Article July 18, 2011 Issue

Praying about terrorism in Jesus’ way

By Mark Swinney

In an age in which terror alerts and homeland security play an ever-increasing role in everyone’s daily life, it is encouraging how prayer is becoming more widely recognized as a reliable antidote to terrorism. While spiritual thinkers don’t naively and foolishly embrace a terrorist’s hateful acts, they do acknowledge deeply and clearly the oneness we all share in God, who is utterly good. And it is this goodness that ultimately prevails. In an absolute sense, there is nothing to oppose it.

It could be said that the march of goodness through time is seen first in individuals—people on the street—who yield their thinking to the love of God, who truly is Father-Mother to every single person in every nation. God’s flawless goodness and purity are reflected everywhere in His creation, and, if we look, we can spot such qualities all around us. I would even suggest that to view others through this lens is to genuinely love them in the healing way that Christ Jesus taught: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39, New Living Translation).

The relations of God and man, divine Principle and idea, are indestructible in Science; and Science knows no lapse from nor return to harmony, but holds the divine order or spiritual law, in which God and all that He creates are perfect and eternal, to have remained unchanged in its eternal history.

About the author

Mark Swinney is a Christian Science practitioner and teacher who lives and teaches in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area. He’s also a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship.

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