In his letter to them Paul tells the Ephesians that he prays for them "unto the Father ... of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." This passage shows that Paul understood that man inherits his nature from God, and from no other source. When this truth is seen, the conceit or arrogance of mortal mind melts before the gentleness of meekness, and one looks beyond the narrow confines of the human order to find his true family and his true inheritance. Turning away from any false concept of Deity, and lifting one's thought to "God as Spirit, the infinite and tender Father-Mother, one finds his true self a member of a family of glorious significance beyond the power of mere human nature to conceive.
Although mankind seems to be confronted with the inequalities of the beliefs of material birth, students of Christian Science need not be disturbed. Observing that mortal mind tries to clothe its nothingness in the illusion of somethingness by means of its beliefs in environment, heredityy, and many other illusive concepts, the student of this Science lifts his thought above matter and evil into Mind. Though he may find himself touching the fringes of many walks of human life, yet he belongs specifically to none. Each so-called group or class of people may tend to hold up the same false gods which would try to tempt one out of the direct line of spiritual thinking. For instance, one is likely to hear everywhere praise of human family and hereditary virtues, so that a sort of deceptive halo is thrown around the individual. The student of Christian Science must, of course, see through this error in order to find the real values. In the light of spiritual reasoning, there can be no personal deification, no acceptance of any source but the divine for all that is good and beautiful.
Our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, writes (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, pp. 469, 470): "With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science;" and again (ibid., p. 444), "Immortals, or God's children in divine Science, are one harmonious family." There is but one family in Mind, and it is indeed a lovely family of spiritual ideas. Understanding this truth of real being, one can carry love of family with one everywhere, and this true understanding heals the beliefs of inharmony that so often seem to attach themselves to human families. The narrowing and selfish influences of mortal mind fall away as one begins to embrace all mankind in his thought of family happiness. In God's family of ideas, kindness, courage, purity, joy, intelligence, peace, power, mingle in uninterrupted bliss. There is the ceaseless flow of goodness in the realm of Spirit which satisfies all God's children.
