In the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, we read on page 233: "When numbers have been divided according to a fixed rule, the quotient is not more unquestionable than the scientific tests I have made of the effects of truth upon the sick. The counter fact relative to any disease is required to cure it." In reading any scientific textbook it is of great importance not to read into a paragraph more than it contains, or to give any paragraph an interpretation out of harmony with the rest of the book. The understanding of the Christian Science textbook rests on its spiritual interpretation; therefore each paragraph must be understood spiritually and not through what is called human intellect.
For centuries the so-called human intellect has held to the belief that God is infinite but that creation is finite and material. Christian Science proves conclusively that like produces like and so the creation of infinite Mind must be infinite idea. The finite and material, if they exist at all, must be the result of a finite, mortal, or carnal mind. But since divine Mind is infinite there can be no finite, mortal, or carnal mind. If such a mind be assumed to exist it would be as stated by Paul to the Romans, "enmity against God," and enmity against Mind is simply ignorance; therefore the so-called mortal or carnal mind is only suppositional ignorance of infinity, or rather the belief in something besides infinity. Ignorance is not and never has been a scientific reality, though as a human belief it has to be dealt with; it is lack of Science, and vanishes when the truth is known.
In dealing with human ignorance it must never be forgotten that one is not dealing with the real man; man is individually perfect now; he can never be combined with ignorance. The belief of something besides infinity, however, claims reality until the truth about infinity is scientifically known. The so-called human mind, the affirmation that this mortal belief is true, makes this claim to reality by attempting to solve problems through what it calls its own intelligence. So long as the problem is one involving only finite propositions, such as an arithmetical problem, where both, correct and incorrect results can be worked up to by finite methods, this claim may seem justifiable. When, however, one enters on a field involving the understanding of infinity, such as the effect of truth upon the sick, the human mind is unable to follow. Instead of recognizing this, unfortunately, it multiplies confusion by manufacturing its own finite methods into a complete misconception.
