There is perhaps no teaching of Christian Science which is so generally misunderstood by outsiders as that which relates to the punishment of sin. One who knows what is taught in Science and Health regarding this question is almost tempted to say that it is wilfully misunderstood, for Mrs. Eddy's utterances on the subject, in our text-book and her other writings, are so definite as to leave no room for misapprehension. It is, however, quite possible that the statement that sin is unreal, when addressed to one who does not understand its import, and made by one who has not to any great extent proved its truth, may lead to the utterly false sense that because sin is unreal it may be indulged with impunity, whereas nothing could be farther from the teaching of Christian Science than this supposition.
To reason rightly on this subject, from the Christian Science standpoint, means to begin with the Scriptural declaration, "I am God, and there is none else," and thence to know that as there can be no evil in the divine consciousness, there can be none in the divine creation; therefore, evil can have no existence except as a belief of the carnal or mortal mind. It is also easy to see that evil is no part of man's being", for when the belief in evil and its outward manifestation, as sin, disease, or any other phase of discord, is removed, nothing is taken from his completeness. By the same logic, one could not express completeness or wholeness if evil were an element of his consciousness.
To put it briefly, sin is unreal because it is no part of God's creation, but one of the tenets of our church declares that "the belief in sin is punished so long as the belief lasts" (Science and Health, p. 497). This punishment does not, however, come through any arbitrary decree, but simply in accordance with that essential law of existence which can never be set aside, namely, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." If, for instance, one sows the seeds of belief in sensuous pleasure, regardless of the appeal of spiritual purity, he will reap the apples of Sodom, until he (or she) turns from this delusive error with loathing. On the other hand, if the belief prevails that there is satisfaction in hatred, malice, or revenge, this belief will create its own hell and torture the mortal mind and body until the victim of this lie turns with awakened spiritual sense from his dream and finds refuge and healing in divine Love.
