Article May 1, 2017 Issue

New views on action from a former activist

Rachel Troutman

In the current political climate—in the United States and many other parts of the world—there is a lot of focus on activism. As someone who for a long time identified as an activist and is now a student of Christian Science, I’ve thought quite a bit about action from a spiritual perspective.

Key to the way I understand the common definitions of activist and activism is taking action that promotes justice and reform. I admire many individuals throughout history who have done noble works and courageously taken a stand for humanitarian issues, such as equal rights for all.

Since becoming a student of Christian Science, I’ve learned that there are important differences between the human sense of things and a spiritual understanding of action and justice. A crucial distinction is whether we see ourselves or God, as the source of the good we can do. Do we understand, moment by moment, that it is God that gives us all wisdom and justice and action; and do we turn to God meekly and prayerfully before we make any decisions or take any steps? Or do we believe we have a human mind, will, or power of our own—apart from God?

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