Article July 15, 2013 Issue

Uprooting the seedlings of fear

Bob Cochran

Fear is a great enemy of spiritual growth. It undermines our trust in God, good. It tempts us to break the First Commandment through the belief that there is another power besides God and that this power can harm or threaten us.

The theme of overcoming fear runs through the Bible like a golden thread. Many Old Testament prophets and leaders were encouraged by God not to fear, or encouraged their own followers not to fear, including such towering figures as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, David, Nehemiah, and Daniel. And in the New Testament, we see Jesus frequently counselling his disciples, as well as those who came to him for healing, not to be afraid (see, for example, Mark 5:36 and John 6:19, 20).

It’s not surprising that handling fear is an important part of Christian Science practice. Mary Baker Eddy says on page 410 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “Christian scientific practice begins with Christ’s keynote of harmony, ‘Be not afraid!’ ” Elsewhere in this textbook of healing she points out the strong connection between fear and disease—for example, on page 392: “Fear, which is an element of all disease, must be cast out to readjust the balance for God.” There are a great many similar statements throughout her writings.