On the next to last page of The Christian Science Monitor, backing up to the editorial page, which it used to share, is the heading: "Opinion and Commentary."
It might well be asked, "Why should there be columns of opinion in the Monitor?" The question is particularly natural to those who have read what Mrs. Eddy has to say about opinion in her writings; after all, she is the founder of The Christian Science Monitor. There is scarcely a favorable statement about opinion in all that she has written. One ringing sentence is: "In Christian Science mere opinion is valueless." But Mrs. Eddy goes on in the next sentence to write: "Proof is essential to a due estimate of this subject."Science and Health, p. 341; Isn't it true, then, that an idea, even if expressed as opinion, when reinforced by proof takes on a different dimension—ceases to be mere opinion?
Moreover, Mrs. Eddy's writings, like the Bible, are replete with praise of wisdom. Indeed, wisdom is one of the most frequently identified goals in religious literature. There is therefore a clearly affirmed difference between opinion and wisdom. We seek wisdom by turning to God. The writer of Proverbs puts it plainly: "So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God."Prov. 2:2-5;
