OFTENTIMES people view with amazement the poise and assurance maintained by students of Christian Science under extreme hardships. This fearless attitude is occasionally interpreted by onlookers as optimism. However, the conclusions of the Christian Scientist are based neither upon optimism nor pessimism, but rather upon his understanding of reality.
"Pessimism" is the theory that evil is inevitable, or, according to one definition, it is "the doctrine or opinion that reality is essentially evil." "Optimism" is defined as "the doctrine that reality is essentially good." While the latter viewpoint is certainly a hopeful mode of thought, it nonetheless does not conform entirely to the divine logic which underlies the Christian Scientist's understanding of tangible reality.
The basis of every scientifically metaphysical conclusion is the demonstrable fact that God, or good, is the only reality of existence. The understanding of the allness of God, good, enables one to reject completely the lying sense testimony which attempts to present evil as a real and an all-powerful entity.
