January 5, 2004: The phone rang. It was , Christian Science teacher and practitioner in New York City, and former Editor of this magazine. He was calling to ask, "Did you see Brian Greene's piece in the Times on New Year's Day?" I had seen it. "It knocked my socks off," I told him. And we agreed to tackle the subject of time, space, and matter in an article for the Journal. But time flies. Flash forward to March 28, 2005: On a rainy Monday afternoon, Mr. Barratt and I finally carve out time to chat at his apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Geoffrey, Science and Health states, "Time is a mortal thought ..." Science and Health, p. 598.; and "Eternity, not time, expresses the thought of Life, and time is no part of eternity." Ibid., p. 468. These ideas form part of the ontological foundation of Christian Science, and you've been contemplating them for many years—in fact, 40 years ago you published a poem titled, "Eternity, not time." See Geoffrey J. Barratt, "Eternity, Not Time," Christian Science Sentinel, May 15, 1965, p. 845 . At this point, what are your thoughts on the somewhat abstract subject of time/eternity?
Many Christian Scientists have come to realize that eternity is not an endlessly long time, but it's the absence of time. Eternity is timelessness. And this concept of time and eternity touches our life in so many ways. For example, from a Christian Science standpoint, we realize that Truth—a synonym for God—is eternal, which means Truth is timeless. Truth is just as potent today as it ever will be, or ever was. I think we feel the same about eternal Life, also a synonym for God. Life is something that doesn't have a beginning or an end.
