For millenniums mankind has sought answers to the questions "What is man? What is the explanation of the universe?" While there has obviously been a great deal of religious thought and scientific research given to these questions, such studies have nearly always halted at the point of viewing man and the universe as either wholly or largely material. The result has been frustrating because, from the material standpoint, final answers seem as far away as ever.

Lincoln Barnett, in his classic book The Universe and Dr. Einstein, summarizes the impasse succinctly. He writes: "In the evolution of scientific thought, one fact has become impressively clear: there is no mystery of the physical world which does not point to a mystery beyond itself. All highroads of the intellect, all byways of theory and conjecture lead ultimately to an abyss that human ingenuity can never span. For man is enchained by the very condition of his being, his finiteness and involvement in nature. The farther he extends his horizons, the more vividly he recognizes the fact that, as the physicist Niels Bohr puts it, 'we are both spectators and actors in the great drama of existence.' Man is thus his own greatest mystery." ^{The Universe and Dr. Einstein (New York: William Sloan Associates, 1948), p. 113 .}

Years before relativity and quantum mechanics revolutionized physics, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, arrived at a similar conclusion, although she approached the subject from an opposite—a spiritual—standpoint. Discussing the impossibility of arriving at satisfactory explanations of the nature and character of man from a material hypothesis, she states in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, "The universe, like man, is to be interpreted by Science from its divine Principle, God, and then it can be understood; but when explained on the basis of physical sense and represented as subject to growth, maturity, and decay, the universe, like man, is, and must continue to be, an enigma." ^{Science and Health, p. 124.}

Christian Science thus turns us away from the contemplation of matter to the study of Spirit in order to understand what man and the universe really are. In this Science we find we must be willing to admit that many of our previous concepts of man have been wrong because they involved a shallow, material interpretation of man's creator as merely a glorified, ethereal version of mankind. Instead, we must know God as He reveals Himself—as infinite Spirit, the divine Mind of spiritual man and the universe.

Christ Jesus, whom Mrs. Eddy spoke of as "the most scientific man that ever trod the globe," shows us the way to go deeper in our understanding of God. "He plunged beneath the material surface of things, and found the spiritual cause," ^{Ibid., p. 313.} Science and Health tells us. This cause is God, Spirit, the divine Mind that Jesus made evident in all he said and did. When he healed the sick, walked on the water, raised the dead, multiplied the loaves and fishes, and cast out devils, he was proving to a skeptical world the fallacy of material concepts and the power of man as God's son, His image and likeness.

The eighth chapter of Matthew relates an instance of Jesus' rebuking the tempest and stilling the wind and waves. Verse 27 states: "But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!" Through such demonstrations of divine power, the Master was opening their eyes to a wholly new sense of man. One can imagine that they spent many long hours remembering the occasion and seeing things about reality that a study of matter alone would never have revealed. They were seeing man in a new light, man in the light of Christ, Truth.

In another demonstration of divine power that must have made the people think, Jesus healed the palsied man who was brought to him by those who had heard of his healing works. We read that "immediately" the man rose and took up his bed. Those standing by remarked, "We never saw it on this fashion." ^{Mark 2:12.} It is as if they had said, "We never before thought of religious teaching in this new light of practical healing power through prayer. We must reexamine our approach to spiritual matters. This man Jesus presents much more than appears on the surface."

On the surface Jesus no doubt appeared to be much like any other person. Casual observation would have indicated that he was a physical being among others of his race of similar human heritage. However, his acts were dramatic evidence of his divine nature as the Son of God, illustrating the true spiritual origin of man and the universe. His example proved that there is infinitely more to man than is apparent from material observations alone.

Jesus himself sometimes felt keenly the people's unreadiness to hear his message, to understand the fact of man's spiritual son-ship and nature. He must have been well aware of mankind's ages-long search for Truth, and he must have known that the search for final answers would continue for a long time, until the Comforter came and explained all things, as he said. This promised Comforter has appeared in Christian Science, and its message to mankind calls for a plunging beneath the material surface of things. As Science and Health states, "We must look deep into realism instead of accepting only the outward sense of things." ^{Science and Health, p. 129.} When we stand on the shore of the ocean and gaze out over its surface, we are completely unaware of the many wonders and fantastic amount of activity that are taking place below the waves. So it is with man. We get very little indication as to what he really is until we "look deep into realism" and discover man as God created him, spiritual and perfect.

I had occasion to plunge "beneath the material surface of things" when suddenly one morning I found myself with considerable pain in the lower abdomen. Having been a Christian Scientist for many years, I at once turned to Spirit, God, and began to deny the reality of matter. I knew that matter, having had no creative Principle, had no power to act upon or in man. Since God created man, I knew I had to probe more deeply into the nature of God in order to understand my own true nature as His creation and expression.

God, divine Mind, being omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, it follows that the product, or idea, of Mind must reflect infinite wisdom and perfection in every detail. I saw that I must not, therefore, confuse the false, material concept of man, as derived from and developed upon a humanistic theory of creation, with God's spiritual creation, as presented in the first chapter of Genesis, in which "God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." ^{Gen. 1:31.}

Matter and Mind are opposites. Matter is temporal, unreal, subject to all kinds of material dreams, whereas Mind, or God, is Spirit, real, and eternal, without material organization or pain. Perfect Mind, or Ego, must manifest itself in perfect man.

In spite of my prayers to realize man's harmonious existence as a child of God, the pain grew worse. I finally asked my wife, an experienced and devoted Christian Scientist, to help. We both continued to pray the rest of the day. That night the pain seemed to grow worse; in fact I did not sleep at all, because I could not move or lie comfortably in any position. However, not once did it occur to me to consider my condition as critical. I was too busy declaring my God-given right to peace and harmony. I got in a lot of prayer time, attempting to "look deep into realism," focusing my attention on the deeper things of God. The next day the situation was better, and I went about my daily activities, although there was still much discomfort.

On Wednesday I was scheduled to perform the duties of head usher at the evening testimony meeting at our branch Church of Christ, Scientist. At first I was inclined to think that it was just not possible or wise. Then I remembered this statement in Science and Health: "Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself." ^{Science and Health, p. 385.} I realized that right activity was a reflection of God. I went to church and did what was required.

There was some pain as I listened to the beginning of the reading from the Bible and Science and Health, but as the meeting continued I listened closely to what was being read. I did not attempt to analyze the general theme of the reading, but focused my attention upon each individual thought as it was presented. I suddenly realized near the end of the reading that I had become so absorbed in the truth being revealed that I had not been aware of the fact that the pain had completely left me.

I was extremely grateful to be able to rise during the testimony period and once again thank God for His goodness and protection. The condition has never returned in the years since.

This healing came not by looking to the material body for cause and effect but by looking deep into spiritual reality. The same Principle applies to every other human problem. Whether it be a matter of employment, family or social problems, race relations, sin, slavery to wrong habits, or disease, we can find the solutions by plunging "beneath the material surface of things" to find "the spiritual cause."