ONE of the most cruel taskmasters that would seek to enslave mankind is a mistaken belief of condemnation. It would bind mortals with heavy chains to an unhappy material past or a seemingly useless present, weighing them down with vain regret, disappointment, worry, and fear, until the one struggling with these errors seems to be in a state of confusion, "having no hope, and without God in the world." The words of Paul in his epistle to the Romans, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus," have in the past brought comparatively little hope of comfort to mortals, because they were not understood. Until the truth which Christian Science reveals dawned on human consciousness, mankind labored in the belief that it must endure what could not be cured, with the hope, perhaps, that in a dim and distant future, a far-off heaven might lift the dreary earth-clouds.
Christian Science comes to remedy all this, and in its simple, inspiring, and direct way is bringing the light of Love and of spiritual understanding to dispel the darkness of ignorance and fear. Imparting, as it does, the message of hope and comfort that God, good, is the only cause and creator and that all He has created is good, it is little wonder that mortals are reaching out for the truth that promises to lift human thought above the false beliefs of so-called material existence into a more healthful and happy state. On the thought of the suffering one who turns for relief to this healing truth there dawns a great light as he hears the old and perhaps oft-repeated words of the apostle voiced with a new meaning: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus bath made me free from the law of sin and death."
It is interesting to note that the word "condemnation" is derived from the Latin verb condemnare, meaning "to harm, condemn, damn; to sentence to punishment;" and one dictionary gives this definition of it: "The act of judging or pronouncing to be objectionable or criminal; strong censure; adverse judgment against one." It has ever been the nature of the so-called human mind to condemn, not only its neighbor, but itself as well. Even when the actions of men seem to be the best that could possibly be manifested in view of certain existing circumstances at specific times, this so-called mortal mind will find some reason for criticism or condemnation because some other action was not taken. The mortal who persists in criticizing or condemning his neighbor will sooner or later find these criticisms and "adverse judgments" directed toward himself; and he will in turn find himself harboring in thought that old enemy, self-condemnation, and its companions,—self-righteousness and self-pity,—finding fault with himself that he did not do this or that or the other thing in preference to what he did do. And, if not destroyed, this belief will tend to confuse his thoughts and actions, until he is left in a sea of doubt and despair alone with himself, that is, with his own false sense of things, as he believes they exist. Certain it is, also, that this sort of condemnation is the only kind that can even seem to harm; because if one is keeping his own thoughts pure and good, doing unto others as he would have others do unto him, any belief of condemnation directed toward him from another source has no power to injure him, and can harm only the one who is doing the wrong thinking.
