Under God's government

Original in Portuguese

Until a few years ago, citizens of my country had lived for almost forty years under a dictatorial regime that came close to destroying the country's economic and social progress. However, a peaceful but steady revolution completely changed the situation and returned us to a longed-for democracy and its consequent development.

Nevertheless, despite every good intention, a continuous slipping into chaos and disorder during the first few years of democracy nearly dashed all our hopes. Struggles between political parties and other civic groups, and the breakup of governments, all seemed to drag us into a bottomless pit of poverty and general discouragement. But along with these events, it was clear that liberty and its effect of opening thought to new ideas had, in fact, arrived.

At this point I learned of Christian Science, and for me it was like a cup of cold water to a parched woman. My study of Christian Science began to bring me the greatest freedom of all—spiritual freedom. I began to know and understand God, to know that He is the only true power and the source of all genuine good.

This knowledge lifted me to the understanding that real government is spiritual and belongs to God, to His immutable and eternal laws of justice, harmony, and progress. Thus, because man is in reality under these laws of God, divine Truth, Love, and Life, man is protected from any false rule of inharmony. All must eventually be seen as coming under the just and progressive jurisdiction of God's government. We read in the Bible from Psalms: "And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness."

The Christ alone is the power of God that leads us to this spiritual understanding of true government. The Christ, the true idea of God and of man's relationship to Him, reveals the oneness of the real man with God. Jesus demonstrated man's oneness with God so fully that he is called Christ Jesus. Christian Science also helps us understand the relationship of God and man, who is in reality the spiritual idea of God, His child. God manifests His fatherhood and motherhood through His attentive and constant care—through the uninterrupted and harmonious action of infinite Mind, another name for God.

We can actually catch a glimpse of the spiritual laws of progress and justice in human history. Through the Christ-power, divine law acts on the individual level and, as a result, on the collective and even the universal level. God, divine Mind, embraces the whole universe, including individual man, as in truth a spiritual idea that reflects the intelligence of His perfect, spiritual government.

Right now, in present history, we are witnessing and participating in the progressive evolution of countries that are on their way to freedom from outgrown, unenlightened political systems and dictatorial governments, and that are heading gradually toward greater social justice and economic progress. Sometimes evil—in the form of materialistic reasoning and corrupt, worldly ways and means—seems to hinder progress, but, sooner or later, the omnipotence of Truth, God, annuls every obstacle that seems to oppose His law of ever-present good.

If we view events in a more spiritual way, we become aware of how God's government ensures the development and elevation of the human race to the consciousness of spiritual reality. In the book Science and Health, which Mrs. Eddy wrote by divine inspiration, we read: "God expresses in man the infinite idea forever developing itself, broadening and rising higher and higher from a boundless basis."

We students of Christian Science in Portugal persisted in affirming these spiritual truths and tried to see the face of God through our difficulties—to have faith in the supremacy of God's government and in the evidence of divine government right here in our country. We knew others were praying, too. Gradually the entire, discordant situation began to improve. The current government, elected by a majority vote of the people, has brought to our country, little by little, order, peace, economic progress, and the respect of other countries in Europe. We are grateful for this, but at the same time we remember that in reality there exists only one government, and that is God's spiritual government.

With the understanding that Christian Science gives us, we can catch a glimpse of the divine qualities reflected by man, who expresses the progressive action of God. This is the eternal law of Love, Life, and Truth; and when we recognize God as the only power governing man, He shows us the path to spiritual progress—which is, after all, our true aim.