How do (or should) Christian Scientists respond to situations when a mentally ill person is involved? Sometimes the person, who may not be a Christian Scientist, is either unaware or in complete denial about a mental condition, such as a bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, or other conditions that cause people to act erratically, sometimes endangering themselves and others, or to do things such as steal, lose their temper, or display other disruptive behavior. I know Christian Science teaches us to behold "the perfect man ... where sinning mortal man appears to mortals" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, pp. 476-477), but should we take practical steps, like interventions or other means to address the behavior?
A1 I see two factors to be considered: safety and healing. In regard to safety, I'd pray to see the practical steps needed to protect the mentally ill person from him or herself as well as others. I would start by rejecting the belief that thinking is a material function that can go off track. I would mentally establish the fact that God, as the one perfect Mind, has created me and that I can have no other thoughts than those that the all-knowing Mind conveys to me. When I've established that for myself, I'm in a position to see those around me as also deriving their thoughts from God. Mrs. Eddy advised us to think and pray in this way. "Know thyself," she wrote, "and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil" (Science and Health, p. 571).
Sometimes the right practical steps may include arranging supervisory care or legal restraints for the time being. These measures do not contradict the spiritual fact that the person's true identity reflects the intelligence and balance of divine Mind. Rather, the measures are wise means that provide a safe environment for the troubled individual—and everyone else involved—until he or she is free of the disorder.
