alert to break the mortal belief of physical heredity in his own thought and replace it with the conviction that his children are not actually his but God's and can inherit only good. This frees parents and offspring, allowing each to express infinite Mind in his own way. As a result the atmosphere of the home is spiritualized, and health, harmony, and joy become evident.

Everyone who recognizes his relationship to God has the opportunity to draw continually from the limitless reservoir of spiritual qualities and ideas provided by his heavenly Father. Joyfully he can exclaim with the Psalmist, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup... Yea, I have a goodly heritage." ^{Ps. 16:5, 6.}