One important responsibility which Mary Baker Eddy fulfills in her presentation to human thought of the Science of Life is the uncovering of the nature of evil. This is essential as an aid in showing how evil can be annihilated through an understanding of God. A general has little chance of defeating an enemy if he is ignorant of the enemy's characteristics, strategy, and methods.
"Animal magnetism" is a term for evil used by Mrs. Eddy more than fifty times in her writings. The adjective "animal" here qualifies the noun "magnetism." A dictionary gives as a first definition of "magnetism," "the characteristic properties of the magnet," and then gives the logically deduced meaning, "attractive power." "Animal" is defined as "carnal; opposite to moral, spiritual." The literal meaning of "animal magnetism" is then "carnal, or unspiritual, attractive power." Here is a graphic, descriptive name for evil which lays its nature bare. With carnal, material attraction it would draw mortals to it and hold them by its assumed power.
Christian Scientists should be clear in their thought that animal magnetism has nothing mysterious or dangerous about it for one who is coming to understand God and man's sonship with Him. If a student of this Science should hear someone say of some physical affliction or untoward event that it was due to animal magnetism, and say it with an intonation that implies that this is a special form of evil before which one should rather stand in awe and tremble a little, the hearer should not do any such thing. The seeming affliction or event was of course an effect of evil, but not of some mystical form of evil.
