Never were mortals so occupied as they are today investigating matter and its phenomena. A host of investigators, for instance, is engaged in the study of physics and chemistry, and, as everybody knows, numerous discoveries have been made in these and kindred subjects during the last fifty or a hundred years. Biology, too, has had much attention given it, and great has been the effort of its students to discover how life originated and what is the relationship of life to matter, if it have any relationship.
Investigators have also sought to discover the connection—if any— between mind, so called, and matter, and various are the theories which have resulted from their researches. Since all of these and kindred efforts are of human interest, it is certain that they will be continued until mankind reaches the conclusion, established by Christian Science through revelation, reason, and demonstration, that divine Mind and its manifestations alone are real, and that matter and mortal mind are alike unreal.
Throughout the centuries the human consciousness has been under investigation by thinkers who have studied it from every angle. The result is that today we have in our midst many schools of philosophy and psychology, differing in some instances widely in their surmises and conclusions, but largely agreed on how this consciousness seems to receive mental impressions and on the methods of training it to make it a reliable instrument for the rational guidance of the individual.
While mortals have been regarded as self-contained, emotional, and intelligent agents, many have believed that their sphere of influence extends beyond themselves. Thus it is believed that one mortal may exercise an influence over another mortal, even to the extent of controlling him, as when a person hypnotizes or mesmerizes another person; or, in a lesser degree, when mortal thought is supposedly communicated from one person to another, near or afar off, as in what is called telepathy.
Today so-called telepathy and clairvoyance—closely allied—are being investigated on quite a large scale, the study being pursued at something like a dozen universities in America. At one of these universities experiments have been going on for about seven years, and several hundred thousand experiments have been made, the effort being to establish that, besides the five material senses, individuals possess what is called "extra sensory perception." As a result of these experiments, it is believed by some that through this "extra sensory perception" mortals —some more than others—become aware of material objects without the use of the ordinary sensory apparatus of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, or become conscious of mortal thought without the use of speech or other material means of communication.
Since these investigations into "extra sensory perception," so called, are as certain to be continued as experimentation in physics, chemistry, or biology, the student of Christian Science should take cognizance of them in the right way. How then are we to regard them? Are they informing us of fundamentals as does Christian Science? Are they enlightening us on real being as does Christian Science? The Christian Scientist knows that they are doing nothing to make known to mankind the Principle or cause of intelligence, the divine Mind, whence emanate all right thoughts, all real or true ideas. He knows that they do not explain, and never will explain, the power which through spiritual understanding can be exercised by one instructed in Christian Science, in the healing of disease and sin.
What then does Christian Science teach that is fundamentally true? It teaches that God is infinite Mind, and that Mind expresses itself through ideas. It teaches further that man is the compound idea of Mind, and as such includes all the lesser right ideas. There is, thus, in reality, no mortal mind, although to mortals such a mind seems to exist.
In teaching that Mind is infinite and that the real man reflects Mind unlimitedly, Christian Science is declaring the absolute truth. What then becomes of matter and mortal man? Being seen as unrealities, they vanish, and so also does the so-called mortal mind. Then, since there is no mortal mind, in reality there is no action of one so-called mortal mind on another so-called mortal mind. So clearly did Mrs. Eddy understand this that she could write in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 103), "In reality there is no mortal mind, and consequently no transference of mortal thought and will-power." Through spiritual understanding all will yet be able to distinguish between the real and the unreal, hold to the former and discard the latter, thus completely protecting themselves against the belief of telepathy or mortal thought transference.
Spiritual ideas are reflected by man. As Mrs. Eddy puts it (ibid., p. 104), "Scientific thoughts are true thoughts, passing from God to man." This is what actually occurs in true being. And we are conscious of these true thoughts proportionately to our spirituality. Moreover, in the measure of our spirituality we are able to discern human thought and human need; and this is "immortal Mind-reading." Having in this way discerned human thought, we are able to protect ourselves against whatever evil beliefs mortals may appear to be entertaining, by understanding their nothingness, and to meet the human need to the extent of healing disease and overcoming sin. "We approach God, or Life, in proportion to our spirituality, our fidelity to Truth and Love; and in that ratio we know all human need and are able to discern the thought of the sick and the sinning for the purpose of healing them" (ibid., p. 95).
So-called mortal mind-reading is but an aspect of the functioning of supposititious mortal mind, and is not practiced by the Christian Scientist. "Immortal Mind-reading," the method Christ Jesus used, is what Christian Scientists cultivate. It is narrated that after the Master had healed "one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb" (Matthew 12:22), and the Pharisees accused him of casting out devils "by Beelzebub the prince of the devils," Jesus, knowing their thoughts, "said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? . . . But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you" (Matthew 12:25, 26,28).
Our revered Leader, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, has written (Science and Health, p. 83): "There is mortal mind-reading and immortal Mind-reading. The latter is a revelation of divine purpose through spiritual understanding, by which man gains the divine Principle and explanation of all things." As, through spiritualization of thought, we become proficient in "immortal Mind-reading," we are able to regard so-called mortal mind-reading, with its attendant mesmeric dangers, in its proper light, and, accordingly, to protect ourselves and others against its seeming activity.
