In her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes (p. 252), "A knowledge of error and of its operations must precede that understanding of Truth which destroys error, until the entire mortal, material error finally disappears, and the eternal verity, man created by and of Spirit, is understood and recognized as the true likeness of his Maker." This statement explains in a measure why Mrs. Eddy included in the permanent list of subjects for the weekly Lesson-Sermons in the Christian Science Quarterly the topic "Ancient and Modern Necromancy, alias Mesmerism and Hypnotism, Denounced." She also required, through the Manual of The Mother Church, that the subject of so-called mental evil, or animal magnetism, be thoroughly taught and discussed both in the Normal class of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College and in each Primary class taught by every teacher of Christian Science.
The nature of Truth is light, and the inevitable result of consistent and consecrated study of Christian Science is the dispelling of the so-called mystery of evil and the fears arising from belief in its reality and power. In Christian Science we see that the answer to the darkness or mystery of error is always light, more light; and while the hidden and devious claims of mental evil have to be exposed, it is our knowledge of God's allness and oneness that demonstrates the wholly fictitious nature of animal magnetism, which Christian Science teaches is the general term for all error or false belief. An understanding of the divine and absolute facts of being is important, and the student of Christian Science naturally would like to rest his realization of divine being continuously there. But as Mrs. Eddy points out, the claim of so-called evil has got to be faced and proved unreal through and by a demonstrable understanding of the Christ.
Mrs. Eddy herself was confronted with that necessity, and because of this she required that the nature of evil be thoroughly understood and handled; that is, given specific consideration and, through spiritual enlightenment, completely eliminated. She saw that the claim of malicious mind is not met by ignoring its seeming existence.
