Article January 15, 1977 Issue

An Inalienable Right

DORCAS W. STRONG

True self-government is inalienable; it cannot be surrendered. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes: "God has endowed man with inalienable rights, among which are self-government, reason, and conscience. Man is properly self-governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love."^{Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 106;} It is important to know what this God-given right of self-government really means and how we may exercise it in order to enjoy our divine heritage of freedom, health, and harmony.

Human beings generally like to believe they have a personal mind, ego, and will; that they think and act independently of any outside authority. But this is not true self-government. There is in reality only one Mind, one Ego, one will, one source of action, one governing intelligence, namely, God. Man, the spiritual image of God, reflects His government and is therefore self-governed. Man is always conscious that God is governing him. Our recognition of this eternal fact enables us to demonstrate the freedom and fulfillment inherent in self-government.

Christ Jesus exemplified the truth that self-government is the reflection of God's government. He declared, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."^{John 5:17;} Jesus worked to reveal to all men their own relationship to the Father, to the one divine Principle, who lovingly governs all. His lifework proved that the consciousness of being God-governed releases unlimited capacities for good and gives us mastery over sin and suffering.