"God is the parent Mind, and man is God's spiritual offspring." So writes Mary Baker Eddy on page 336 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." This statement, understood and applied, becomes a source of healing for inharmonious relationships of every kind.

Because God is the parent Mind, any false claim regarding man's individual experience can be annihilated, for man, the child of Mind, is spiritual idea. Mrs. Eddy defines God as Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. Consequently, by the law that like produces like, man, God's offspring, is Godlike. He enjoys the heritage and blessings which result from such a relationship. This substantial relationship cannot be swept away by any false law of inharmony, fear, or ignorance. Hence, man's protection is assured by his oneness with his divine creator, and this conscious at-one-ment with God is manifest in a constantly improving sense of supply, health, and harmony.

Man's reflection of Love assures and entitles him to all of Love's beneficence, just as the sunbeam reflects all the qualities of its source, the sun. An unhappy, sick, or poor mortal presents a false picture to human sense, but a mortal has no relation to Spirit, God. Mortality is a false belief which has its supposititious source or parentage in mortal mind, nothingness. Our Leader assuringly tells her followers (ibid., p. 316), "The real man being linked by Science to his Maker, mortals need only turn from sin and lose sight of mortal selfhood to find Christ, the real man and his relation to God, and to recognize the divine sonship."

Every day each student of Christian Science has manifold opportunities to prove now that "God is the parent Mind, and man is God's spiritual offspring." The application of this powerful fact to domestic, national, and international problems today would be instrumental in improving and healing seemingly inharmonious conditions. To the extent that this truth is realized, wrong thinking and confusion are being destroyed in human consciousness by the nullification of mortal mind. Is not mortal mind the supposititious origin of all erroneous manifestations, whether they seem to be in body, home, business. or world affairs?

A student of Christian Science had an experience which, although not spectacular, showed her unmistakably the power of right thinking regarding man's parentage. She was selling advertising space for The Christian Science Monitor and found herself unconsciously attributing unpleasant traits of character to several prospective clients. One always procrastinated; another was discourteous and unco-operative; and yet a third, she found upon the first call, was disinterested and difficult to reach, and his office force seemed to reflect indifference and unkindness. One day the prospect of reaching these clients seemed quite discouraging. However, the student was able to discern that discouragement was one of the carnal mind's most effective tools. Turning her thought in prayer to the one Parent and devoting an evening to the study of the Bible, Mrs. Eddy's writings, and a copy of The Christian Science Journal, she began to discern the light of Truth. She saw that the error had not been with the individuals, but with herself, for she had been trying to work with an utterly wrong concept of God's spiritual offspring.

Procrastination, discourtesy, indifference, and unkindness she saw were falsities which cannot be attached or attach themselves to a spiritual idea. Consequently, the student recognized that she must change her own concept and work only with that perfect idea, the real man, whose parent is Mind. She saw also that thoughtfulness, justice, kindness, alertness, and all the eternal, spiritual qualities constitute that man, and that, factually, this was the only man with whom she could ever be called upon to work.

For some time these truths were silently declared and understood. The result was that two of the prospects were presently not only expressing courtesy and considerateness, which was her true demonstration, but they were ready with their advertising. A few days later a very satisfactory interview resulted with the third. This student had, through the realization of God as the parent Mind, profited immeasurably by this experience.

Man's capabilities are unlimited because of their divine origin. Whatever originates in omnipotent Mind has the omnipotence of Mind from which to draw. This truth, entertained in individual consciousness, corrects erroneous beliefs and becomes manifest in human experience as harmony and dominion.

In recorded accounts Christ Jesus, the Way-shower, acknowledged his oneness with his heavenly Father. Did he not say (John 10:30), "I and my Father are one"? The Apostle Paul likewise perceived the firm spiritual relationship between God and man when he wrote to the Philippians, "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

The capacity to demonstrate that man is the offspring of the divine Parent here and now is the endowment of each individual. Such demonstration supplies the evidence in human experience that man's inheritance of good is unlimited. The divine inheritance includes the right idea of health, supply, happiness, harmony, and the certain manifestation thereof in daily life. Surely, the realization and demonstration of the fact that God is man's Parent and man is the offspring of God are worthy of consecrated effort on the part of everyone.