One marvels at the skill of the architects and builders who are able to restore famous landmarks, ships, buildings, and even entire settlements that have been neglected or that were destroyed many years ago. These experts, however, consider it more or less a routine assignment once they obtain the plans or design of the original. With this in hand it is only a question of the experts' faithfully following the specifications as drafted, in order to make the restoration.
The Way-shower, Christ Jesus, understood that Spirit, God, is "the great architect," the creator of the universe, including perfect man. He realized that God creates man in His own image and likeness and that man reflects Truth, substance, joy, health, and freedom for eternity. Jesus' discernment of the design of his Father was so great that he was able to declare (Matt. 5:48), "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Knowing the perfection of God and man, Jesus could restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, health to the sick, and life to the dead.
Christian Science recognizes and acknowledges God's perfect creation and utilizes the same method of healing which Jesus practiced. This Science teaches that we must look away from the material evidence—discord, sin, and sickness—and go back to the original plan of man and the universe as set forth in the first chapter of Genesis.
The identification and understanding of one's real selfhood as an idea of the one perfect Mind bring healing and deliverance from material problems. When one fully realizes that man is altogether spiritual, an idea of divine Love, governed by divine Mind, he has dominion over material laws or beliefs, however expressed.
One unfamiliar with Christian Science and its wholly mental method of divine healing may find it difficult to understand how identification with the spiritual can restore health and harmony. Additional light may be cast on this if one again considers the illustration of the architect and his problem of restoring a building.
To the layman, the building to be restored is completely material. He admires or appreciates it in terms of size, structure, style, color, and beauty. To the architect, however, the building is the physical manifestation of a design indicated on a blueprint. If, during or after construction, changes are required, he knows that first comes the thought, then the blueprint must be consulted' and changed before the alterations can be made. It does not require much thinking for us to see also that actually the finished building of iron, steel, cement, and stone has primarily a mental basis.
Similarly, we learn in Christian Science that our bodies express our thoughts. If thoughts of purity, Life, substance, and Truth are held in consciousness, these are manifested as harmony, health, supply, joy, and freedom. Conversely, if evil thoughts of hate, fear, malice, greed, are harbored mentally, these are expressed in physical discord, sin, lack, and death.
In order to restore a sense of health, the Christian Scientist turns in prayer to "the great architect," Spirit, that he may behold the spiritual idea of man and identify himself with all that is real and Godlike. He consults the highest authorities, the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, as well as her other writings. From these he learns the true facts concerning man and his relation to God, Spirit. Utilizing the perfect pattern, he is able to uncover and destroy in his thinking all erroneous suggestions. Then, as his thought becomes permeated with Love, the false interpretation of man, expressed in sickness or in sin, begins to fade from thought, and the glorious reality of man as God's beloved child is manifested.
It makes no difference whether or not the condition to be healed is one which is classified materially as chronic, acute, major, minor, organic, or functional. Spirit does not recognize the condition; therefore it is not a part of the divine plan. Then when Truth is applied with understanding, all discord is destroyed completely and finally.
A glorious proof of this occurred in my own experience. When a small boy, I visited a friend in the country. While playing one day in the hayloft, I fell from the top of it to a cement floor. An arm was badly broken near the elbow. With childlike faith, I declared the truth as I had been taught it in the Christian Science Sunday School.
A Christian Science practitioner was asked to assist metaphysically, to behold the child of God and to declare the truth that man is not made of flesh, blood, and bones, but is a perfect, spiritual idea, safe for all eternity. The practitioner lovingly explained to me that an idea could not be misplaced or broken, nor could God's child have an accident.
Mrs. Eddy's words in Science and Health were recalled (p. 401), "Until the advancing age admits the efficacy and supremacy of Mind, it is better for Christian Scientists to leave surgery and the adjustment of broken bones and dislocations to the fingers of a surgeon, while the mental healer confines himself chiefly to mental reconstruction and to the prevention of inflammation."
It was explained that each individual must decide for himself whether or not he is willing to place complete reliance on God in connection with problems of broken bones. Unequivocally, and instantly, I gave the answer, "Place the problem entirely in God's care." The pain stopped almost at once, and the next day I went to school.
Unfortunately that was the very day the school physician came to examine the members of the class. When my turn came, the doctor saw my arm, and noting that no material aid such as the setting of the bone had been used, he said: "It makes no difference, son; you will never have full use of that arm again. You will be a cripple for life."
At lunch time I reported this statement to the practitioner, who firmly denied the error and declared the truth of man's wholeness and perfection as the idea of God. The practitioner was instant in declaring that "the great architect," Spirit, made and maintains its image in a constant state of perfection. Within less than two weeks the arm was healed without material help of any kind, and in a very short time it was as normal as ever. It has remained that way to this very day.
The so-called seriousness of the problem, the supposed need of surgery, and the medical laws and claims were all proved powerless before the might of Truth, that is, incapable of touching or affecting the real man. The higher law of Love is always superior to material laws, plans, or beliefs. Further, divine Love operates harmoniously in thought and is not influenced by human opinion, medical theories, or beliefs, but destroys all error effectively and completely.
The spiritual realization of these facts puts into conscious action the greatest healing and saving power, omnipotent Principle, Spirit. When the belief of a broken, material arm was replaced with the true, spiritual understanding of the perfection of the child of God, the healing took place.
In proportion as we realize the facts of our spiritual sonship with God as His idea and abide in Love, we understand Mrs. Eddy's prophecy in Science and Health (p. 68), "Sometime we shall learn how Spirit, the great architect, has created men and women in Science." When this prophecy is fulfilled, we shall demonstrate, here and now, our God-given perfection as His beloved children and experience eternal Life.
