Editorial August 30, 1993 Issue

Pursued by hatred?

Russ Gerber

It's a chilling thought, to be pursued. What first comes to mind might be the movie imagery of an innocent character nervously rushing down the sidewalk, glancing over his shoulder at some shadowy, threatening figure in close pursuit. Or, on a much larger scale, we might think of Moses and the Israelites being pursued by Pharaoh and his army.

While it seems normal to think of a pursuer in this way, as an aggressive, evil person (or group), and then to think of ourselves as a potential victim, this is nonetheless a misleading picture in the light of Christian Science. What Science corrects is the belief that evil is endowed with a selfhood, that it's an integral component of man which can overtake and govern his thoughts and actions. Science shows instead that the nature of man and of all true existence is entirely good, because the one and only creator—God Himself—is all good. The only nature man possesses is that which reflects the nature of God, who is Love itself. One's true selfhood isn't the blending of opposite elements, of good and evil, setting him up to be a nice guy at one time and devilish at another. Man expresses only what God is, only the nature of divine Love. There's no unloving, evil element in him.

Then, what about the hater? What's at the root of hateful actions? Do we hope to get rid of hate by getting rid of people?

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