Article March 13, 1976 Issue

Male and Female: Equal

DAVID FOWLER

To the human senses, it overwhelmingly appears to be a man's world. This view is being challenged. A hundred years ago Christian Science penetrated the false assumption that God is purely masculine and that a man finds strength in his muscles or humility in the lack of them.

Not long ago, I found that I couldn't say the words "tender" or "gentle" without feeling that they came out of my mouth without having any weight to them; without having substantial conviction. And the thought that a woman could tell me anything profound or reveal a mistake I had made was the cause of instant hostility.

I prayed over this and gradually began to see that a Christian Science treatment for male chauvinism had to include a more expanded understanding of God's tender, gentle care for His children. Specifically, I came to the conclusion that if God is both Father and Mother, then spiritually each one includes the qualities of the daughter as well as of the son of God. Once I began to think in terms of gentleness, I began to live in terms of it. I began to feel that the divine Mind, my only real Mind or source of being, comforted, fed, guided, and cared for me patiently, gently, and tirelessly. I was glimpsing the motherhood of Mind, seeing my inseparability from this tender source of creation. It wasn't long before my shell of chauvinism began to crack. I learned that there was much I could be told.

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