No doubt one of the most perplexing problems confronting an individual when the spiritual light of the Christ dawns upon him is how to make absolute truth practical. When this awakening comes, however, the honest seeker will not be deterred in his search for Christ, Truth, for he will realize that the solution of any problem depends upon an understanding of the principles governing the solution. He must learn that God is absolute Principle, the First Cause, and that man is His expression.
In Christian Science, perfection is the starting point and the goal—the Alpha and Omega. What could be more practical in solving human problems than to make God, the All-in-all, the starting point? When this is done and carried through with logical reasoning and correct application, harmony follows: the absolute becomes practical, socalled miracles become natural, and reality dawns on human understanding, replacing erroneous conceptions with spiritual facts. God, Principle, is proved to be manifested through man, His representative.
One definition of "practical" is "capable of applying knowledge to some useful end." So to be practical in solving any problem through Christian Science, we must have a workable knowledge of Principle, God. The student of Christian Science gains this knowledge through the study of the Bible and of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, the textbook of Christian Science. In this textbook is a chapter entitled "Christian Science Practice," which explains the method of spiritual healing. The rules with their explanation are available for all who wish to use them. The student of Christian Science applies his knowledge of facts methodically and meticulously. Abstractions are not allowed in his application of the truth to any problem. Nor does he lose sight of the absolute in making practical his knowledge of the Christ, which heals. Absolute Principle is the foundation on which he stands. He does not take a passive attitude toward any problem presented, but discerns through his understanding of God, Truth, the error seeming to cause the problem; he applies the truth, and the result is healing.
