Articles

"How large is your church? How many members does it have on its rolls?" An implication in questions like these is that somehow one can measure an organization's impact on the world or its influence in people's lives simply by counting the number of members and then calculating some ratio of membership size to extent of influence. However, such a ratio misses the point, particularly when we refer to the spiritual influence of our church or the wide-ranging impact of even a single instance of healing brought about through the application of its teachings.

If you found yourself in court, on trial for a crime you had nothing to do with, would you plead guilty or innocent to the false charges brought against you? Certainly you would plead innocent! It would be absurd to plead guilty to a crime you did not commit and then have to suffer the attendant penalty. Stop and think though—how often have you done just this; pleaded guilty to completely baseless charges against you and then suffered for it? We may catch ourselves making statements similar to these (either mentally or audibly): "My head aches"; "I just don't have enough time"; "I don't get along well with that individual.

A young couple on a European tour entered a cathedral hand in hand. They were soon stopped by the verger.

Does the thought of having to go through a wilderness experience seem harsh, desolate, and lonely? This is the mental picture I had. I was surprised and slightly annoyed one day when a friend mentioned she thought I was going through such an experience and that it would prove to be of great value.

To say "I seem to be sick" sounds closer to the truth than "I am sick. " And so sometimes Christian Scientists use this word "seem" because it indicates somewhat that sickness is an illusion, not a reality.

Did you ever consider the proposition that error is—in a sense—proof of Truth? How can this be? Obviously a lie cannot be told about nothing; it can only counterfeit a truth. So whenever we detect a lie—and this is important—we can start looking for the opposite truth.

If we are expressing the beauty of holiness, we won't be falsely proud. We'll rejoice in truth wherever we find it.

I remember seeing in a book of riddles, when I was a child, a picture of a large, smiling elephant seated on a tiny, squashed bun. Material sense sometimes makes us feel like that bun—overwhelmed by conditions at home, work, or school; by disease, lack, grief; by worldwide injustice and tyranny.

To serve as Reader may seem to be a demanding responsibility—which indeed it is—but it never need be burdensome. Essentially, the demand is to respond to the Christliness of one's being.

When women bump into prejudice, it is wise for them to examine the target. What is really under attack? Is it true womanhood, reflecting Life and Love, inseparable from true manhood? Are qualities of fidelity, spiritual intuition, wisdom, beauty, tenderness, and gentleness being criticized? Wherever hatred of women appears, look carefully.