A day or two ago I was told by one whom I had been trying for some time to interest in Christian Science, that he had been warned by a church friend, to whom he mentioned the subject of Christian Science, to have nothing to do with it or its followers as they did not believe in Jesus Christ. My friend who had heretofore seemed rather indifferent to Science, immediately championed the cause of Truth and strongly asserted, "from what little he knew of Christian Science, he thought it taught of little else than Jesus Christ, and that what was more, its followers claimed to do His works." The orthodox friend however, was not to be convinced and declared that though Christian Scientists might possibly believe in God, he knew they did not confess Jesus Christ.
On thinking over this occurrence the thought came to me, Why is it that many of our friends in the churches have this same view, when those in the Science are continually trying to live the Christ in their daily lives? And as I thought the matter over and tried to recall the conception I once had of Jesus Christ, that which I had been taught from childhood, and then turned to the very different idea I have of him now, through the light of Divine Science, two words came clearly to my thought and seemed to answer my question. One was Idol, the other Ideal. Words very like in sound and letter, but widely different in meaning and application. Did not many of us in the "old way," when being baptized as it were with John's baptism, with the waters of Jordan — make more of an idol of Jesus the Christ than anything else? Did we not put Him, like a breakable piece of statuary, high on the bracket of blind belief, wholly beyond our reach and worship, in our ignorance, the image of his personality? In other words, were we not making him an idol? This seems to be the error made by many professing Christians at the present time, and when the Christian Scientist strives to make his life like that of His Master, placing Jesus as his ideal, he is thought by those not understanding the Christ-Principle to be denying Jesus Christ's divinity, lessening His glory, and hence not believing Him to be the Son of God.
In the two concluding verses of St. John's first epistle we find these words: "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols." These two verses are particularly full of meaning when viewed in the light of Divine Science and seem to bear directly upon the question we are considering. The apostle, in the last verse, almost seems to foresee the great danger into which the church might drift, when he utters, in his first epistle, this final note of warning to those at Ephesus whom he is striving to keep in the Way of Truth, "Little children keep yourselves from idols?
