These are important days for the Christian Scientist. Bombarded from every side with rumors of further war and dissension, intimations of hate and greed, suggestions of sin, sickness, disease, and death, the genuine Christian Scientist is constantly aware of the importance of emphasizing good in his every word and deed and is constantly alert to meet all adverse suggestions with inspiring truths as revealed by Christian Science. He is, moreover, constantly confident of Mind's control of its own creation.
Mary Baker Eddy writes in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 5): "The First Commandment of the Hebrew Decalogue, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me,' and the Golden Rule are the all-in-all of Christian Science. They are the spiritual idealism and realism which, when realized, constitute a Christian Scientist, heal the sick, reform the sinner, and rob the grave of its victory." The constant effort of the Christian Scientist is to understand and acknowledge the one infinite God, good, and to love his neighbor as himself. But, one might ask, how is it possible to acknowledge God as infinite good and love one's neighbor in the midst of warring nations, internal strife, and evidences of hate and greed among mankind? Obviously, the answer cannot be based on wishful thinking or on blind faith in the goodness of God or man, but must be based on spiritual understanding of the divine Principle of all true being, whereby one deals with facts and rejects fiction.
The facts, as revealed by Christian Science, are that God, good, is perfect Principle, governing the universe, and that the expression of this perfect Principle, God, good, is idea, or man, accepting the harmonious government of this Principle. The fiction that must be rejected is that evil in any guise has power, presence, or existence. Since the Bible declares that God is "of purer eyes than to behold evil," and cannot "look on iniquity" (Hab. 1:13), we can be confident that evil is neither created by God nor known to God and therefore cannot be experienced by man. To reap the benefits provided for man, we must be willing to accept being on a factual basis, maintain thought and action in line with divine Principle, and see man as God-created, God-endowed, and God-governed.
