WITHOUT a certain standard, established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example, there would appear to be nothing whereby to test, examine, or judge any thought, word, or deed. In our human relationships and experiences there are multitudes of such standards, and mankind as a whole is generally willing to accept in each individual case that standard which is supposed to represent the highest point of excellence. By this standard it weighs all that is brought to its attention, and according thereto accepts what measures up to it or rejects that which it believes falls short of its demand.
These standards, however, are very largely variable, since they are primarily based on merely human opinions, and consequently fluctuate with every changing tide of belief. Inasmuch as they have to do with personal sense and its always unstable concepts, they can never be found entirely reliable, and mortals depending on them will discover that they are very frequently called upon to readjust not only their standards, but the judgments they have deduced therefrom.
Christian Science brings its stabilizing influence to bear upon this as upon all questions. It starts out with the absolute truth that there can, in reality, be but one dependable standard anywhere, concerning anything, at any time, and that is the standard of divine perfection. Any so-called standard which falls short of this must be more or less shifting in its nature; and therefore until one understands and accepts the divine as his criterion, he will be quite uncertain as to the correctness of his judgments.
