Article October 21, 1991 Issue

What do Christian Scientists mean by "animal magnetism"?

Whatever would dim the light of Christ is opposed to God. But darkness can never defeat the bright, shining joy of spiritual living.

Scott Truesdale Thompson

I Saw an interesting cartoon recently. The scene was a veterinarian's office. Standing on a table between the vet and a pet owner was a dog with metal objects clinging to him—frying pan, wrench, screwdriver, spatula, steel-wool pad, and so forth. The vet's comment was "This is positively the worst case of animal magnetism I've ever seen!"

It may be that—outside of Christian Science literature— cartoons like the one described above are where the term animal magnetism most frequently makes an appearance these days. Synonyms of the phrase, such as mesmerism and hypnotism, are far more familiar members of today's general lexicon. So why do Christian Scientists continue referring to animal magnetism? And just what do they mean by it?

A simple example might help clear the air of any sense of mysteriousness. Let's say you have an important task to accomplish on a tight deadline. Not only do you need to accomplish this task but you have an underlying desire to do so, because it is worthy of doing and others are counting on you to have the task done. As you settle into the work, you find yourself distracted in some way. Perhaps it's an insistent temptation to do something irrelevant—watch television or go to that party you canceled out on. Or perhaps you're beginning to feel paralyzed by pressure or overly preoccupied with a certain challenging aspect of the undertaking. This kind of mental resistance to a task that is good and natural would be evidence of animal magnetism, as the term is used in Christian Science.

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