Are we helpless in the face of cruelty, insults, and threats? 

No. Christian Science, founded by Mary Baker Eddy during a tumultuous time in the nineteenth century in the United States, shows that prayer can really change our experience. The teachings of Christian Science provide a scientific method for praying about—and seeing through—the bullies in our lives, whether they appear as overbearing personalities, difficult work environments, financial stress, health problems, or anything else. When prayer lifts thought to the understanding of God’s gift—divine Love’s continuous presence and power—the fulfillment of this gift naturally appears in our experience.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7). In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Eddy defines Kingdom of Heaven as “the reign of harmony in divine Science; the realm of unerring, eternal, and omnipotent Mind; the atmosphere of Spirit, where Soul is supreme” (p. 590). This kingdom is the kingdom of God, which Jesus also said is within us (see Luke 17:21). So, how can this kingdom be experienced as the reign of harmony in our lives?