Editorial October 8, 1979 Issue

The diagnosis and the witness

NATHAN A. TALBOT

People are occasionally puzzled by the fact that Christian Scientists decline medical diagnosis of disease. To those unfamiliar with scientific prayer there may appear to be logic in having a doctor at least describe the condition so the patient will know what to deal with in his prayer. But when one understands the fundamentals of Christian Science healing, logic is all on the side of turning completely away from physical diagnosis.

Healing through prayer is based on an understanding of God. In fact, true healing is the process of yielding to what God knows of man. Because God is infinitely good, what He knows of man must be good. Because God is the only Mind, there can, in reality, be no opposition to—no inconsistency with—what He knows. Man exists as the expression of God. Man is a witness to perfection.

Our true identity is spiritual—entirely spiritual. This doesn't mean that we lack substance. It means that matter isn't the real substance of our being. Spirit is. Our individual consciousness, to the degree it expresses spirituality—joy, purity, love—indicates the true and permanent substance of identity. But elements of materialistic thought—resentment, fear, deceit—combine to illustrate supposed life and substance in matter.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Saying no to lion thoughts