In a world that appears overrun with imperfect human beings, it may seem ridiculous to declare, as Christian Science is doing today, that man is perfect, sinless. However, this Science does insist that man, the real man, whom God has created in His image, is pure and holy—now and forever. It explains that a physical mortal is not man and never will be, but only a distorted view of man, a delusion of the physical senses.
As Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health, the Christian Science textbook: "Man is incapable of sin, sickness, and death. The real man cannot depart from holiness, nor can God, by whom man is evolved, engender the capacity or freedom to sin. A mortal sinner is not God's man. Mortals are the counterfeits of immortals. They are the children of the wicked one, or the one evil, which declares that man begins in dust or as a material embryo. In divine Science, God and the real man are inseparable as divine Principle and idea."Science and Health, pp. 475, 476;
Every human being is well acquainted with "the wicked one," for the devil comes to humanity in the form of evil suggestions. Unfortunately, we're inclined to accept devilish thoughts as our own or as personal traits of character. Then we either condemn ourselves for wrong thinking or, feeling no guilt, carry out evil's diabolical plan. When we witness the errors of another, we're equally inclined to attach them to him and identify the person with that particular evil tendency. This is why mortals are shackled by their own hate, fear, lust, and greed.
