CHRISTIAN SCIENCE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 284, 29 October 1934, Page 4

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE

GOD AND MAN. MISS GLENN’S LECTURE. Entitled “Christian Science: The Truth About God and Man,” a lecture was given in the State Theatre at Palmerston North yesterday by Miss Margaret Murney Glenn, C. 5.8., of Boston, Massachusetts.- A member of the Board of Lectureship of The Mother Church, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Miss Glenn was introduced by Mr G. Kenning, who presided. Her address was as follows: “Each one looks out upon the universe, upon his environment, liis experiences, and world events from the standpoint of that state or stage of consciousness which constitutes his individuality. Thus it is that events bear a different import, to each one of us. He whose state of consciousness is loving will see all things from the standpoint of love and the difficulties of human existence will tend to make him even more loving, whereas he who is selfish or limited will judge the same events from the standpoint of limitation and will find in them cause for becoming more selffish. As all history, religion, and philosophy are presented to us, through the viewpoint of some person, it is essential that we take cognisance of the state of consciousness which that

individual expresses in order to judge the accuracy and truthfulness of liis presentation. Only that state of conscious which knows Truth is able to see and express tilings as they are. Here Pilate’s question presents itself: ‘What is Truth ?’ To this question the discoverer and founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, gives many cogent answers and among them are the following: ‘God is Truth’; ‘The question, “What is Truth?” is answered by demonstration—by healing both disease and sin’ ; ‘Christ is the ideal Truth, that comes to heal sickness and sin through Christian Science, and attributes all

power to God’ (Science and Health with Kep to the Scriptures, pp.-312, Pref. viii, 473) If we accept these answers as true it follows that the only state of consciousness fitted to enlighten us and lead us onward must know God and His manifestation, the Christ, and must be able to prove tlie power of Truth, of God and His Christ, in the destruction of tlie unhappy, sick, and sinful conditions of humanity. MARY BAKER EDDYL “When Mrs Eddy discovered Christian Science as the law of God which restores to us our God-bestowed freedom, health, and purity, she wrote: ‘I liad learned that thought must be spiritualised, in order to apprehend Spirit. It must become honest, unselfish, and pure, in order to have the least understanding of God in divine Science. . . . Our reliance upon material things must

be transferred to a perception of and dependence on spiritual thing.s’ (Retrospection and Introspection, p. 28).

“All will admit that mesmerism requires no spiritulisation of thought for it is the action of tlie human will, which is often manifested in selfishness, cruelty, revenge, hatred, and envy, the very opposite of spirituality. Christian Science does not designate as a healing power that which produces physical relief only, leaving the patient’s mentality .encumbered with the domination of human will-power. As this will is opposed to the divine will, which if God’s law of good, it therefore contains all the elements and possibilities of disease, discord, and evil. Christian Science not only brings _ the physical relief, destroys the disease but it spiritualises and enlightens the consciouness of the patient, making him better morally, mentally and spiritual!}’. It was a spiritualised state of conscious-

nuss which enabled Mrs Eddy to discover Christian Science —a state of consciousness which she attained only after all earthly joy, comfort, supply and harmony seemed to have been taken from hoi', and she had been forced to turn away from materiality to God, and to Him only, for her healing, happiness, and supply. It is good to know that He

restored all these things to her through Christian Science, His law of Love. PRAYER. “Christian Science enables us to know God and man, His image. Unlike other so-called sciences, of which it has been said that where they end faith begins, this Science lifts faith to understanding, to knowing; unites reason and revelation; weds religion to Science.

