Vigorous cultivation of spirituality should be natural. The teachings of Christ Jesus impel each of his followers to till the soil of character, cultivating an understanding of man's true nature as the offspring of God. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount See Matt., chaps. 5-7 . is an indispensable blueprint for this transforming mental action. As we cultivate spiritual understanding according to this Christly standard, we gain genuine spirituality, which uplifts and heals.
Cultivation comes from a root word meaning "to till," implying active, ongoing work. Surprisingly, cult has the same source. A dictionary defines it as "a system of religious worship or ritual." This could certainly involve the faithful cultivation of universally beneficial religious teachings. But a further definition of cult brings out the very negative connotations of this term: "a quasi-religious group, often living in a colony, with a charismatic leader who indoctrinates members with unorthodox or extremist views, practices, or beliefs." Members of such a group follow a leader unthinkingly or blindly, often to their own harm. Christian Science stands firmly opposed to such cultism, and exposes it as a form of animal magnetism—the supposed activity and attraction of evil.
Any influence that aims to pull thought away from man's inherent intelligence, freedom, purity, and goodness is recognized as animal magnetism in Christian Science. In truth, such an influence is absolutely powerless, because God, good, is the only power. Yet its nature is hypnotic, and if it is not resisted on the basis of its impotence, its tendency is to rob the individual of his right to think and act according to his God-given dominion. Describing the methods of animal magnetism, Mary Baker Eddy writes: "Reversing the modes of good, in their silent allurements to health and holiness, it impels mortal mind into error of thought, and tempts into the committal of acts foreign to the natural inclinations. The victims lose their individuality, and lend themselves as willing tools to carry out the designs of their worst enemies, even those who would induce their sefl-destruction." She adds, "Other minds are made dormant by it, and the victim is in a state of semi-individuality, with a mental haziness which admits of no intellectual culture or spiritual growth." The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 211 .
