Suppose that as members of The Mother Church we were strictly obligated to live in Christian fellowship with every other member in good standing— and let's assume that our failure to do so meant removal from membership. Or suppose your branch church's or society's Journal listing could be removed from this publication for failing to maintain an attitude of Christian fellowship toward another Journal-listed church or society. How well would we all fare?
As a matter of fact, students of Mrs. Eddy's writings may recognize the two foregoing possibilities as distinct provisions included in the Manual of The Mother Church. (See Art. XI, Sect. 3, and Art. XXIII, Sect. 12.) Does this impose a rigid rule that whenever church members don't see eye to eye with each other, they are automatically required to drop their affiliation with The Mother Church? Perhaps a violation of these Bylaws does, to some extent, separate us— at least in spirit—from our relationship to The Mother Church. But I found in my own experience that those provisions of the Manual could be applied to bring healing to my attitude—could teach me that it is possible for the deep implications of "Christian fellowship" to dissolve troubled feelings toward others. An essential element to such healing is the term "Christian." And more specifically—"Christ."
When we succumb to the kind of emotions that obscure Christian fellowship, there is an alternative to forfeiting church affiliation. It is a willingness to sufficiently submit to the Christ, the true idea of God, so that we win back our Christian fellowship. What we learn about the Christ through the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings gives us steadfastness and spiritual conviction enabling us to reestablish a proper relationship with others—and more importantly, it gives us the ability to destroy what would claim to rupture that relationship.
