Article May 20, 1972 Issue

Annulling the Aftereffects of War

RICHARD H. CHASE

"Dick, if you want to get out of the war, get the war out of you." This advice was given to me by a friend at a time during World War II when I was suffering from battle fatigue. As a Chaplain for an infantry regiment, I had been through months of combat in North Africa and Sicily, and still faced months and months of fighting in Europe. The prospect was most disheartening.

My friend, who had been healed by Christian Science treatment of a serious wound received during World War I, sensed my need of encouragement and counsel. His advice went to the heart of the matter and showed me what to do. I needed to eliminate from my consciousness the mental elements that cause and perpetuate wars and to see how they really do not exist in God, divine Spirit, or in man, His likeness.

"From whence come wars and fightings among you?"^{James 4:1, 2;} asked James. This was the question for which I wanted an answer, and I was satisfied with the answer James gave: "Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not." Often we "ask not" God in prayer for the understanding, wisdom, love, honesty, patience, and righteousness that produce peace. Instead, we seem to be motivated by intolerance, distrust, hate, revenge, envy, greed, fear, ignorance, and the other ingredients of war.

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