IN coming into Christian Science, one of the first things which the student learns is that the many beliefs he has entertained regarding himself are utterly void of truth and without foundation, and that it is doubtful if he has a single right thought about himself, unless it should be the belief that he is a child of God; but his conception of what God is and of what God does is so at variance with the truth, that this belief is of little if any value to him.
The world is suffering from its delusions about God and man, as evidenced by the misery, sin, and disease prevalent on earth today; and it follows that Christian Science, to do all it claims to do, is and must be essentially revolutionary, displacing old and self destructive concepts with new and constructive ones. Hence the object in living a Christian Science life is to know God aright. Christian Scientists claim, as a sufficient reason for the existence of this movement, the discovery of the right idea about God and man, and they offer proof and demonstration all along the way to substantiate their faith.
The wise man starts out to prove the statements of Christian Science for himself, and being wise, he knows that this will not be accomplished by following the same line of argument and thinking that has led the world astray from the beginning. Right here, however, he finds himself at sea, not knowing how to change the old thoughts or how to think the new. If he is honest as well as wise, he will meekly and humbly acknowledge this, and being consistent as well, will admit that he knows no more about the Science of Christianity than he does, perchance, about the science of astronomy; or if knowing something of astronomy, that he must acquire the knowledge of Christian Science in somewhat the same way that he gained the knowledge of the other,— by the exercise of the mental faculties and through the same mental receptivity.
