Freedom from Animal Magnetism
In order to prove our freedom from animal magnetism, or the attraction to evil, we must understand the fact that man is not an animal. We must begin to comprehend the nature of man as the idea of God. If we concede that man is material and that he is born of the flesh, then we concede that he is liable to all the claims of materiality, animality, sin, disease, and death.
But if we understand through Christian Science that man is the product of Spirit, that he is created by divine Mind and maintained by divine Principle, then we can demonstrate that he has a higher spiritual nature, that he is not subject to hatred, envy, lust, jealousy, malice, and other destructive tendencies. Mrs. Eddy tells us: "In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin is not, like that of mortals, in brute instinct, nor does he pass through material conditions prior to reaching intelligence. Spirit is his primitive and ultimate source of being; God is his Father, and Life is the law of his being." Science and Health, p. 63;
How often and how clearly do we think of our individuality as purely spiritual—completely separate from matter, body, or physique? Do we see how distinctly mental identity is? It was necessary for Jesus to come in a human form so that people could understand him; but his true identity, or the Christ, was always the idea of God, the ideal of Truth and Love. Jesus' actions and motives, his compassion, wisdom, strength, and love, define the real man in God's likeness. We study Christ Jesus' life and activities in order to gain clearer views of the essence of true manhood. We see the reflection of God, good, and learn to identify the real man in the likeness of God.
On the other hand, a mortal is the expression of mortal mind and embodies all the elements of mortality. In speaking directly to this type of mentality, Jesus denounced it and said: "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." John 8:44; We can see here the sharp contrast between the Christ as the Son of God and the conception of animal magnetism as the offspring of the devil. But one is true and the other is false, and in our prayers we seek to identify the Christly qualities and carry them out in our lives while we impersonalize the errors of mortal mind and seek to destroy them with the truth. Jesus went on to denounce evil when he said, "When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
Christian Science teaches that error, or animal magnetism, is never a legitimate claim, whether it comes in the guise of disease or of sin. And it is well for each one to understand that he has the right to denounce the lie and nullify it even as Jesus did. This Science reveals that the belief of intelligent matter is an utter falsehood. God, Mind, alone is the source of all life and intelligence, and He is the only cause or creator of man. It is from Him that we derive our being, our nature, our motivation. Divine Love is the Principle of man and alone controls its idea.
The so-called animal nature is in conflict with the divine nature at all points, and thus we have the warfare between the flesh and Spirit. Animal magnetism, or mortal mind, has a tendency to destroy, to reverse good, to deny God. It may show up in the many forms of destructiveness, in character assassination, immorality, criticism, a tearing down, cynicism, whatever is negative and evil. But these are not elements of the true nature of man. Quite the contrary. By reversal we can arrive at the character of the Christ, which shows itself in the saving, healing, regenerating love of God. The true nature of man is always constructive, always beneficent, always uplifting. Mrs. Eddy has pointed this out in her poem entitled "Love":
If thou the bending reed wouldst break
By thought or word unkind,
Pray that his spirit you partake,
Who loved and healed mankind. Poems, p. 6;
A right sense of one's source has much to do with one's approach to life and one's sense of purpose and fulfillment. Jesus said, "I came forth from the Father." John 16:28; He is the example for us all. We all must come to this conclusion that man is the expression of God, Truth, Life, and Love, and then carry this out in our lives. We can progressively lay off the old man with his destructive tendencies and put on the new man made in God's likeness. The kind, generous, unselfish, noble characteristics of man are inherent in each one as the child of God. Each one can prove this scientific fact that "man is the offspring of Spirit" and be free of the claims of animal magnetism. Mrs. Eddy says, "He that touches the hem of Christ's robe and masters his mortal beliefs, animality, and hate, rejoices in the proof of healing,—in a sweet and certain sense that God is Love." Science and Health, p. 569.
William Milford Correll
Where envying and strife is, there is confusion
and every evil work. But the wisdom that is
from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,
and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and
good fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is
sown in peace of them that make peace.
James 3:16-18
