Article August 23, 1975 Issue

Deflating the Dragon

JEAN TAINSH

Dragons come in many sizes. Or rather, they can be blown up to any size. We blow them up when we look at them with fear instead of realizing their powerlessness. Like the most exaggerated falsehood, they are entirely fictitious. Take the great red dragon depicted in the Apocalypse. It began its mythical history as the lowly serpent of the Garden of Eden. Mrs. Eddy writes: "In Genesis, this allegorical, talking serpent typifies mortal mind, 'more subtle than any beast of the field.' In the Apocalypse, when nearing its doom, this evil increases and becomes the great red dragon, swollen with sin, inflamed with war against spirituality, and ripe for destruction." Science and Health, pp. 564-565;

Christian Science teaches, and proves, that there is but one Mind —God. Mind, God, is infinite good, the source of all true thought, of all real power. Then what is this serpent, "mortal mind"? It is a term given to the supposition that divine Mind is not All, that it can have an opposite. Considered logically, this supposition is nonsense, since that which is infinite leaves no room for an opposite. Nevertheless, if we're not alert, this illogical, often subtle belief in more than one mind may insinuate itself into our thought. It would try to make us forget the great, basic truth that there is but one Mind, the truth we find expressed in the Bible: "For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." Prov. 2:6; Not out of the mouth of the dragon!

I once saw an enormous dragon. It was in a city that had a number of families of Chinese origin. Their special contribution to the annual parade was a magnificent dragon. The head was gorgeously painted, with flaring nostrils and rolling eyes, and its gaudy body was half a block long. As it wound its spectacular way along the streets, some of the crowd cheered, others laughed. A mother reassured her wide-eyed child: "It isn't real!" But nobody looked down at the black-slippered feet of the men who trotted beneath the blown-up body, supporting each section on its flimsy bamboo frame. All were too interested in the dragon.

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