Article January 23, 1978 Issue

Unbreakable kinship

CARL JOHN MARKO

The incorrect view of man as a material creature having a personality embracing good and evil traits is the underlying cause of personality conflicts and ugly confrontations. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "The erroneous belief that life, substance, and intelligence can be material ruptures the life and brother-hood of man at the very outset."^{Science and Health, p. 541;}

To find our way out of the complex interplay of personality forces, we must be ready to discard the false, materialistic interpretation of man and his environment. At the same time we must adopt the true, spiritual rationale for a meaningful explanation of man's existence. In Christian Science God is understood to be the one intelligent Mind, governing His spiritual universe in complete harmony. Because God is omnipresent good, unchanging Love, His idea, man, must be the natural expression of His goodness. This spiritual concept of our God-evolved universe is not a form of fanciful escapism; rather it is the surest means at our disposal for the solution of problems in human relations.

In reality man's nature evidences the inspired presence of Godlike qualities. Infinite Mind, God, manifests His qualities in man, His spiritual offspring. These qualities are expressed humanly as amiability, responsiveness, consideration, generosity, kindliness, graciousness, and so on. If we start from the premise that God is expressing infinite goodness throughout His creation, it would be an absurdity to conclude that man, the image of his Maker, could be a mixture of good and evil. Mrs. Eddy states, "Material personality is not realism; it is not the reflection or likeness of Spirit, the perfect God."^{ibid., p. 337;}