THE VITAL MESSAGE

Annie M. Knott

At the present time a great deal is being said, both by the religious and secular press, as to the real function of religion. This discussion is undoubtedly called out by the fact, which can no longer be obscured by a blind determination to follow a beaten path, that formalism in religion can never meet the world's great need of something vital, life-giving. This was clearly perceived by the prophet Isaiah, seven hundred and fifty years before the Christian era, when he wrote, "Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me ... the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting." Then he goes on, "Cease to do evil; learn to do well," and this has been the demand of spiritual sense in all ages. In proof of the awakening of humanity to the need of a clearly defined concept of religion, we have the following from one of the leading dailies of Michigan:—

I wish every clergyman would preach once a year a sermon on the ministry of religion, its place in the world, its objects, and it problems. I suppose they have this in the seminaries, but as a matter of fact the people need to know these points as well as those who aspire to the pulpit or altar. The mechanic, the editor, the artist, the writer, the scientist, the politician, the athletic director, the teacher—every one of them can justify his place in the world, and the minister of religion should give his own economic justification as well. The minister of industry, the minister of art, the minister of literature, the minister of science, the minister of knowledge, the minister of domesticity, some one of these titles fitting us all, can readily state our place, our right, and our service in the world, and I should like to ask the clergy of Detroit, for their own sakes, to do this, too.

At considerable length and with much fairness the article from which the above excerpt is taken goes into the general proposition that obedience to all truth taught from the pulpit should be insisted upon, its application pressed home. Here we are reminded of one of the first public appearances of Christ Jesus as a religious teacher, when in the synagogue at Nazareth he read these impressive words from the prophecy of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are burised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord,"—a wonderfully inclusive program of divine service! But the great Teacher did not stop here, he reminded them of the demonstrations of spiritual law in bygone days, the cleansing of the leper and the raising from death of the widow's son, and as he closed the sacred record he said: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." Wherever he went he fulfilled the Scripture, and pressed its full demand upon his auditors, but on this occasion we are told that the listeners, who were unwilling to heed this message of Truth, were enraged and attempted to kill him.

The carnal mind has not grown any better since that early day, and would still drive out of the synagogue those who insist upon the demonstration of the truth taught therein. It prefers to feed upon the husks of theory, and offers as man the image of Adam, a fallible creature of clay, rather than the perfect likeness of Spirit. The former "is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be," while the man "born of God doth not commit sin," because he continually expresses the divine nature.

Christian Science teaches that the true function of religion is to keep ever in view the real man, the divine idea, and Mrs. Eddy tells us (Science and Health, p. 477) that "this correct view of man healed the sick" in Jesus' day, and will do as much for us if we cherish the true and reject the false. The one who holds to this ideal will indeed "justify his place in the world," and by true living help to solve all the problems that confront humanity, for nothing less than the spiritualization of human consciousness is equal to the task of uplifting the race and giving men the more abundant life offered by Christ Jesus.

Annie M. Knott.

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HINDRANCES MADE HELPFUL

October 28, 1911

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