Perhaps no more important utterance has ever reached mankind than Mary Baker Eddy's statement that matter is mythology. (See "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," page 591.) A clear echo of Jesus' words, "The flesh profiteth nothing," this statement is a part of the teachings of Christianity. In II Timothy the Christian is urged to study that he may learn rightly to divide "the word of truth," or clearly to discern the line of demarcation between that which is real and that which is mythical. As the Christian Scientist heeds Paul's counsel to Timothy and searches the Scriptures in the light of Mrs. Eddy's writings, there is revealed to him the infinity of Spirit, and the consequent unreality of matter, Spirit's opposite.
Religion's business is to impart the truth of God and of His universe to men. Unfortunately, myths have been particularly associated with religious beliefs, mythology being considered a part of primitive religions. Yet a myth is defined, in part, by Webster as "a person or thing whose existence is imaginary or not verifiable." Such nonentity could have no place in God's reality. Then, religion must cease to teach the fable that matter is true substance. This fable has been spread throughout the earth in various forms, but matter's actual existence is not verifiable. Even physical scientists to–day are admitting its illusive nature. Writing of the material world, a well–known professor of astronomy says: "... strange compound of external nature, mental imagery and inherited prejudice—which lies visible to my eyes and tangible to my grasp. . . . The external world of physics has thus become a world of shadows."
Christian Science goes farther and declares matter to be only the supposition of mythical mortal mind. Matter can only seem to exist in the realm of mortal belief, for God never knew it or made it. Since matter did not originate in God, it does not contain a single element of reality. Every form of matter is therefore but a form of mythology, whose character and history are wholly unreal.
