Christian Science reveals this great spiritual fact of being: God is the only Mind or perfect creator, who has created perfect, spiritual man. Physical and moral healings are accomplished in Christian Science as the eternal Christ—the true idea of being—is understood and demonstrated. Mrs. Eddy states in Science and Health that "the Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea,—perfect God and perfect man,—as the basis of thought and demonstration." Science and Health, p. 259;
Another healing fact this Science reveals is that God, Mind, is Soul, and Soul's attributes—spiritual grace, innocence, harmony, purity—are eternally reflected by man, God's perfect likeness. These qualities of God, and many others, constitute the real man's ageless, sinless, diseaseless, deathless being, or spiritual selfhood. Man's individuality does not exist as a separate entity or ego, apart from God, Soul. Neither is individuality ever material or mortal, but always spiritual, good, immortal. It is the radiant, flawless reflection of God, the one Ego.
Mrs. Eddy writes of the spiritual relationship of God and man: "God creates man perfect and eternal in His own image. Hence man is the image, idea, or likeness of perfection—an ideal which cannot fall from its inherent unity with divine Love, from its spotless purity and original perfection." The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 262;
Spiritual purity and perfection constitute freedom from evil thoughts and beliefs. Consequently the Christ-man, God's idea, being perfect, is forever unerring, pure, holy. What is in perfect Mind, God, the creator, is reflected by the created—spiritual man. Mind is good; man expresses good. No evil element is present in the divine consciousness: hence, no evil is in man. No erring thoughts of disease, dishonesty, hatred, lust, or fear exist in God or in His perfect idea, man. Knowing this, we can prove that these suggestions can't develop in us, later to spring into diseased, immoral, or unwholesome actions or deeds. Evil conditions are false, erroneous beliefs or lies engendered by animal magnetism, or mortal mind—a so-called carnal material mentality, which is the counterfeit of the one divine intelligence, Mind, or God. But mortal beliefs, mortal illusions, are disarmed and destroyed by the Christ, or Truth.
Christian Science, the law of God, not only reveals the Christ, the spiritual idea of God and man, but also explains how to demonstrate it effectively in our human experience—how to prove the spirituality, continuity, might, purity, perfection of being. The way is found through consistent, systematic study of the Bible and the writings of Mrs. Eddy, through spiritual understanding and constant, scientific prayer based on the unyielding conviction of Truth's presence and power. So it is that the student perceives the perfection of God and man as a spiritual reality at hand; it is an ever-present, demonstrable fact.
The practice of Mind-healing is based on a spiritual understanding of the allness, perfection, and ever-presence of God, Mind, and of man in His likeness, and on a spiritual understanding of the nothingness and unreality of evil. Proportionably as these divine facts of Life, God, good, are admitted and understood and each aggressive mental suggestion that denies them is totally rejected, the healing of sin and disease results.
One of the most tenacious material suppositions underlying all sickness and discord is the false notion that matter, alias mortal mind, is a real, intelligent substance, capable of pleasure and pain, good and evil, life and death. It needs to be repudiated in the demonstration of divine law. This false belief in sentient matter, with its illusory, material conditions involving a corporeal man and universe, is in fact a sin in itself because it denies the allness and oneness of God, Spirit. It needs to be dealt with as mesmeric illusion, a mental lie, an unreal concept of life as opposed to divine reality—the truth of being. The student who treats evil in this manner and utilizes the spiritual ideas of God, Truth, to reverse and destroy matter's fables is the successful healer.
An alert practitioner's metaphysical treatments establish in his thought as well as the patient's the fact that Spirit, God, is the All and Only, and that man is spiritually perfect now. His prayers also clearly realize that there is no sensation in matter, no good or bad matter, no matter at all! Obviously, then, there can be no imperfect, sick, or sinful material man to do the healing or to be healed. This is the truth that uplifts and heals consciousness. It destroys every mortal illusion or phase of animal magnetism, revealing the ever-present power of the Christ.
Sometimes in the practice of Christian Science one encounters individuals desiring to be rid of suffering and disease more than of the false, sinful beliefs producing them, particularly the pleasurable ones. There is mental resistance to accepting transformation of the human consciousness. Some people still believe in the age-old theological concept of man born into matter as a sinner and destined to be a sinner always— a fallen, flawed being, born to lose. Others accept false thought and action as a basic part of human nature; therefore, they believe, it is not to be tampered with for the time being, if ever.
