The word "family" expresses the human concept of a precious spiritual fact, even the relationship of the Father-Mother God to His spiritual offspring.

"Creation is ever appearing," writes Mrs. Eddy, "and must ever continue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source. Mortal sense inverts this appearing and calls ideas material. Thus misinterpreted, the divine idea seems to fall to the level of a human or material belief, called mortal man" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, pp. 507, 508). To grasp, even in a degree, the tremendous significance of the above statement is to experience a measureless satisfaction and peace. The understanding that the material world is but an inversion or misinterpretation of the uninterrupted, harmonious activity of eternal Mind and its infinite ideas, enables one to face fearlessly and with equanimity the round of mortal experience with its seeming contradictions and complexities, its struggles and strife.

Because the human mind has a limited sense of God as the divine Parent of all, its concept of family and brotherhood has been circumscribed. Generally speaking, men have confined that love and loyalty to a small circle of relatives and friends. But today, as never before, the affairs of the human race are seen to be so intertwined and interrelated that men are being compelled to think more disinterestedly of human relations. Because the real creation is spiritual, and ever appearing, the true idea of brotherhood persistently presents itself for recognition.

In "Miscellaneous Writings" our Leader makes a statement which invites careful consideration. She writes (p. 18), "Only by admitting evil as a reality, and entering into a state of evil thoughts, can we in belief separate one man's interests from those of the whole human family, or thus attempt to separate Life from God." How watchful we need to be that we do not accept as real the claims of political, national, and racial prejudice and antagonism which clamor for recognition today! That which we see and accept as real for our brother, we are embodying in our own concept of man. To declare and claim perfection for oneself and not for one's brother is to deny the present reality of true being, wherein all God's children reflect perfection. Selfishness has no place in the realization and demonstration of omnipresent good.

The denial of the reality of material creation and the broadening of one's interests do not mean that family ties and responsibilities shall be lightly regarded. Indeed not! The maintenance of the moral integrity of family life blesses individuals and strengthens and safeguards a nation. Christian Science teaches that we have a sacred obligation to our families which should be faithfully fulfilled. To declare and understand that God is the only Father and Mother in no sense weakens or detracts from the tender and close relations of family life; rather does it enrich and strengthen them. To see as real the spiritual selfhood of father, mother, husband, wife, brother, sister, and children is to bring to earth a foretaste of heaven. It frees one from the false sense of responsibility and self-imposed burdens which hamper and hinder the harmonious unfoldment of all concerned. It gives a glimpse of the realm of divine Mind, wherein one idea does not depend upon or dominate another, but all are directed, protected, and controlled by divine law.

This truth once brought enlightenment and freedom to a mother who was a student of Christian Science. She had worked for several days to overcome her child's illness, and she seemed to be very fearful. One night she lifted her heart to God in prayer for understanding and light, and an angel thought came to her with this message: In reality this child is no more dependent on you than you are on him, for you are both God's children and are governed by the same divine law. Pondering this message, the mother felt a blessed relief. Tenseness and fear gave place to confidence and calm. The child was relieved immediately, and the next day was happy and harmonious.

It is interesting to note that according to Strong's Bible Concordance the word "family" is found but once in the New Testament, and then it is used in a universal sense. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Our Leader expresses the same thought in these words (Science and Health, p. 515): "Man is the family name for all ideas, — the sons and daughters of God."

In human experience one is usually rather proud of his family name. Quite often this pride is developed to a considerable degree, and much time and effort are expended in order to trace one's genealogy. Unworthy pride of ancestry was once rebuked by Jesus when he said to the Jews who boasted that Abraham was their father, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." And at another time he said, "Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." Thus did he raise the standard of relationship from a material to a spiritual basis.

Stressing spiritual qualities and inspiring men to live upright lives and to uphold and safeguard that which is fine and good strengthens and unifies and becomes a bulwark to the nation. Since God is our Father and Mother, and God is Love and good, we know the true nature, character, or name of our real being only as we learn to love good. Through spiritual goodness and love we identify ourselves as God's children, and come into the realization of man's true relationship to God. Without love we are wayfarers and wanderers in mortal belief.

Loneliness is but a false claim of incompleteness and separation from God and His ideas. When one indulges a sense of loneliness, he allows a myth, a false belief, to obscure the true idea of home. He has strayed from the Father's house, the consciousness of the all-sufficient, everpresent divine Love, and momentarily has lost sight of his true selfhood as the beloved child of God. It is personal sense that experiences loneliness. Spiritual sense recognizes neither lack nor incompleteness.

To human sense, companionship depends upon mental and spiritual congeniality. Many have experienced loneliness even when surrounded by a family. Others have proved that one can live a full and fruitful life even though he seems to have no family ties. As one enlarges his thought of God through study of the Bible and our Leader's writings, with the help of the Concordances, he broadens his mental horizon. He clasps hands with the true followers of God everywhere and learns the meaning of the words of the Psalmist, "God setteth the solitary in families."

In the eleventh chapter of Genesis we find an interesting account of the confusion of tongues. We read that "the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech." Then it seems that ambition, fear, and self-will crept in, and the people said, "Let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." Mortal mind usually offers a plausible excuse for its doings. The narrative goes on to say, "The Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." The human mind, when motivated by fear and self-will, unwittingly brings upon itself the very thing it would avoid.

Man, the perfect reflection of the one infinite Mind, is not represented by mortals who separate themselves into races and nationalities that misunderstand each other. This belief is but the misinterpretation of the real creation, the dream of material existence, which does not touch or affect the harmony and unity of man's real being in Spirit.

As racial pride and narrow nationalism in the individual human consciousness yield to the grateful recognition that good is expressed impartially by all of God's children, the fictitious mental boundaries of ignorance and cultivated prejudice will give place to highways of love and understanding. There are no foreigners in the kingdom of Mind. Goodness is not foreign to him who loves good. The language of kindness and love needs no interpreter, for it is universally understood.

The universal brotherhood of man will be realized as the corporeal concept of God yields, as our Leader says (ibid., p. 577), "to the incorporeal sense of God and man as the infinite Principle and infinite idea, — as one Father with His universal family, held in the gospel of Love."

Copyright, 1939, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, One, Norway Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as secondclass matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.