Article October 13, 2008 Issue

'WHO IS MY ENEMY?'

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON MARY BAKER EDDY'S APPROACH TO GUARDING OUR THOUGHTS

BY MICHAEL R. DAVIS

To understand more about Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science and founder of this magazine, and her approach to prayerfully guarding the door of thought, a natural place to begin is by turning to her inspiration—the Scriptures.

A major theme in the New Testament is that through Jesus' life and ministry, the kingdom, or reign, of God is revealed and available to human life. People in bondage to sin, illness, want, and grief found themselves healed when they turned to Jesus. His healings are powerful, timeless evidence that the apparent reign of evil on earth is illegitimate, and that the natural state of the universe and humanity reflects the health and harmony, and the limitless goodness, of God Himself.

The New Testament also makes clear that Jesus and his followers experienced resistance to this coming of the kingdom. The source of the resistance is sometimes conceived of as an evil personality named Satan. But the Apostle Paul also called it "the carnal mind," which is "enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7).