Articles

THE first record of a gathering together in the Bible occurs in the first chapter of Genesis ( verse 9 ): "And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. " This verse provides a pattern for church action, for when we are gathered together in spiritual agreement, we should expect to see "the dry land appear"—to become aware of the absolute formation of thought needed at the moment.

MUCH thought has been given to the ways of overcoming the divisive beliefs of jealousy, rivalry, criticism, animosity, and fear among men and nations. However, while mankind may seek unity and strength in a pooling of human resources and uniting of human efforts, it is only by gaining a true sense of God and of man as His undivided expression that enduring unity can be demonstrated.

THE sacred privilege of overcoming is individual, not vicarious. This is conveyed by the admonition and assurance found in the book of Revelation ( 2: 17 ), "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Christian Scientists have before them the privilege of acknowledging God's omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience in every event of their lives. "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land" ( Isa.

In the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew it is related that when Jesus appeared to his disciples walking on a wind-blown, angry sea, the disciples were troubled. "But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

As a result of the recent war many changes have been brought about. One which has had far-reaching consequences is the transfer of populations from one country or district to another.

If you should come downstairs the day after Halloween and find that some pranksters had drawn ugly caricatures on your windowpanes and hung hideous pictures on your living-room walls, what would you do? Certainly you would take down the pictures and scrub the windows until all traces of the prank were gone. We love our homes, so we refuse to have therein pictures of unloveliness.

When the pure and immaculate Christ Jesus came to John for baptism, the amazement of John was unfeigned, and he hesitated to comply with Jesus' request, declaring that he needed to have Jesus baptize him instead. According to the third chapter of Matthew, John had declared, previous to his baptism of Jesus, that one would follow him who was greater than he and would use a different type of baptism, a spiritual baptism, which would purge and purify human consciousness as fire consumes dross.

Have you ever thought, "If only I could keep my mind on my work"? How often our attempts to work are hindered by the false suggestion that good and evil can wander into consciousness at will ! According to this misconcepiton, at any moment anything—fearful suggestions, scenes long forgotten, vicious impulses, or yesterday's grocery list—may pop into our consciousness. That such uncontrollable mental gymnastics are no part of true consciousness is one of the blessed revelation brought to mankind in the discovery of Christian Science.

Deep-Seated in the heart of humanity is the tendency to postpone good and to labor under the illusion that the future holds more harmony and joy than can be enjoyed in the immediate present. Mankind goes on hoping and waiting for better jobs, healthier bodies, more congenial companionship, happier home circumstances, and so forth, as if activity, health, love, and contentment were something external to man's real identity.