Editorial May 28, 1984 Issue

"Watch" for a spiritual morning

ALLISON W. PHINNEY, JR.

In the garden of Gethsemane Christ Jesus asked his disciples to watch with him, to stay awake and pray.^{ See Mark 14:32–38 .} He was praying in the darkness to know the Father's meaning and purpose for him, to live his oneness with God, in spite of the world's surrounding, pressing insistence that it was all there was. He held guard for humanity over the divine reality he had seen, and this faithfulness led to resurrection and an unparalleled spiritual breakthrough or what might be termed "morning" for mankind.

The mental climate of the year 1984 demands "watching," calls for the lucid consciousness of Spirit's all-presence and power. Society seems to be more and more willing to set aside spiritual considerations as outmoded or discredited and to opt for so-called practical necessities, whether in relation to sexual morality, business success, political image-making, or the preservation of national interests. Though millions still go to church and espouse belief in God, the mental atmosphere appears dominated by the pervasive argument that everything essential to mankind's health and progress can be found through the increase of material knowledge.

In this atmosphere it isn't surprising to see a tendency toward state control of religious belief. Some seventy or eighty years ago, a strong sense of the constitutionality of religious freedom and of the sacredness of spiritual life was a bulwark against the attempt, which failed, to outlaw the practice of Christian Science. Now, however, medical opinion rather than religion appears to represent the preeminent authority for society. One result is an increased effort in the United States to explore the possibility of making it a criminal offense, especially in the case of children, to rely solely on Christian Science for healing (i.e., to rely on God and prayer as understood in Christian Science).

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