In a world harassed by conflict and by economic and political insecurity, men and women by the thousand have willingly sacrificed their personal comfort, their careers, even their lives, to defend the ideals of Christianity and freedom. How vital, then, is the necessity for every man and woman in time of so-called peace to be alert and vigilant that these ideals may not be lost or imperiled. Christian Science teaches that the basis of true protection and defense is spiritual-mindedness. It shows us how to be constantly on guard to detect and destroy the persistent false suggestions of the carnal mind with the positive true ideas of the divine Mind.
In the Manual of The Mother Church (Art. VIII, Sect. 6) our inspired Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, gives this explicit command: "It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. By his works he shall be judged,—and justified or condemned."
Mrs. Eddy reiterates this necessity for defense, and indicates how it is to be done, in Article XXVI, Section 3, of the same volume where, under the heading "Defense against Malpractice," she writes, "Teachers shall instruct their pupils how to defend themselves against mental malpractice, never to return evil for evil, but to know the truth that makes free, and thus to be a law, not unto others, but to themselves."
