FAITH is a word used primarily to express the state of consciousness essential to religious teaching, and it is commonly differentiated from the understanding which is essential to the acceptance of scientific teaching or knowledge of truth. It is ordinarily thought that the understanding of physical science is an activity of the human mind based upon the testimony of material sense, and that therefore it is to be relied upon; while faith is regarded as a transcendental mental state, a spiritual attitude which accepts as a guide to eternal life theories about an unknown and unknowable God, and which bases its hope of salvation upon belief in the unexplainable miracles attending the life of Christ Jesus, who through a special gift from God was able to put aside the customary order of divine law for a specific time and purpose.
In the early centuries of the world's history this type of faith was almost universal, and scientific knowledge practically non-existent, but through the gradual development of thought exact knowledge of material facts and phenomena has become more general and faith in the mysterious unknown has gradually diminished. The discovery of the relation of the planets to the sun transformed the thought of mankind about astronomy and brought to our knowledge the existence of fixed laws governing our solar system. The discovery of the laws of gravitation, of radiation, of attraction, etc., has destroyed much superstition, much blind faith, much mystery, and has brought to mankind an ever-increasing sense of security and confidence in a definite, controlling power or Principle, underlying and supporting the universe; and as scientific knowledge of the universe increases, it is being apprehended that this underlying, controlling Principle pervades the minutire of affairs and through unvarying law governs every least detail of being.
Of late years, as men have pondered over this problem of the government of the universe, it has become manifest that this governing Principle is infinite, all-pervading, ever-present, ever-active, intelligent, and unvarying in perfection; and in Christian Science it is recognized as divine Mind and acknowledged to be the one creative Principle, the only creator, and in so far as this divine Principle is apprehended through its manifestations or activities, there is always confidence, or faith, in its unvarying support and protection.
