The attitude of Christian Scientists towards evil is frequently misunderstood by those unacquainted with the teachings of Christian Science. This attitude is, however, in harmony with that of Christ Jesus. He discriminated between good and evil. The Bible states that he "loved righteousness, and hated iniquity" (Hebr. 1:9). Knowing himself as at one with the Father, infinite good, he did not allow any sense of the reality of evil to enter his consciousness, with the result that he was able to prove that evil was powerless to control or affect him.
Students of Christian Science, modeling their way of life on that of Christ Jesus, abhor evil in every form. But they do not ignore it. On the contrary, they face it fearlessly and are able to cast it out of their consciousness in proportion to their spiritual understanding of the allness of God, good, and the consequent unreality of evil.
People uninstructed in Christian Science may endeavor to overcome evil, but because they regard it as real and formidable, they are not confident of the successful outcome of their struggle. Many individuals, observing the evidence of evil, with its many inventions, coming to the surface, are overcome by the seeming hopelessness of the task confronting them; they grow weary of the struggle and withdraw from it. Christian Scientists, on the other hand, wage their warfare against evil on the lines indicated by Paul in his first Epistle to the Corinthians (9:26), "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air."
