Article February 21, 1976 Issue

How to Impersonalize Evil

GLORIA NOVAK CHRISTENA

If someone told you an uncomplimentary story about a fine friend of yours—and you knew that the one telling the tale didn't like your friend—wouldn't you be suspicious of the story? Wouldn't the knowledge of your friend's goodness and integrity incline you to defend him vigorously and show up the tale as a falsehood?

One who knows the truth of God and His creation as revealed in Christian Science is less likely, in light of his spiritual understanding, to be fooled by lies about people. According to the true account of creation, described in the first chapter of Genesis, God created all and made it good. Therefore, while we can't disregard evil either in ourselves or in others, we can see that in truth, any testimony about man that isn't good and pure is a lie!

Christ Jesus called the devil "a liar, and the father of it."^{ John 8:44;} Without condoning it, we too can see that every appearance of evil in ourselves or our fellowman is actually a lie told by the liar, and not a reality.