Evil Has No Origin

George Shaw Cook

Speaking in the name of God, the prophet Isaiah said, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."

One of the fundamental teachings of Christian Science is that God is the only cause or creator, and that He is infinite good. On page 587 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," the Christian Science textbook, its author, Mary Baker Eddy, defines "good" as follows: "Good. God; Spirit; omnipotence; omniscience; omnipresence; omniaction."

Since God, infinite good, is the only cause or creator, and is, therefore, the origin or source of all that actually exists by way of creation, it follows logically that evil, the suppositional opposite of good, has no origin and no real entity. Mrs. Eddy, however, recognized that mortals, believing as they do in the reality of evil, are often curious regarding its supposed origin. Therefore, on page 346 of "Miscellaneous Writings," she says: "The origin of evil is the problem of ages. It confronts each generation anew. It confronts Christian Science. The question is often asked, If God created only the good, whence comes the evil? To this question Christian Science replies: Evil never did exist as an entity. It is but a belief that there is an opposite intelligence to God."

It is evident from the foregoing that the question, "Where did evil come from?" does not emanate from divine Mind, which admits the existence of nothing unlike itself. It comes from so-called mortal mind, which is itself a falsity. It is only this suppositional intelligence, then, which asks, "What am I?" and, "Where did I come from?" And according to the teachings of Christian Science the correct answer to these questions is, "You are nothing, and you did not come from anywhere."

Who can explain where any mathematical mistake, as for example the belief that three times three is seven, came from? The answer is, of course, that it did not come and has no existence, for the simple reason that three times three is not seven, but nine. From whence did the belief come that the world is flat? The answer again is that it did not come. It does not exist in the realm of intelligence. It has no actual presence, because the fact is that the earth is round—or practically so. If evil could be explained, it would be real, but evil can only be explained away.

This is equally true of all erroneous concepts, including the belief that matter is substantial, that it has intelligence and sensation. Likewise it is true of sin, sickness, death, fear, superstition, limitation, decrepitude, incapacity, and discord of every kind. These errors exist, or seem to exist, only to mortal mind—evil, devil—of which Christ Jesus declared: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

If one looks at the universe or creation from the standpoint of the allness and ever-presence of divine Mind, Spirit, God, he will discover nothing that does not express the exact nature of God, infinite good. It is only from the erroneous, suppositional, unreal viewpoint of mortal belief that evil appears to exist. It is only in the false mortal or human consciousness that evil seems to be present; hence it is ignorance of God's allness which asks the question, "Where did evil come from?"

There is no way to be free from the seeming besetments of evil except to take the radical stand in thought or consciousness that because God—good—is All, evil has no origin, no history, no continuity, no intelligence, power, law, presence, nor substance, and that, consequently, it has no activity and no effect.

With this process of reasoning, based upon the revelation of God's allness, evil can be explained away and one can be freed from its seeming effects. In this way evil can be scientifically and permanently disposed of. And in no other way can mankind be rid of the perplexing and frequently recurring question, "Where did evil originate?"

A careful reading of "Unity of Good" by Mrs. Eddy will help students of Christian Science to solve the problem of evil, and they will be especially helped by the chapter called "Caution in the Truth," where the author says (p. 3): "God is All-in-all. Hence He is in Himself only, in His own nature and character, and is perfect being, or consciousness. He is all the Life and Mind there is or can be. Within Himself is every embodiment of Life and Mind."

George Shaw Cook

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