"The demands of God appeal to thought only; but the claims of mortality, and what are termed laws of nature, appertain to matter," writes Mrs. Eddy on page 182 of Science and Health, and she continues, asking the question, "Which, then, are we to accept as legitimate and capable of producing the highest human good?" The multifarious demands of daily life, with their insistent clamor, press upon human consciousness. How are we to meet them; how are we to satisfy the many voices demanding time, attention, appreciation, accuracy, talent, and so on?
The key to our response lies in the statement by our Leader that it is only to thought that Deity makes His demands upon us. It is in thought, therefore, that we have to acquiesce in His demands in order that all legitimate human requirements may be met. By introducing new thoughts, spiritual thoughts, Christian Science leavens consciousness with Truth and changes it, slowly or rapidly, from materiality to spirituality. This change in human thinking results from the teaching of this Science that Spirit is real; whereas matter is unreal. This change of base eventually permeates one's entire thinking and lifts it from the belief of life in matter into a realization of life as spiritual.
The teaching of Christian Science is contrary to the general drift of thought, in which the inclination is always towards the line of least resistance. The most fertile field for the reception and development of this new idea is the unprejudiced Christian thought—the thought already prepared for the final revelation of Christ, Truth, by the acceptance of Jesus as the Way-shower. The acceptance of Jesus' life and teaching is therefore a necessary prerequisite for the intelligent study of Christian Science.
