"Love hath one race ..."

In 1901, Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, wrote a poem called "The New Century." The second stanza begins (Poems, p. 22 ):

We are fast approaching the beginning of another century, but there still seem to be many signs of "humanity's sore heart." Racially motivated hatred, for instance, has found many avenues for expression, and the reaction to it is so often seen in hurt, bitterness, or frustration. When we witness animosity or prejudice based on race, religion, or other factors, it can be difficult not to react in anger or self-righteousness. But that does nothing to better the situation; it only replaces one human emotion with another and has no healing power.

Mrs. Eddy's poem is so timely because it points to a love that goes far beyond emotion. Real love is of God and can lift us out of labels of any kind. It includes quiet patience and heartfelt forgiveness. These bring calm and hope to situations that seem hopeless. They also go hand in hand with the firmness and honesty that stand up to hatred wherever it is seen. If we are genuinely to heal prejudice and bigotry, we must go beyond righteous indignation or mere human attempts at fairness to this real love that heals one and all.

I got my first glimpse of this some years ago. My family had moved to a state with a long history of racial segregation, and I was finding the adjustment difficult. It was a time of upheaval and conflict because of racial tension, and there was much on the television and in newspapers about the problems in this part of the world.

After we had been there a year or so, a friend from high school called and wanted to visit. I told her that she was welcome and we would look forward to her arrival. But at the same time I had an uneasy feeling because my friend was black. When she arrived, we carefully looked for activities that would not precipitate trouble, since most public places were segregated. Most of the time passed without incident, although we did encounter some reaction.

I had joined a local Christian Science church and was especially looking forward to attending a service with my friend, because I felt that there she and our friendship would be accepted. However, the situation turned out not at all as I had hoped. Instead of acceptance and warmth there was coldness and animosity. I left that night with a heavy heart. I later learned that my actions had been interpreted by some church members as an attempt by our family to "teach" them something or impose our opinions on them.

That evening I woke from sleep with severe chest pains, unable to breath easily. I managed to call a Christian Science practitioner to ask for help. Very little was said, but she clearly grasped the situation. I remember that immediately I felt the greatest sense of love. It lifted me right out of the hurt and resentment. The pain and breathing difficulty just vanished.

Afterward I was in awe of this love. Certainly it was a glimpse of the power of divine Love, God. I have never forgotten it.

To many people love is the dearest attribute of God. And through the study of Christian Science we learn so much about God's nature as divine, infinite Love itself. As the Apostle John wrote, "God is love" (I John 4:8 ). Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals" (p. 13 ). Like the sun shining on everything without any kind of barrier, our impartial God continuously sends out light and love to all, regardless of human appearances or labels. Our purpose, as God's likeness, is to reflect Love in all its impartiality and universality.

In First Corinthians, Paul gives a beautiful, eloquent description of how genuine love finds expression. In The New English Bible, a familiar passage from that chapter reads: "Love is ... not quick to take offence. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over other men's sins, but delights in the truth" (13:4–6). After the experience at my church, I gradually began to see that I had been a "scorekeeper" and had done a fair amount of "gloating" over the apparent lack of open-mindedness of my fellow church members. I soon realized that setting oneself up as judge and jury for the actions of others can be burdensome and confusing. I grew to see, too, that labeling people as prejudiced—and disliking them for it—is not much different from disliking them because of their skin color or culture or beliefs. I saw that labeling others as narrow-minded or hateful is really no different from seeing them as inferior because of race or nationality. I was being prodded to grow spiritually—to drop an exclusive, mortal, personal view, which divides and limits—and can't avoid being self-righteous—for the recognition of each individual as God's child, as the loved and loving expression of infinite Mind.

If thought is on a merely human level and we take in hurt and resentment in response to hatred or prejudice, this would keep us from feeling and expressing genuine love. And it certainly doesn't leave anyone better off. But I yearned to obey the Golden Rule, and so I knew that I must have the utmost love, patience, and understanding in my relationships with all individuals and treat each one as I would want to be treated.

As I awoke to these facts, I became aware that there were several members of our church who had been raised in this segregated environment but who were very free of prejudice. I noticed too that they didn't react, but instead worked quietly and steadfastly to address situations that needed to be changed. And we did see many changes for the better come about in the years we lived there.

Now, some might say that following Paul's recipe for love is unrealistic in our world. It goes against the grain of human nature; it demands too much of us. But Christ Jesus showed us it is possible to love in the midst of hatred, to forgive wrongs (even when they are intentional and very hurtful), and to lift thought and therefore experience above the false level of so-called mortal life. This love is the basis of the power to heal. When we believe this love is unattainable, it is because we are looking at the wrong source for the ability to express real love and to heal. The ability can never come from human will or limited, mortal views of ourselves or God. It is revealed as we turn from these to recognize that there is a divine source for thought, which always tells us the truth of God and His likeness, man.

Understanding this sheds light on why so many well-intentioned efforts to rid the earth of racism by changing laws and endeavoring to make men "better" aren't, by themselves, always effective. The healing of hatred and inhumanity can't come out of actions based on the premise that man is a prejudiced mortal who has to become a better mortal. It comes rather by turning away from the mortal view of life entirely and accepting each individual as perfect now, the spiritual likeness of the perfect creator. This is what I saw in my experience. Since childhood I had reacted with indignation and frustration to evidences of hatred or inhumanity. But when I felt that pure, spiritual love of God as a result of the practitioner's prayer, the physical pain dissolved immediately and those emotional reactions just gradually yielded more and more to gentleness and patience and true strength.

Hatred, bigotry, and inhumanity can be healed. The acceptance of God as infinite Love, without a shadow of condemnation or judgment, with nothing but everlasting affection for His children, is the basis on which this work is accomplished. To "heal humanity's sore heart" we follow in the path that Christ Jesus showed us so clearly. We may not be able to do this all at once, but we can begin by turning humbly to our heavenly Father-Mother with a sincere desire to love as Christ Jesus loved. His life stands as a constant reminder that divine Love can indeed overcome any form of hatred and its seeming effects. By striving to follow his great example, we move closer to the goal of including all mankind in one spiritual affection. And we start to see that the hopeful statement—"Love hath one race"—is really true.