KNOWING THE TRUTH

[Of Special Interest to Children]

KATHRYN PAULSON

Alice was a little girl nine years old. She had just been enrolled in the Christian Science Sunday School, and she liked it very much, although this was only her second Sunday in the class. All the children looked so happy and sang the hymns so joyously and listened to their teachers with such interest that Alice couldn't help being happy and interested too! Especially did she enjoy hearing about Mary Baker Eddy. In the Sunday School lending library was a red book all about Mrs. Eddy (A Child's Life of Mary Baker Eddy by Ella H. Hay), which had been especially written for children, and this book Alice had borrowed the Sunday before and read during the week so that she might know more about our Leader.

Now, Alice knew that Jesus had healed sickness, and that we should be able to do so also, for she had read in the Bible Jesus' own words (John 14:12), "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." The other little girls in the class had healed themselves through their understanding of Christian Science, and they loved to tell of their healings. When Alice asked how they had been able to do such things, they always said, "Oh, we knew the truth!"

That puzzled Alice! What was this wonderful truth? She thought about it a great deal during the week after that first Sunday, and the next Sunday she listened very closely to all that was said. But suddenly the question popped right out: "What is the truth?"

The teacher smiled and said a most surprising thing: "Alice, two times two is five."

Without hesitating, Alice said, "No, it's four!"

The teacher nodded approvingly. "Then, four is the truth about two times two, isn't it? We don't believe the five, because it isn't true. Now, in the Bible, in the first chapter of Genesis, we read that God made man in His own image and likeness (verse 27). So we know that man is perfect, because God is perfect. That is the truth about man. In Christian Science we call sickness a false claim because it is not the truth about man; it is a lie about his perfection, and we don't believe it for a moment. In 'Miscellaneous Writings' Mrs. Eddy says (p.108), 'Not to know that a false claim is false, is to be in danger of believing it.' The first thing you did with 'two times two is five' was to recognize its falsity. That is very important. What was the next thing?"

Another little girl spoke up quickly. "She said it was wrong. And that is what we always do with something that's not true about man. We deny it."

The teacher opened "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy and read from page 339, "You conquer error by denying its verity." Then she said: "When we recognize that a false claim is false we must specifically deny it. We do not ignore it, or just wish that it would change. Now, Alice, after you denied the wrong answer, what did you do?"

"I told you the correct answer: 'Four.' "

"Right. Now, who can tell me how knowing the correct answer relates to a Christian Science treatment?" the teacher asked.

One of the little girls answered immediately, "You have to say what's true about yourself, that you are God's perfect, healthy, happy child."

The teacher nodded. "Listen to what our dear Leader says (ibid., p. 475): 'Man is spiritual and perfect; and because he is spiritual and perfect, he must be so understood in Christian Science.' This is what you are going to understand and declare about yourself: your perfection now and forever, as His child. This is the truth about man, and knowing it is the way we work out our problems, whether they are of sickness, weariness, naughtiness, or anything that is unlike God, good. Do you want to say something. Ellen?"

The little girl next to Alice said: "Yes, I wanted to tell about a time I was sent home from school because I seemed to be sick, and Mother called a practitioner and asked her to help us know the truth about God and man. Then Mother and I talked about God and how He loves us and how we mustn't believe He ever made us sick or naughty. Even when I seemed to feel quite bad. I said out loud: 'This isn't true! I am really God's perfect child, and I know it!' Sometimes I had to say it awfully loud, but I said it! And the next day I was fine, and I know it was because I didn't believe the lie; I knew the truth."

When Sunday School was dismissed, Alice stayed to thank the teacher and to show her that she had understood the lesson. "First," she said happily, "because I know that God never made anything bad, when I see something not good, I'll know it is error. Then I'll deny it. Then I'll correct it with the truth." Alice was glad that now she could "know the truth."

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