Christian Science: How Scientific Prayer Can Help You
Dr. Archibald Carey, C.S.B., of
Member of the Board of Lectureship
of The
The lecturer spoke substantially
as follows:
Today applied science is rapidly
changing our everyday lives. From nylon garments to atomic bombs, modern
scientific discoveries are transforming the world we live in. Where our
great-grandparents were limited to oxen and horses, we can use powerful trucks
and fast automobiles. In the field of communication, where they used messengers
to carry letters written by hand, modern scientific discoveries make it
possible for us to use the telephone and talk with someone thousands of miles
away as freely as we converse with one in the same room.
Just think what the telephone
alone does for our everyday lives! It you want to know the time of day
accurately, you use the telephone. You can get the latest weather report. You
can telephone to an expert on any subject and get accurate information in
complete detail. You can call a department store and have the article you wish
delivered to you. You can make appointments over the telephone; you can call
for help in any emergency. What this one product of modern science, the
telephone, has done to transform our everyday lives seems almost miraculous.
Using a telephone may completely
change the picture in a life-and-death emergency. A few years ago a young
Indian was traveling through the wilderness in northwestern
When things looked most hopeless,
another traveler, lost in the blizzard, stumbled upon the cabin. He, too, was weak from starvation and
in a desperate plight, but as soon as he entered the cabin he saw a telephone.
Immediately he called the operator, who connected him with the owner of the
cabin. The owner told him of a trap door leading to a cellar in which he would
find plenty of food, dry wood, and blankets. A fire being started, they had a
good dinner, and waited comfortably until a rescue party came.
What changed this whole picture
from desperation and lack to comfort and abundance? The fact that one man knew
how to telephone. For ages men have forgotten what Jesus taught about
scientific prayer and how it may be utilized in healing the sick and sinning
and providing one's daily needs.
Scientific Prayer
Then exactly what is scientific
prayer? I think we would all agree that prayer is communion with God. But some
people doubt that there is a God, or have heard different conflicting
descriptions of God. An honest doubt, a refusal to accept blindly what someone
else says, is an attitude of sincerity of thought that is entitled to respect.
Then is there a God, and what is His nature?
In the Christian Science textbook,
"Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy,
which deals largely with the facts about scientific prayer, we find certain
synonyms for God which enable us to understand the nature of God. One of these
synonyms is Principle. Principle indicates the unchanging nature of God. The
word Principle as a synonym for God also shows us that there is one great
Principle governing all through universal law. But someone may question whether
there is one Principle governing all through universal law. Is it not necessary
that there should be such a Principle? In mathematics, if one law of
mathematics were in conflict with another, one law would interfere with the
operation of the other, and mathematics would be incomplete. But the principle
of mathematics governs through its laws and maintains their harmony so that
the completeness of mathematics is assured. Just so the laws of the universe
cannot be in conflict with each other if we are to have laws upon which we can
rely. That there are reliable laws is accepted by all scientific investigators,
because their efforts are devoted to the discovery of such laws. And if there
are reliable laws, there must be one great Principle governing and harmonizing
them all. It is essential to the existence of dependable laws that there should
be such a Principle. So we can see that this Principle must exist.
God as Principle
Are there facts that we know with
certainty about the nature of this Principle? Yes, there are a number of things
that must be true. Because Principle maintains the harmony and existence of the
universe through law, the Principle is therefore good or beneficent to its
effects. If all the laws of the universe are based upon this Principle, and
there can be no others, there is nothing to which this Principle is not good.
Therefore, since this Principle is good, and there is nothing to which it is
not good, we must recognize this Principle as wholly and completely good.
Then there are other things that
must be true about it. Inasmuch as this Principle governs and maintains an
intelligible, understandable universe, including intelligent man, and
including also under its control the laws of intelligence by which intelligent
man is able to comprehend this universe, the Principle could not be less than
intelligent. Being intelligent, it must comprehend the laws and facts that are
based upon it. Since all the laws and facts that exist are founded upon this
Principle, it must include within the scope of its comprehension everything
that exists and can be known. Hence it must be complete intelligence or perfect
Mind.
Being intelligent, it must recognize
and appreciate the goodness and harmony of the realities that are based upon
it. It is the nature of love to discern and appreciate goodness. So the
attitude of this completely intelligent Principle towards the good, harmonious
realities that are based upon it must necessarily be that of perfect love. The
very nature of this Principle must be Love.
