Articles

How is it possible to think of evil as unreal? Many besides Christian Scientists are willing to agree that Deity, the supreme power of the universe, by whatever name described, is good. But as they approach the consequent conclusion, the unreality of evil, they draw back.

Paul's natural impulse on returning from Damascus to Jerusalem was to seek out the disciples, and we are told in Acts ( 9:26 ) that "he assayed to join himself" to them, no doubt expecting a cordial reception as one who had preached the gospel with success in Damascus. If so, he must have been bitterly disappointed.

My eye was struck by this unusual title of an editorial in an issue of The Times of London (December 14, 1973), and as I read the article, I began to think deeply of the significance of the title and of its relevance to current affairs. Midwifery is generally accepted as being the skill or art of assisting at childbirth, and I remembered being taught in the Christian Science Sunday School that the word "reality" comes from the Latin word "res" which means literally "thing," or that which actually exists.

True resources are spiritual realities, which exist in the realm of Spirit, God. They are inherent in man, God's expression.

Suppose you wished to make a garden. Would you take stone, cement, plants, and right away begin laying out the garden indiscriminately? Wouldn't it result in a bit of a shambles? You would first use your ability to think, and then reach out for some inspiration about the garden.

Understanding our real selfhood in God is essential to the maintenance of true health. When we look at ourselves spiritually, we gain the only genuine picture of ourselves as man, the perfect, spiritual idea of God.

When Mrs. Eddy gave its final, full name to the textbook that she wrote to explain and establish her discovery of Christian Science, she decided upon the title, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

This title describes the whereabouts of the All-God. And what a happy moment for us all when we get our first glimpse of God's all-encircling, all-pervading presence and man's inseparable unity with Him! This glimmer of Truth, momentary though it may be, is a turning point in our growth Spiritward.

Who would buy a great master's painting and remove the artist's signature? Regardless of how beautifully an idea is expressed on canvas, a painting that loses the artist's signature loses part of its value. The connoisseur of art in no way worships a great artist, but he holds as tremendous a respect for the genius of the painter as he does for the masterpiece that has been produced.

When Paul rose from the ground after his vision, he found he was blind. He had to be guided by his companions the rest of the way to Damascus, where he remained, fasting and in darkness, for three days.