The word "demonstration" is an important one in the terminology of Christian Science. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, says (p. 16): "The highest prayer is not one of faith merely; it is demonstration. Such prayer heals sickness, and must destroy sin and death." Since Christian Science is a religion of spiritual healing through scientific right thinking, or prayer, a correct appreciation of the nature, method, and scope of prayer in its highest sense, thus denominated demonstration, is indispensable to the student of this Science.
Moreover, because Christian Science is, as Mrs. Eddy defines it in "Rudimental Divine Science" (p. 1), "the law of God, the law of good, interpreting and demonstrating the divine Principle and rule of universal harmony," it is scientific, absolute, and exact. Hence, he who would progress in his study of this Science must constantly seek a higher unfoldment and understanding of all of its essentials. This is true with reference to prayer and demonstration, which, to be fruitful, must be correct. Pointing out to the woman of Samaria the necessity for true knowledge and worship of God, and rebuking the lack of it, Jesus said, "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship."
It will be noted that in its Latin root the word "demonstrate" signifies to indicate, designate, show. By refinement, our English word "demonstration" has come to connote essentially exact or indisputable proof, as illustrated by the example of mathematical proof. In legal usage one definition of the word which may be of especial interest to students of Christian Science is, "Such a degree of proof as, excluding the possibility of error, produces absolute certainty" (California Code of Civil Procedure, sect. 1826). Is not this, indeed, the requisite, necessity, and behest of "the highest prayer"? The Master said, "If ye continue in my word, ... ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." In other words, the healing effect of scientific right thinking, or true prayer as taught in Christian Science, follows of necessity, and thus in fact is inseparable from such prayer. True prayer and demonstration, therefore, are one. How, then, may we more and more consistently admit into our prayers the element of demonstration, and thus pray "the highest prayer"?
