Editorial November 1, 1975 Issue

Enlistment at Age Twelve

Naomi Price

Applying for membership in The Mother Church is not something to be done lightly. You can do this when you're twelve years old or more, but it's not like joining a school or neighborhood club that you can feel free to leave at any time. The Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy allows anyone who believes in the teachings of Christian Science to become part of this universal institution established through God's power, and the expectation is that membership will be a lifetime thing. It means you join a vast company of people all over the world who believe that God, divine Love, is All-in-all, and you undertake to do your best to live according to this fact as the Bible, and especially Christ Jesus, show us how.

Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health, "The Christian Scientist has enlisted to lessen evil, disease, and death; and he will overcome them by understanding their nothingness and the allness of God, or good."^{Science and Health, p. 450;} You undertake to do this as much as you can.

Toward the end of the Church Manual are some instructions as to how to apply for membership. These explain exactly what you're supposed to do to get your application form filled in just right. Then it adds, "It is important that these seemingly strict conditions be exactly complied with, as the names of the members of The Mother Church will be recorded in the history of the Church and become a part thereof."^{Man., p. 110;}

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Enlistment at Age Twelve

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access