In her sermon "The People's Idea of God" (p. 9) Mary Baker Eddy writes, "Christian Science has one faith, one Lord, one baptism; and this faith builds on Spirit, not matter; and this baptism is the purification of mind,—not an ablution of the body, but tears of repentance, an overflowing love, washing away the motives for sin; yea, it is love leaving self for God." In this statement our Leader points out that Christian Science is the one and only way to true salvation from all the discords of material sense.
Christian Science acknowledges one Lord. In answer to a question from one of the scribes, Jesus quoted Moses' trenchant declaration (Mark 12:29), "Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord." In this statement Jesus affirmed the basic fact that God, the great I AM, is indivisible. The great facts which separate Christian Science from every other religious, philosophical, and ethical system are that God, Spirit, is divine consciousness, and that creation consists of the spiritual ideas included in divine consciousness. Since Spirit is infinite, All, and includes creation within itself as its infinite idea, there is no place for any other creator or creation.
Christian Science acknowledges one faith. Those who claim that Mrs. Eddy derived her religion from philosophers or religionists other than the inspired Biblical writers have not begun to grasp the significance of her spiritual discovery. Regardless of the unique phraseology used by our Leader, her system of divine metaphysics is based on primitive Christianity. Every statement of truth contained in her writings is in accord with the words and works of the prophets and of Christ Jesus. Speaking of man-made systems of religion and philosophy, including those of Leibnitz, Descartes, Fichte, Hegel, Spinoza, and Bishop Berkeley, Mrs. Eddy says (No and Yes. p. 22): "Such miscalled metaphysical systems are reeds shaken by the wind. Compared with the inspired wisdom and infinite meaning of the Word of Truth, they are as moonbeams to the sun, or as Stygian night to the kindling dawn."
