CHRISTIAN SCIENCE destroys forever the belief that some men and women are divinely favored in personality, character, gifts, or ability. That there are "diversities of gifts" is clearly taught in the Bible, but all are expressions of "the same Spirit." "God is no respecter of persons."
One of the greatest problems of the world is that of human inequality. Hidden deep in the consciousness of men is the belief that inequality is wrong, and that somehow it is not the truth of being. The men who wrote the Declaration of Independence said that "all men are created equal," but looking upon men as they appear to exist on the earth today, no one could say that this declaration is realized.
The world recognizes the great differences which seem to obtain, and classifies men as weak and strong, good and bad, wise and ignorant, fortunate and unfortunate, rich and poor, and so on. The world is a respecter of persons. Any attempt, however, to explain human inequality leads to the utmost confusion of thought. We may believe that the condition and character of men are more or less the result of inheritance, education, environment, social and economic opportunity, etc., but these things do not explain the seeming facts. Everywhere we see apparently the same conditions and influences producing totally different results. Any law we try to make involving these influences is broken so frequently that it ceases to have weight. It is often said that the qualities of human character are essentially inherent, as if that explained and ended the matter. But "inherent" is defined as "having original quality and permanent existence ;" in other words, "God given." How terrible this would be if it were true, and if it included evil as well as good! Are weakness, incapacity, and criminal tendencies inherent? If this were so, the great mass of humanity would be without hope; there would be no justice in life and no basis for belief in a God of love. According to Christian Science, only good can be inherent in man.
