The phrase "personal attachment" is used in Christian Science to denote a phase of human thought which often deludes mortals, anchors them in unhappy earth scenes, and bars their spiritual progress.
Article VIII of the Manual of The Mother Church, entitled "Discipline," begins with a rule for self-discipline fundamental to the demonstration of Christian Science. Here Mary Baker Eddy says, in part: "Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church. In Science, divine Love alone governs man." What does "personal attachment" here refer to? It refers to the tendency of human thought to cling to, with false love or hate, a misconception of man as humanly personal instead of spiritually individual, a misconception that hides our relationship to God and to one another.
Mortals have a sense of relationship toward one another which is the outgrowth of family ties, personal friendships, close association in business, social, or political life. These relationships are sometimes kept on a normal basis, with full freedom of individual thought and action under God's control, unhampered by the ignorant forces of fearful, dominating, or idolatrous personal attachment.
