Editorials

Through the revelation of Christian Science, the possibility of our gaining a higher sense of man is always open to us. Science's depiction of man is quite different from the mundane—he is seen as spiritual, incorporeal, the infinite idea of timeless Life.

When we read in the history books of the people whose lives illumine the past, we may well be filled not only with gratitude for their contribution to human progress but with awe as we recognize the courage and steadfastness many of them expressed. Through the years, reformers, inventors, educators, philanthropists, leaders in government and religion, have not only caught the vision of some advanced concept of truth and life that others did not have before, but they have cherished and promoted it with single-minded fidelity, so that society could know of it and thereby benefit.

Each of us has a potential for limitless expression of infinite Life. This potential seems hidden from us by the false belief that being is matter.

Independence and self-reliance are qualities we acclaim and foster in ourselves and others. When we see our friends expressing steadfast adherence to divine Principle and the determination to depend only on God for help in times of trouble, we admire them.

Truth is God, Christian Science shows, and Truth is All. Is it difficult to demonstrate this? Do we encounter some kind of discouraging resistance to our treatment of sickness, insufficiency, or unemployment that delays its effectiveness? It may seem to be so until we grow in the understanding and living of the equation that Truth's allness equals Truth's irresistibility.

Sometimes it is suggested in a Church of Christ, Scientist, that membership should be open to anyone who chooses to affiliate himself with Science, and that if such a one is engulfed in sin of some kind, he can overcome it after he becomes a member. The question members need to ask is: What is the purpose of this church? What do we expect it to accomplish? If the purpose is only to please its members, and if the members expect only to encourage one another in their efforts to heal their own ills, the requirements for membership are largely a matter of compatibility.

Christ Jesus patiently prepared his disciples for the task of spreading his teachings among mankind. "I will make you fishers of men" Matt.

After standing for a few minutes in a crowded place a woman confided to the friend who joined her, "I've been watching the people as they passed by in the street and I must admit I find many of them quite unattractive. An hour ago I might have said that I love all mankind, but now I have doubts.

Political liberty is important. It provides the opportunity for a vital sense of life where everyone is free to realize his potential.

From time to time we are asked about claims put forward by individuals or groups who maintain that their special interpretations of the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy are necessary for a full understanding of Christian Science. This includes supposed elucidations of and improvements upon the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.