Parenting truly is a solemn responsibility. For a parent there should be nothing so vital, of such great concern, as the well-being of his or her children. Much evidence of late is revealing that the care of children often has been and is a much-abused responsibility. Mere human efforts at correction and reform, however, are usually inadequate to provide ultimate solutions; radical spiritual means are needed to uproot and destroy permanently the wrong in human thought that is the cause of so much difficulty. In this regard Christian Science can make a great contribution.
In researching the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, one discovers that the caring for and rearing of children are a special charge. There are demanding challenges but also unlimited possibilities. As in all aspects of human life, however, achievement depends on cultivating disciplined thinking and mature judgment by daily spiritual study, prayer, and application.
It would appear to take many generations of spiritual work and teaching to lift the human race out of its material beliefs. Mrs. Eddy discovered the scientific significance of God's loving Father-Mother relationship to man, and her writings indicate that the human family is more than a prime avenue through which to attain this goal of spiritual progress; concern for the welfare of others is quite inseparable from true progress. She asks in Science and Health this imperative question: "Is not the propagation of the human species a greater responsibility, a more solemn charge, than the culture of your garden or the raising of stock to increase your flocks and herds? Nothing unworthy of perpetuity should be transmitted to children."Science and Health, p. 61.
