Article August 23, 1975 Issue

In Two Minds?

THOMAS GUY SLATER

Sometimes we find ourselves faced with a choice of two apparently irreconcilable and perhaps unpleasant alternatives. Perhaps the choice favored by our conscience threatens complications and difficulty; the other alternative promises less disturbance, but our conscience is uneasy about it. After much mental wrestling we make a decision, sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other. Experience shows that conscience is the safest guide, but dilemmas recur until, through the light of divine guidance, we penetrate their deception.

I well remember the challenge that presented itself when I wished to apply for membership in a Church of Christ, Scientist. I realized that Christian Science had opened up to mankind the scientific basis of the healing works of Jesus and that it offers complete salvation from the bondage of sin, disease, and death. This Science shows the reality of the spiritual kingdom within. I had received proof of this. It was clear that this saving truth had come to me through the Christian Science movement established by Mrs. Eddy, and that unless the movement was actively supported by those who had been blessed by it, it could not continue to fulfill its purpose. In fact, unless individuals had supported it in substantial numbers in the past, I might never have heard of Christian Science!

In my case, the alternative horn of this dilemma was that many people seemed to be depending on my business activities, and this responsibility fully occupied my time and attention. Before me seemed to be a choice between which duty to neglect, and this seemed wrong either way. Although church membership was my final choice, time indicated that, while I had made the right choice, I had not allowed Christian Science to show me God's way of doing it. I had made a merely human decision without penetrating to the root of the problem.

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