Here the teachings of Christian Science are liberating. They make no compromises with human desires or opinions, no concessions to false theology, personal sense, or mortal mind. But they compassionately explain how the suffering and sickness of the human race is the result of sinful and selfish thinking. They indicate how we may demonstrate wholeness, health, stability, and harmony by destroying the imperfect, false thoughts and beliefs proffered by mortal mind, such as self-will, self-love, self-righteousness, and yield lovingly to God's good will and purpose. St. Paul described this spiritual process when he instructed the Ephesians "that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Eph. 4:22-24.
Sooner or later each one must graciously accept this divine method of salvation from all evil and submit to a spiritual rebirth and regeneration of thought, word, and deed. The scientific standard of perfect God and perfect man is the basis on which the demonstration of the divine ideal is achieved. And the alert student of Christian Science is continuously and joyfully dedicated to fulfilling this spiritual demand.
Today, the shifting moral standards of modern society, reflected in the questionable conduct of people in government and other human institutions, present serious challenges to the earnest, working metaphysician. Perhaps never before in mankind's history has it been so vital to protect oneself against suggestions that would lure one into dishonorable situations or to disregard humanity, moral law, and decency. And never has there been such an imperative need for each one to stand firm in Truth and Love, acknowledging hourly the spiritual unity and perfection of God and man.
With this Christly, healing truth we may fearlessly face and effectively destroy animal magnetism's false claim to power and seeming ability to govern human thinking. If these are not detected, denied, destroyed, they will nullify the growing spirituality present in human thought. But, in reality, there is no evil or animal magnetism to deceive or harm anyone because God, good, is omnipotent and All!
It is only false, material sense testimony that appears to reverse the great facts of spiritual being and seemingly to make valid evil's claim to presence and activity in the human economy. So as we view around us changing social customs and morals, emphasis on crime, racism and immorality, slavery to liquor and narcotics, let us keep clear the distinction between the unreal, evil beliefs and characteristics of material sense and the real spiritual, perfect universe and man of God, Soul. Let us refuse to give the errors power, life, activity, or continuity by withholding submission to their influence or consent to their practice.
Equally important, let us refuse to be disillusioned, disappointed, morally shocked, or indignant about seeming moral laxity or lapses on the part of friends, associates, political leaders, or members of our own families. If we aspire to be practicing Christian Scientists, we cannot hold immoral behavior or past mistakes over another's head, refusing to exercise mercy or forgiveness for sins that he has forsaken, any more than we can allow ourselves to believe that he is sick or dying! We cannot indulge in self-righteous indignation and hate, resent, condemn, or criticize our neighbor, who is in actuality the perfect child of God and is striving to prove it. If we do this, we surely injure ourselves, for what we believe to be true (no matter how erroneous) about another tends to have seeming power to make us sinful or sick.
Truly we cannot afford to tolerate evil in ourselves or to react at any time to it in others, thereby losing sight of Soul's ever-presence and man's sinless, perfect manhood. Because, after all, isn't it the mission of Christian Science to heal, to comfort, to bless, to destroy sin, sickness, death, for humanity, to bring all men to the healing and saving Christ? This is a spiritual warfare against materialism, error, or animal magnetism, not against persons, places, or things. The practice of Christian Science requires that every moment and in every instance we address ourselves to expanding our concept of the Christ, lifting it higher and keeping it high.
Briefly, then, we can gladly realize and affirm daily that there are no material mortals around anywhere, apt to sin, suffer, die; there are only perfect spiritual ideas —beloved children of a perfect, loving Father-Mother God. Moreover, our growing spiritual understanding and utilization of this great fact of being, plus the deep, abiding love for God and man that we exercise, will inevitably result in both physical and moral healings for ourselves and others.
The New Testament provides numerous illustrations of Christ Jesus' healing the sick, the sinner, and even restoring the dead. However, no better example of his beholding man's spiritual, Christly perfection and purity despite false, physical sense testimony is given than in the scriptural account of the woman taken in adultery (see John 8:1-11). The woman's accusers were instant in moral indignation and hostile reaction. They were ready to take her life by the ancient custom of stoning. But Jesus told her persecutors: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." They left the temple. Then how wisely Jesus spoke to the woman: "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."
Perfect God and perfect, pure man. There is no other basis whereby sin or sickness can be healed and the Christ, Truth, glorified. Christian Science has revealed this great truth of being to us. It needs only to be understood and demonstrated.
