Articles

From early childhood the writer has been familiar with the Bible stories, their simple language far outweighing the fascinating romances of the famed "Arabian Nights' Entertainments" and other tales dear to the youthful heart. Among the best-loved was the story of Moses, and as with growth has come greater ability to recognize the lessons in this divinely directed career, interest has increased.

Now that nearly every American legislature has been asked to forbid the practice of Christian Science and has refused, a bill expressly directed against the practice of this religion is seldom introduced. The commonest bill is one usually entitled, "A bill for an act to regulate the practice of medicine.

In a well-loved psalm King David proclaims, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. " God, he declares, is his shepherd; therefore, he cannot want.

In approaching the belief of evil from the standpoint of Christian Science, it might be noted at the beginning that the apparent presence of evil conditions among mankind is not denied. If we look through the lens of human belief, we find on every hand the evidence of sin, crime, misery, disease, poverty, etc.

When Jesus appeared to some of his disciples at the sea of Tiberias, almost his last words, thrice repeated, contained the loving charge to Peter, "Feed my sheep. " His earthly work with the disciples was nearing completion.

The Master's words, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven," may en superficial consideration seem cf no application to our time, since Christianity is an established fact and undoubtedly stands in a measure for a better concept of righteousness. Even outside of religious aspects it might seem rather an easy matter to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and to reach higher standards of conduct.

One of the most important among the many good effects of Christian Science on its earnest students, is the opening up of the Scriptures,—the enlarged appreciation for the "Book of books," also with an increasing ability to gather the spiritual riches contained therein. Throughout the Christian era the Bible has been regarded as a well-spring of inspiration and help, directly proportional to the degree of spiritual-mindedness in the reader, while the cumulative good which it has accomplished is probably beyond all computation.

It has long been demonstrated that sound is a mental impression, that it is not explained by the material organism. In truth, we hear with our thought, and whether we are listening to the songs of angels or the discords of materiality, depends upon that to which our individual attention is directed.

It is a fundamental teaching of Christian Science that the mortal belief in evil is not to be indulged, and that it should not be ignored. Evil must be recognized as such, and it must be dealt with intelligently.

AMONG those working together for a common cause, it sometimes happens that a point of difference will arise which involves no fundamental truth, but is more often just an honest difference of opinion, wherein we want our way, and those on "the other side," so called, want their way. The merest trifle—so small, indeed, that some of us may take the ground that it is "unscientific" to notice it at all—is often the subject of such contention; but Christian Science plainly teaches that to ignore a condition is not to destroy it.