The redemptive character of Jesus' mission gained for him the names of Saviour and Redeemer. His thoughts expressed the Christ, or his divine nature, and therefore were saving and healing in their effects.
It is the beneficent function and purpose of the impersonal Christ, Truth, today to transform and redeem every aspect of human existence. As the Christly or spiritually scientific way of thinking begins to unfold in individual consciousness, we see that deep-rooted and traditional concepts which have been held, and even regarded as good, must be altered or given up entirely. This is especially true in regard to what we call the family and our close relationships with one another.
The application of a correct understanding of Christian Science will not, of course, destroy the family. On the contrary, scientific thinking can only purify, uplift, and harmonize our human relationships. A false sense of family involves us in difficulty and sorrow.
Throughout the Bible the fact is declared that God alone is our Father; and in the light of what we understand in Christian Science we see that, unless we claim this divine and correct relationship, and demonstrate it, we cannot make rapid spiritual progress. What was Jesus' attitude on this point? He recognized that the ties of the flesh were restrictive and binding. At the age of twelve he rebuked the fear and personal sense of his mother and Joseph with the words, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" clearly indicating that he was lovingly reminding them of his divine origin, and endeavoring to show them how to put aside the material sense of parenthood, and so loose him, in order that he might fulfill the will of God. Later we find him saying, "Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven;" and again, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." This did not mean that Jesus was advocating any unloving or inconsiderate attitude toward fathers, mothers, or one's family, but that he recognized the bondage and fear, as well as the selfishness, that sometimes express themselves through human relationship.
There is probably not one of us who has not faced, or is not facing, some phase of human relationship that has to be transformed and seen in its true light; and only the understanding of spiritually scientific being will enable us to do this in accordance with divine wisdom. In Christian Science we realize that the demand of the Christ is that we express good. Our friends should be left as much as possible free to develop and express themselves according to their understanding of the divine plan.
We may say that human motherhood presents much that is fine and beautiful, but the human mother often finds herself taking on much fear, worry, and personal responsibility. Frequently, however, we hear in our Wednesday evening meetings testimonies by mothers who state that they have been healed of a false sense of motherhood. They gratefully tell of the increased happiness that has come into their lives as they have freed themselves and their children from the binding beliefs of undue personal attachment.
One of the most helpful and appealing aspects of Christian Science is its teaching of the motherhood of God. The divine creator, infinite Love, being no less Mother than Father, includes in perfection all the qualities of divine motherhood. It is these qualities of divine parenthood which we learn to express in Christian Science. Mary Baker Eddy writes in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 151): "God is our Father and our Mother, our Minister and the great Physician: He is man's only real relative on earth and in heaven. David sang, 'Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.'"
Human experience is full of heartaches and sorrows arising from the false belief that we belong to other human beings, or that we personally possess, yes, even own, some individuals whom we call our sons and daughters. In the realm of divine metaphysics, however, a distinction is drawn between possession and personal ownership. We all possess ideas by reflection, but we do not own them personally. So it may be said that, while we possess the power to express love and affection to our children, our wives or husbands, we do not limit this affection to them alone. We also know that divine Mind maintains the identity of every idea, distinct and free through all eternity.
We find too, as we progress in Christian Science, that our human affections are purified and approach more nearly to the love which reflects Love. As our spiritual understanding grows, our concept of what love is gradually changes. Mrs. Eddy speaks of divine Principle as Love; so Love operates as Principle. To express love in Christian Science does not include feeling a personal responsibility for other people's problems, their lives, and their decisions; it does not mean working out another's salvation; indeed, in the last analysis, this can never be done. Each member of a family must make his own individual demonstration of reflecting the one Mind, for each is spiritually independent and should be left free to work out his own righteous plans and make his own right decisions. As each individual demonstrates his unity with Mind, he finds he is no longer leaning unduly on another. And who would wish to be a leaner, attempting to go through life on another's effort?
It is the privilege of the Christianly scientific thinker to know that creation is constituted of ideas. There are no parasitic thoughts in the divine order.
Children should be taught that there is one infinite Mind, and encouraged not to lean unnecessarily on their parents. They can be taught co-operation in the home and that helpfulness can be expressed in many ways. The child should be early taught to turn intelligently to divine Love as the source of infinite supply. Such wise instruction will inevitably help to lift the weight of personal responsibility from the father or the mother, thereby aiding the family's demonstration of supply of every sort.
There are many times when Christian Scientists must stop and ask themselves: Is what I am about to do the expression of Principle, or is it a thought of personal gratification or perhaps a mere desire to please that is impelling me? Will the step I am about to take benefit all concerned? A correct understanding of Love uncovers misdirected efforts to be kind, based on false sentimentality, and enables all our giving to approach nearer to the expression of divine Principle.
It sometimes comes about that one must assume the care of someone else in the family. This duty, accepted at first with loving willingness and a desire to serve, may later seem to become a burden, because fear, weariness, and self-pity have entered the thought of the one serving. Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health, p. 385), "Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself." Service at the behest of Principle is always joyous. All burdens become light as the unreality of evil appears.
Christian Science may cause us to consider our duty to family or parents in a somewhat different light than we formerly did. We are sometimes told that children are not so dutiful as they used to be. The right sense of duty springs from regard, reverence, and respect. A child, therefore, will express a sense of duty to parents whom he respects and reverences, and for whom he has regard. But if in the parent the qualities in character which arouse respect and regard be lacking, one can understand why respect or duty may also be absent from the child. Christian Science teaches that we may expect dutiful service from others only as we serve them righteously.
As we go on in our study of Christian Science, we learn that the only real relationships we have, are those of which we are spiritually conscious. Thus, if we hold to the belief that we are members in a human or material family, we are accepting the claims of matter, with the frictions and in-harmonies that attend such a point of view. What is the true family? In the light of spiritual understanding, it is seen as the expression of Love; it manifests peace, harmony, and perfection. All the ideas that constitute this true family are helpful and loving, are united in the one Mind, are complete, divinely sustained and maintained. Man is ever at one with God, at one with Life, at one with Spirit, at one with Love, at one with infinite substance, fulfilling forever the demands of Principle. As we think from the standpoint of Christian Science, we express more happiness and freedom in our human relationships; and our beloved Leader has declared in the Christian Science textbook (p. 444), "God's children in divine Science, are one harmonious family."
