Article August 31, 1974 Issue

Are We Giving Up or Gaining?

PAULA BANNISTER

The thought of sacrifice, or of having to give up something, is not apt to attract many individuals. But the possibility of getting something good—that appeals to everyone. Frequently those who know something of Christian Science have the opinion that in order to practice this religion one must give up much that seems desirable for a normal life.

It is not difficult to see how one might jump to this conclusion if he were to read out of context such statements as the following, found in Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy: "We know that a desire for holiness is requisite in order to gain holiness; but if we desire holiness above all else, we shall sacrifice everything for it. We must be willing to do this, that we may walk securely in the only practical road to holiness."^{ Science and Health, p. 11;}

One day upon reading this statement, I pondered the emphasis Mrs. Eddy puts on sacrifice. I had been a student of Christian Science for many years, but the thought of ever having given up anything had not occurred to me. On the other hand, I was very much aware of the many things I had gained from my study and application of what it teaches. Once I thought along this line, I began to list mentally some of the things that had been gained. And as this was being done, I made the discovery that, indeed, many things had been given up. I became so interested in this line of thought that I took a pencil and paper and began to list some of the gains, along with the sacrifices.

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