Human language is essentially the outcome of thought. It is the human mind's effort to express itself audibly or in writing. Language, keeping pace with the progress of human thinking from its crude beginnings in remote ages to its present broader views, has evolved words that are indicative of mankind's recognition of verities above the mortal and material. Some of these words are God, Spirit, Christ, spiritual, and eternal.
When Christian Science, or Spiritual Science, was discovered by Mary Baker Eddy, and she realized that her mission was to make it known to mankind, she soon encountered the difficulty of finding the words in human language to convey accurately to men the great spiritual facts of being. The presentation had to be accurate, or the revelation would soon be obscured and lost in the clouds of ambiguity.
In the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," she writes (p. 349): "The chief difficulty in conveying the teachings of divine Science accurately to human thought lies in this, that like all other languages, English is inadequate to the expression of spiritual conceptions and propositions, because one is obliged to use material terms in dealing with spiritual ideas. The elucidation of Christian Science lies in its spiritual sense, and this sense must be gained by its disciples in order to grasp the meaning of this Science. Out of this condition grew the prophecy concerning the Christian apostles, 'They shall speak with new tongues.'"
