The faith and fidelity of Abram was beautifully shown in his appeal to Lot, when the desire for material place and property threatened to destroy the loving relationship that had existed between them. The increasing herds of the two men made the fields of Canaan inadequate, and "there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle." Therefore Abram offered Lot his choice of all the surrounding land, and lovingly agreed to accept the land which was not wanted, saying, "Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren."
That Abram's consciousness was free from strife is demonstrated by what followed. He had no sooner effected a friendly separation from Lot than he heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art ...for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever." Lot's selfishness blinded his vision, and resulted not only in an unwise choice of location, but in much tribulation in the years to come; while Abram continued to demonstrate his understanding of the Word of God, which he frequently heard, receiving spiritual blessings as well as material wealth, and gaining historical credit for being the founder of the religion of the Hebrews.
Christian Scientists are realizing the necessity of keeping their thought free from strife, as did Abram, or Abraham. They know that to abandon open warfare but continue mental strife is only changing the form of error—not overcoming it; and there is, perhaps, no mental strife more subtle or more tenacious than that condition of thought known as intolerance or bigotry. It comes, usually with plausible excuses for its presence, to blind its victim with resentment and hatred toward those who hold differing views. An old grievance, or perhaps an "inherited" religious prejudice, may be the soil in which the intolerant thought will take root and grow, until it inflames with animosity and passion such as in olden times resulted in murderous atrocities.
That this warfare is continued today in a different form is brought to our attention by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, who tells us in "Christian Healing" (p. 11), "The fires of ancient proscription burn upon the altars of to-day; he who has suffered from intolerance is the first to be intolerant." And, again, on page 94 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." our Leader tells us, "Tyranny, intolerance, and bloodshed, wherever found, arise from the belief that the infinite is formed after the pattern of mortal personality, passion, and impulse."
What further warning do we need to rid our thought of strife with those who may hold differing views? What could more plainly point out that intolerance, when reduced to its last analysis, is nothing but adhering to one's own personal concept of God? All that error could want, if it had intelligence enough to want anything, would be to keep us forever at war with some form of error. Whenever we direct an unkind thought toward a differing form of religion or its followers, we but waste our effort in the ancient game of which Mrs. Eddy speaks in the Preface to "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. xi), where she says, "The shuttlecock of religious intolerance will fall to the ground, if there be no battledores to fling it back and forth."
To play this foolish game of resenting is but to play into the hands of error. Why not see it as it really is—nothing? To indulge error is to make a reality of error, and then there may soon come the belief that it cannot be healed! Such is unchristian and unscientific; for God is omnipotent and there are no limits and no exceptions to His healing power. Some erroneous teachings, like certain physical diseases, would have us believe that they become so thoroughly attached to the individual that they virtually become part of him, and because of this he can never be separated from them. Likewise, certain races of people are thought to possess certain characteristics from which they can never be freed. This is not true; and the alert Christian Scientist will not accept it. The advocate of materia medica and the scholastic theologian may accept it, but the Christian Scientist knows better, because he recognizes it as an effort of the counterfeit to get itself accepted as genuine.
To be keenly alert, however, to the suggestion of every form of error, whether it calls itself physical disease degrading habit, or the supposedly characteristic evils of a race or creed, is not intolerance. The shafts of error are destroyed when they meet the consciousness that recognizes them for what they are, knowing their unreality. But this must always be done in love; and intolerance is certainly not an attribute of Love. Readiness to acknowledge healing is an important part of demonstration. If we deny the possibility of the healing of an individual who has been identified with some form of error, we should look the fact fairly in the face, and ask whether we are not thereby placing ourselves in a position similar to that of the materialist, who denies all spiritual healing.
In proportion as an individual is healed of wrong thinking, he reflects God; the real man is appearing to him. This is demonstration; and to discern and accept it as such is the duty of every Christian Scientist. It makes no difference what particular form of wrong thinking has been destroyed. It may have been the belief of an incurable disease, poverty, some of the characteristics of race, or the fallacies of a creed. The point is not, What was the condition of thought? but, Is it healed? A readiness to admit the power of Truth to heal all forms of error, regardless of the nature of the claims that have been made by mortal mind, is of great practical value. It means freedom from strife or intolerance; and it opens thought to the receptivity of good, however it may be manifested. The ranks of Christian Science are recruited from all peoples, proving that ''God is no respecter of persons." Because Christian Science is the truth, it is lifting mankind out of every form of error, wherever found. Its adherents are deeply grateful for a religion that exposes the folly of intolerance, and destroys bigotry. They rejoice in an ever growing understanding of God, and of man as His image and likeness; and they testify that as their thought expands to embrace the truth, they are conscious of a broadened sense of love toward all mankind, in which abideth no strife.
