Human problems are rightly viewed when considered from a Christianly scientific standpoint. Such problems may be clearly discerned only from this point of view.
The Bible emphasizes the oneness of God, Spirit, and the unity therewith of Spirit's creation. "God" is synonymous with "good." Thus the oneness of God, Spirit, is the oneness of good with all the attributes of good. A problem presents a question or questions; and questions arise from the belief that there are in human problems seemingly opposing elements called good and evil, truth and error. The desire is to attain a result called good and true, while under the necessity of dealing with both good and seeming evil in the process of demonstration. The question becomes, What is to be done with evil? The Bible helps us in such problems because it elucidates or throws light upon God, good; and Christian Science reveals the truth that as God is good and infinite, there is in reality no evil. Hence, human problems arise, not from the fact that evil exists, but because mortals seem to know evil—seem to believe in its existence.
The promise of the serpent in Genesis was that after Eve's eyes were opened by eating the fruit of the "tree of knowledge of good and evil," she would be as a god, "knowing good and evil." According to the statement, Adam and Eve both believed they knew evil after their disobedient act, although they were still in the same Eden where, under the protection of obedience, they had known only good. The serpent never promised to create evil; it promised Eve that by listening to its arguments she would get something supposed to have been withheld from Adam and Eve by God. Getting was the object; and the result of this getting is portrayed in the history of Adam and his descendants. Adam and Eve had always had plenty to give in the form of obedience to God's command. Such obedience had hitherto preserved harmony; for obedience is always protection. But from henceforth they were so busy reaping the results of disobedience that they lost sight of the blessings of giving obedience to God, which they had previously enjoyed.
