As God is Mind, true hearing consists in listening to God's thoughts. Mrs. Eddy writes in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 284): "Thought passes from God to man, but neither sensation nor report goes from material body to Mind. The intercommunication is always from God to His idea, man." Although the master Metaphysician succinctly pointed out that having ears did not constitute the ability to hear, Christians have gone on believing that hearing depends upon the condition of the auditory nerve. Since the advent of Christian Science this belief has in many well-authenticated cases been shown to be a mistaken one, for the deaf have been made to hear in spite of the physical diagnosis of surgery and medical practice.
Deafness, blindness, and all other ills of the flesh will continue to harass mankind until the mesmerism of the mortal dream, the dream that there is something apart from God, is broken. Material living is always a limited state of existence, whether as a state of health or one of sickness. Whether mortal mind says of itself, "I am well" or "I am sick," "I am deaf" or "I hear," it must be educated to see the falsity of its own declarations and to learn the facts of divine Mind. The so-called deaf person turning to Christian Science for healing is doing vastly more than he who seeks help from an aurist, though the latter may at times apparently succeed in restoring material hearing; for healing is not founded on fact so long as it is based on the falsity of mortal beliefs. Absolute harmony and freedom can never be attained until one learns to differentiate between the perfect, spiritual man and the Adam-dream or man of dust. To pray aright is to draw near to God, and this uncovers the falsity of either so-called physical perfection or imperfection.
What the divine Mind knows is reflected by its idea, man; and this reflection can never be interfered with. So that, along with all other God-given faculties, man is at all times reflecting perfect hearing, though the material senses may testify to the contrary. On page 214 of the textbook we read, "If the medium of hearing is wholly spiritual, it is normal and indestructible." When one understanding declares that hearing is the capacity to understand God, and constantly abides by this testimony of spiritual sense in daily living, then in due time "thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
