In bygone days, a soldier went out to battle wearing a coat of mail or some other form of armor. This defensive covering protected him in some measure from the attacks of the enemy. His armor also gave him a feeling of courage, confidence, and security so necessary for victory.
Through the consecrated study of Christian Science, the student learns how to arm himself against the attacks of error or the so-called carnal mind. The Christian Scientist's battle is not a physical one against flesh and blood, but a mental one against the seeming power of evil in human consciousness. This power may be manifested in human experience as a so-called incurable physical or mental disorder, fear of contagion, inharmonious human relationships, financial difficulties, injustice, or a reversal of good.
The study of Christian Science enables the earnest seeker of Truth to understand that whatever appears in human experience, whether it be harmony or discord, is a direct result of one's own thinking. If there seem to be periods of harmony, followed by lapses into discord, there is evidently lurking somewhere in human consciousness a latent, undestroyed erroneous belief which must be met and mastered by a clearer understanding of God, omnipotent and omnipresent good.
