Business meetings in branch Churches of Christ, Scientist, are important. For one reason, they offer the opportunity to put democracy to work on a high level, high because such meetings are impelled by a power higher than human thought. They are impelled by God, divine Principle, and have their place in strengthening through democratic processes the institution that is taking the healing, transforming truths of God and His creation to the world.
One definition of "democracy" given by Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary is, "government by the people; esp: rule of the majority." And a definition of "majority" found in this dictionary is, "a number greater than half of a total." Mary Baker Eddy gives this rule in the Manual of The Mother Church as part ofArticle XXIII, Section 10: "In Christian Science each branch church shall be distinctly democratic in its government, and no individual, and no other church shall interfere with its affairs."
A democratic process of government implies independence of judgment in deciding issues under consideration by a group. The true spirit of democracy goes even further: it eliminates any desire to dictate to others how to act or vote; it breaks up factions, which always tend to bring an imbalance of judgment into a voting situation; it gives the individual a splendid opportunity to work out his actual unity with his Maker, the one source of intelligence.