“Jesus emphasised the fact that through knowing we would gain freedom and life eternal. He said: ‘Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,’ also, ‘This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.’ It is evident that Jesus expected us to know wDnt He knew. The only thing which is knowable is Truth, that which is, or reality. Jesus said that He knew God, that He knew from whence He came and whither He was going, that He knew the will of God, that He knew He was in God. that He was tne Son of God, and that He was one with God. Are not these all trutns which we, too, should know? It was through knowing that Jesus healed, for did He not say at the tomb of Lazarus, ‘I knew that Thou hearest Me always’ ? This is the way the Christian Scientist prays, by knowing the ever-presence, all-power, and omniaction of God, divine Love, eternal Life, immutable Truth. But his knowing does not stop there, for he knows himself also as he is known of God. And liow does God know man? Why, as His beloved child. as the

manifestation of His being, His power, His intelligence, as the representative of Mind, not matter; as the expression of Sold, not as the victim of sin; as the reflection of harmonious Love, not as a suffering, sick mortal; as the unchanging idea of changeless Principle, not as touched by the mutations of time, disturbed by the cruelties and buffetings of conflicting temperaments. Christian Science enables one actually to know these facts, this truth. PERFECTION THE BASIS.

“Perfection is the starting-point and goal of Christian Science. Though the human mind has always claimed that perfection is impossible of attainment, yet this mind has never ceased to struggle towards and for perfection. Tins desire for perfection is born of God’s demand as expressed by Jesus, ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ This demand of God must have its correlative fulfillment in the fact that ye be perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect, for God, who is intelligent Mind, could not and would not demand that which is impossible of fulfilment or which is non-exsitent. In fact, this demand is an indication or evidence that perfection in man exists as a reality, which can be understood and demonstrated. In the Christian Science textbook, ‘Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures’ (p. 259), Mrs Eddy states: ‘The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea —- —perfect God and perfect man —as the basis of thought and demonstration.’ Unless perfection is the basis of thought and reasoning, such thought and reasoning cannot lav claim to being scientific, for without perfection there can he no exactness,

and without exactness scientific deduction and proof are impossible. Because Christian Science reveals perfection and its laws this does not mean that Christian Scientists are perfect. Far irom it. But it does mean that each one who understands this Science to a degree has the Principle and rule ol perfection with which to solve the problems, eliminate imperfections, overcome the sin, sickness, and

sorrow with which each human being has to deal.

LIMITATION UNREAL. “In Christian Science, demand and supply are one, for God never demands that which He does not supply, nor does Mind supply that which it does not demand. If the demand is made on you to express more love, courage, patience, intelligence, or supply, this is but evidence that you are enabled through spiritual understanding to

manifest the supply; for, as Mrs Eddy says (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 45), ‘Under the Heific law . . . supply invariably meets demand.’ These demands are made on our thinking only, and the supply is always ideas. In fact, no such thing as a wholly material need exists. This may seem incredible to some of you; but let me illustrate. If you are in debt, you may think that your need is lor a merely material medium, namely, money; but if you had all the money in the world you would not pay that debt unless you were prompted to do so by a sense of honour, of Justice, of honesty, or love, All that you ever can owe another is to love him, and if you seem to have no money but realise that what you

owe is purely mental and spiritual, you will lay claim to the presence of infinite Love and utilise it. In other words, you will know that it is the loving, just, a.nd honest thing that your creditor have what belongs to him and that God enables you to do what is honest, loving and just. “This truth will have its manifestation in a better human belief, namely, in the belief that you are able to pay your debts, and then in the belief that you have the supply wherewith to pay them. It is never fundamentally money we lack. It is love, fearlessness, confidence, spirituality, and this lack can always be overcome by the counter claim to abundance of love, ability, trust and intelligence, which are yours

as the manifestation of God. Because supply is wholly spiritual and mental, the more you use it the more you have of it. For instance, the more you use love the more love you have to use. The more intelligence you use the more intelligence you have to use. You can never use up your spiritual supply, of honesty, love, justice and intelligence. This ever-increasing supply of spiritual qualities lias its coincident manifestation to the human sense in increased assurance of the ability to do right, and this in turn is eternalised in * the means with which to do right., lor whatever is entertained in thought has its externalisation.”