In her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, links healing with light. Light and healing—these terms are practically synonymous, for Mrs. Eddy does not here refer to solar light, but to the light of spiritual discernment or understanding. To speak of having light upon a situation usually means that the truth regarding the situation has been made clear. When the truth regarding a discordant condition is made clear to us in the light of Christian Science, that condition is healed. In the study of this Science we find that spiritual understanding brings healing—healing by means of seeing the spiritual fact regarding any situation. This accords with Paul's definition of light (Eph. 5:13) as "whatsoever doth make manifest." And when the truth is made manifest to us, we say, "I see!"
A student of optics has to take as groundwork a course in physics on light. Every optical problem presented to him has light as its basis of solution. Light is an essential part of every optical problem. A study of the Christian Science textbook shows that its author was familiar with the theories of physical optics, for in many cases she uses optical phenomena to illustrate some spiritual truth. This will readily be seen by looking up such terms as "camera," "focal distance," "inverted image," "lens," "retina," and so on, in a Concordance to her works.
It is significant to find that our Leader, despite her knowledge of physical optics, does not concede finality or reality to any of the stated laws thereof. A reference to Science and Health (pp. 503-511) will show that she discovered the true nature and origin of light to be entirely spiritual, and that her conclusions regarding optics are from the standpoint of that light which, as she writes on page 510, "is a symbol of Mind, of Life, Truth, and Love, and not a vitalizing property of matter."
