Christian Science enables its adherents to rise above mortal opinions and to be increasingly responsive to the facts of the divine Mind, God. In proportion as this is done, we are uniting with reality, and our experience will show it. Regardless of what problems we may be faced with or in what circumstances we may find ourselves, there is nothing in mortal opinions that can give us sure aid, although it is often to these that individuals are apt to turn until thought becomes acquainted with divine Love's availability.
Suppose an individual made a number of mistakes in his life and is in despair because of them. If he subscribes to mortal opinions about the situation, he may find it impossible to rise above the sense of futility. But if he will turn his thought to God, divine Principle, he can receive immediate encouragement from such sacred counsel as the following, recorded in Isaiah (45:11): "Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me." If one will look to God for His eternal views rather than seeking, accepting, or entertaining mortal opinions, he will find basic truths upon which to build his life even completely anew, if need be.
In Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 399), "The one Mind, God, contains no mortal opinions." What a thoroughly comforting thought is this! Whatever mortal opinions we or anyone else may be holding about a situation, or about ourselves or others, none of them are being entertained by our Father-Mother God. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:8, 9).
The divine Mind's knowing is always in terms of perfection. God is the perfect creator, whose creation is spiritual and perfect. It is possible through Christian Science to align thought with this perfection of true being and thereby rule out the imperfections which ignorance, fear, sin, and superstition would superimpose upon our experience. And it is this very holding in thought to the perfection of God's work, including the spiritual man in His image, that lifts us above the ravages of mortal opinion and founds us securely upon the rock, Christ.
Our Master, Christ Jesus, was never influenced by human opinions. He lived a life of complete independence from them because his thought was anchored in the truth of being. He never conceded to suggestions that man is sick, incorrigible, or in danger, nor did he permit envious, hateful mortal opinion to disturb his mission of demonstrating complete triumph over evil. He maintained a steady view of the real man's perfection, and this view corrected the distortions of the physical senses, wherever receptivity was present.
If human opinion says that we have lost out in the experiencing of good, or that good has somehow passed us by, are we to continue companioning with such barren concepts? Certainly not, for in Science we learn that the outstanding characteristics of good are, first of all, its spiritual nature; and, secondly, its ever-availability, proceeding as it does from omnipresent Spirit. We must be obedient to the Biblical directive, "Ask me [God] of things to come concerning my sons," and we must trust God to lead us to the evidences of spiritual good, which attest His government of our affairs.
The Christian Scientist knows that a medical diagnosis is mere mortal opinion and not the conclusion of God about His man. Jesus did not employ medical diagnosis or treatment in his healing work. He turned to his Father, infinite Spirit, when patients came to him, and always his thoughts were filled anew with divine Mind's assurances of man's perfection.
Do we ask the divine Mind what is true of ourselves and others, or do we ask unintelligent matter and faulty mortal sense? On page 403 of Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy tells us, "Mortal mind is constantly producing on mortal body the results of false opinions; and it will continue to do so, until mortal error is deprived of its imaginary powers by Truth, which sweeps away the gossamer web of mortal illusion."
Conflicting mortal opinions sometimes rob families, churches, even communities, of rightful progress. The Scientist, though praying ever so sincerely, may find others in disagreement with his views. This is his opportunity again to "ask [God] of things to come" and trust Him to guide all thoughts aright so as to establish what the proper course is, whether it is in accord with his own views or whether it is contrary to them.
At the same time, however, the Scientist must know clearly that in the allpresence of divine Mind evil can have no activity and no opportunity to oppose God's omnipotent will. This handling of animal magnetism is essential, for the mere fact of an opinion's being in the majority among a group of people does not always make it right. It requires constant humility to be a Christian Scientist and patiently to abide by the majority's decision while one is working and waiting for right to prevail. One must watch lest he fail to nourish this quality in himself.
Since Christian Science eschews mortal opinions, does this mean that Christian Scientists can take the attitude, "I don't care what others think of me"? Not at all, for such an attitude would be a misapplication of our Leader's teachings. A Christian Scientist wishes to deserve the high regard of the right thinkers about him. He shapes his life in obedience to God and to spiritual and moral law because he loves God supremely and his neighbor as himself. He means to make his presence a blessing to others, and he can accomplish this only by clear-minded loyalty to good. This becomes, then, not a question of courting good human opinion of himself for reasons of personal pride, but rather a matter of so living as to deserve the respect of his fellows, all in due credit to his religion.
When one is acting up to his highest sense of right in all things, he is in a position to rise above mortal opinions and dwell peacefully in God's love and care. One observes with great satisfaction the lives of those devoted individuals who have achieved this ability. Our Leader is a prime example of following Jesus in this respect. She ever asked God "of things to come concerning" His children, and thus she healed the severest diseases in defiance of medical theories and human fears. She raised sinners from desolation to spiritual fulfillment. She established a great Church in the face of ridicule and disbelief. And she earned the respect of the truly great men and women of her time even while she successfully disproved unjust mortal opinions of herself and her motives.
Turning to God in all things rather than fearing or believing mortal opinions is sound, salutary Christian Science practice, a practice we may all adopt today.
