Article June 2, 1980 Issue

Why read The Christian Science Monitor?

ROSCOE DRUMMOND

The Monitor is an indispensable arm of The Mother Church, an indispensable servant of the spiritual progress of every individual Christian Scientist. Since all the periodicals, including the Monitor, are imbedded in the Manual of The Mother Church by our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, they must be essential to the Cause of Christian Science and to practicing Christian Scientists.

We can't safely neglect to use the Monitor, because we can't safely neglect to use anything that God required our Leader to provide for our movement, for our world, and for ourselves. Mrs. Eddy herself writes, "Of this I am sure, that each Rule and By-law in this Manual will increase the spirituality of him who obeys it, invigorate his capacity to heal the sick, to comfort such as mourn, and to awaken the sinner."^{The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 230;}

The Manual states that "it shall be the duty of the Directors to see that these periodicals are ably edited and kept abreast of the times."^{Man., Art. VIII, Sect. 14;} Surely it is our duty to see that the Monitor is ably read as a tool to keep us abreast of the times. But a Christian Scientist doesn't keep himself abreast of the times by reading the Monitor just for the purpose of being a better conversationalist. The Bible says, "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels."^{Prov. 1:5;} Alertness to the signs of the times and scientific prayer for the world increase our growth in Christian Science and expand the scope of our practice. Obviously, our newspaper cannot alert us to the worldwide "patients" needing the Christ, Truth, unless we read it.