One of the questions following the Three Mile Island incident and recent discoveries of careless chemical and nuclear waste disposal is whether humanity is tampering with forces of nature it really doesn't understand and whether these forces may ultimately bring about its doom.

Looking around at what appears to be a vulnerable material world with finite resources, we see much to worry about. Mortal man appears to be a creator, capable of acting separately from God and of creating both good and evil, especially the latter.

Modern society offers many choices, and it frequently appears to be impossible to foresee how present decisions will turn out. Disposal of radioactive wastes and development of an alternate form of propulsion for cars are two examples.

The opening verses of the Bible, however, present a unique view of creation. God is the only creator, and man is made and governed by Him. This view perceives creation as spiritual, perfect as God is perfect, not limited to matter—which by definition must be finite. If we accept this metaphysical view, we have a priceless opportunity to reverse destructive tendencies.

A key element in our efforts is that God, having created man, gives him dominion over the earth and over every living thing (see Gen. 1:28). In the framework of this view, the earth and living creatures would be, like man, spiritual ideas, not material phenomena. With some glimpse of these basic facts, the Old Testament prophets were able to make bold choices, particularly in emergencies. For example, when Moses and the Israelites were fleeing Egypt, and Pharaoh's troops were in hot pursuit, the Israelites found themselves at the Red Sea. In that moment of great urgency Moses received God's order to go forward. He chose to obey it, knowing God would not abandon them. Moses was right. The Red Sea parted, and he and his people crossed it to safety.

Real dominion, because it derives from spiritual understanding, includes no willfulness, no uncaring pursuit of ends regardless of the cost to others. Political expediency, consuming for consumption's sake, or advancing for the sake of being better than our neighbors—not one of these is part of this dominion. To demonstrate the dominion given by God, we need to lead God-centered lives and to be obedient to Him.

The best example of this kind of living is Christ Jesus. He healed the hopelessly ill, walked on the waves, calmed a storm at sea, fed the multitudes, raised the dead—not for material gain or glory, but because he wanted to do God's will and to bless those around him. Jesus' spiritual origin and his understanding of God's care enabled him to prove that God was the only source of control. He knew he could never be separated from God, because God is Spirit and ever present, not a tribal deity or a superpowerful material entity. Jesus was so aware of his unity with God that he told his listeners one day, "I and my Father are one." ^{John 10:30;}

Before feeding the crowd and raising Lazarus from the grave, the Master gave thanks, recognizing that his Father, God, infinite good, was always ready to provide and sustain. On the night before his crucifixion he prayed, "Not my will, but thine, be done." ^{Luke 22:42;} He understood that God was his Life and that he could never be separated from that Life.

He assured his apostles, "These signs shall follow them that believe." He included in this promise the ability to cast out evils and to heal the sick. ^{See Mark 16:17, 18;} Wasn't he assuring them that the same kind of dominion he had could be theirs? The promise goes to "them that believe"—to those who recognize God as the source of all life. Mrs. Eddy, our Leader, writes in Science and Health: "Divine Love blesses its own ideas, and causes them to multiply,—to manifest His power. Man is not made to till the soil. His birthright is dominion, not subjection. He is lord of the belief in earth and heaven,—himself subordinate alone to his Maker." ^{Science and Health, pp. 517-518;}

In order to achieve this dominion, we must consciously accept God's government of ourselves and of the universe and must recognize that we are "subordinate alone to [our] Maker." This means that instead of depending exclusively on material sources for power, safety, supply—believing ourselves subordinate to them—we must rely more and more on God, recognizing that He is the source of all good.

If we lead lives subordinate to God, we can turn to God, Mind, who is fully in control of His creation and the source of all intelligence, and cut through the endless processes of human deliberations to the heart of what is right and good. Mrs. Eddy writes, "The rays of infinite Truth, when gathered into the focus of ideas, bring light instantaneously, whereas a thousand years of human doctrines, hypotheses, and vague conjectures emit no such effulgence." ^{ibid., p. 504;}

With God in control—and He is always in control—there are no unknowns, because God, Mind, possesses full understanding of His own ideas and purpose. "Nothing is new to Spirit," Mrs. Eddy writes. "Nothing can be novel to eternal Mind, the author of all things, who from all eternity knoweth His own ideas." ^{ibid., pp. 518-519.} Consequently, allied with God, we can make the right choices. We understand ourselves to be subordinate only to Him and do not allow materiality—greed, fear, arrogance, ignorance, prejudice—to influence us. The more we allow God to govern our thoughts, the wiser our choices will be in supplying the world's need for peace, energy, and development. We will be able to make the intelligent, long-term decisions that will lead to lasting solutions. If everyone did this, the whole world would be transformed.

There are no untamed forces, no unknown, unpredictable powers in God's kingdom, because He is the only source of life and power. To the degree that we know, adore, and understand God, we will experience (and help bring about in the world) increasing evidence of man's true dominion.