It is the policy of this magazine to be modest in its claims that the world is coming to see the light of Christian Science. Generally speaking, we are aware of a trend in human thinking, not toward spirituality, but toward a sort of universal materialism. This trend has many names, but they all add up to the belief that fundamentals are material, that everything began with and in matter, and that whatever exists—even if it appears to be a mental phenomenon—can be controlled eventually by material processes.

But we still regard this as waves on the surface of the ocean. Waves are blown by the wind, but they do not necessarily indicate the direction of the currents. Occasionally evidence comes to light that shows an underlying current of human thought that honestly seeks Truth. And the result of this honest seeking indicates progress toward a recognition of spiritual facts.

Writing in American Psychologist, A. H. Maslow says, "If one pursues any 'physical' illness far enough ... one will find inevitably intrapsychic, intrapersonal, and social variables that are also involved as determinants. This definitely is not to etherealize tuberculosis or broken bones. It simply means that in the study of tuberculosis one finds that poverty is also a factor." ^{"Toward a Humanistic Biology," American Psychologist, Vol. 24 (August, 1969), pp. 733, 734;} And he cites a study by Dunbar, done in 1943, which found psychological factors involved in bone fracture cases.

Maslow says that people who are motivated by "truth, goodness, beauty, justice, order, law, unity, etc." may suffer disease because they are deprived of these values or because the motives are not gratified. And he states his conclusion, from data already in, "that these needs are related to the fundamental structure of the human organism itself." This is in no way to hint that Mr. Maslow has come into our camp. In fact, he expects that one day all these needs will be explained at the biological level.

We will now shed our modesty for a moment and say this: We are confident that when human needs are fully explained at the biological level, biology, in its search for the truths of "living organisms and vital processes" (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary), will have discovered that biology alone has no explanation of what is vital to man. Life is God, Spirit, and vital processes are entirely spiritual. In the meantime, the Science that satisfies the needs for "truth, goodness, beauty, justice, order, law, unity, etc."—and satisfies them through spiritual means alone—may be growing more credible to some segments of the general thought.

We ask, Why should beginning with matter and material organisms—and finding through their study that there are mental causes for disease (even broken bones)—be thought a more reasonable approach to Truth than beginning with Mind? Isn't it time for those in the so-called life sciences to consider the possibility that Mind, rather than matter, is primary?

When Christ Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly," ^{John 10:10;} what life was he referring to? Now that psychology has brought out a clearer connection between individual motives and the bodily organism, it is recognized that spiritual peace of mind such as Jesus brought may help the healing process. But that process is still largely regarded as physical. Yet it was through spiritual means that Jesus himself healed physical disease, even raised the dead. And he said in effect that we can do the same if we believe in him—believe in the life he lived and the peace he offered.

Christian Science, from the time of its discovery by Mary Baker Eddy, has pointed out the error of beginning with matter when we're looking for the truth of anyone's life or health. It shows that truth can be found by beginning with Mind—with God, Spirit, Life, Love—and recognizing man as Mind's idea, Spirit's image, Life's expression, Love's reflection. On this basis it heals disease.

It is apparent that biology, psychology, and Christian Science must eventually arrive at the same point, for all are dedicated, in their highest sense, to the truth. But as long as other sciences pursue the truth from a basic premise of matter, life in matter, intelligence in matter, they will not be on the same track as Christian Science. We wish some of their scientists would join us on our track. But until they do, we are grateful to them for the measure of truths they are turning up on theirs.

We by no means feel that we have reached the ultimate of understanding or demonstrating the truths Jesus taught. We have such a long way to go. But should not a scientist, if he is that, be willing to examine and consider a basic premise other than the one he has traditionally accepted?

In the Preface of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Mrs. Eddy writes: "Many imagine that the phenomena of physical healing in Christian Science present only a phase of the action of the human mind, which action in some unexplained way results in the cure of disease. On the contrary, Christian Science rationally explains that all other pathological methods are the fruits of human faith in matter,—faith in the workings, not of Spirit, but of the fleshly mind which must yield to Science." ^{Science and Health, p. xi.}

Carl J. Welz