Because Principle is the foundation
of all the phenomena of life, we can think of it as the very essence of life,
or Life itself. Since everything that is true is based upon Principle, and
nothing can be true that is not founded upon it, it can be considered as
synonymous with truth, or Truth itself. Unlimited by time or space, always and
everywhere active and powerful, we can speak of it as Spirit. Because it
includes in its eternal oneness and allness everything that exists,
establishing and maintaining the identity of each individual, it can be spoken
of as Soul.
So these synonyms for God, which
we find in the Christian Science textbook, enable us to understand the nature
of God, divine Principle, Life, Truth, Love, Soul, Spirit, Mind. We see that
there can be no intelligent doubt of the existence of God as He is so
described. And we see, too, that there can be no logical denial that these
synonyms accurately set forth the nature of God. Here is a God who must
necessarily exist, to whom we can pray.
The Nature of God
There can be only one God, one
Principle of harmony. If you had two principles of equal power, you would still
need another principle to harmonize these two; so there can be only one ultimate,
supreme, infinite Principle, God. It we are to pray to God, our prayer must be
directed to this one God. Prayer directed to anything less than this one God
could not produce results. Some people doubt the efficacy of prayer because
God has been misrepresented to them, and they may have tried praying to a God
who does not actually exist. There is no God who maintains a hell in which some
of His children are everlastingly punished. There is no God who loves some of
His children and is cruel to others. There is no God who sends sickness and
death to some and health and happiness to others. Prayer directed to such a God
would lack the efficacy and power to heal that we find in scientific prayer
directed to the true God who really exists. That is why some well-meaning
religious people who do not understand the nature of God find it impossible to
emulate the healing of Christian Science. They are not directing their prayers
to the one supreme, infinite, unchangingly good God, who is unvarying Love, who
is infinite Mind.
Because God is Love, unchanging
Love, He is always ready to help His children. Because God is infinite Mind, He
has unlimited resourcefulness to meet their needs. Because God is eternal Life,
there is in fact no sickness or death. To commune in scientific prayer with
God, who is infinite love and wisdom and abundant life, who is able to help us,
is surely worth while. God loves man. It is His purpose that you should reflect
harmony and abundance. Should we not open the way to receive God's abundant
blessings through scientific prayer?
Man's True Identity
In the scientific consideration of
prayer, as in the scientific consideration of any subject, it is important to
make an intelligent distinction between your real self, which intelligently
knows scientific facts, and mortal mind, which temporarily seems to accept as
true, things that are not scientific facts. For example, you know how to add.
But your false self may temporarily accept and put down a mistake in addition.
You really know the facts with scientific accuracy, and can detect and correct
the mistake. A mathematical mistake, all in your own handwriting, may be lying on the table in front of
you, but you still know how to add. You would not say, "Now I don't know
how to add." You can correct and dispose of the mistake and so get rid of
it, because the false self and its mistakes cannot resist the power of Truth.
In any science, you must constantly correct the false testimony of the false
mortal self with the facts which you intelligently recognize. It is important
and scientifically accurate to recognize your real self, the true self that
knows the truth, to distinguish it from the false mortal self that seems to
experience mistakes in mathematics and other things that are not based upon
Truth, God. So in scientific prayer we recognize our real selves in the words
of the Bible, "Now are we the sons of God" (I John 3:2).
So that answers two questions which
naturally come up in a scientific consideration of prayer. First, "Is
there a God who is willing and able to answer prayer?" There can be no
intelligent doubt that the answer is "Yes." The second question is,
"Can you or I commune with this God in prayer?" And the answer is
"Yes."
The Nearness of God
You can open the way for God to
help you through scientific prayer. God is not far away, but is here now,
closer than the air we breathe, because man, the expression of God, cannot be
separated from ever-present Principle, Love. God's love and power are all
around you, and He loves to help you.
Then can we use prayer and get
definite results? Yes, but we must know how to use it. The young Indian in the
cabin during the blizzard could not get help because he did not know how to use
a telephone. To get results with prayer we must know how to use it. Many
deserving Christian people today are not receiving help because they do not
know how to make use of scientific prayer.
How do we learn how to make
practical and effective use of this prayer? When we approach any scientific
subject we naturally turn to books that deal accurately with the subject, and
we can learn about the use of scientific prayer in just this way. We are all
familiar with the Bible and its collection of experiences of those who have
understood the nature of prayer and how to use it effectively. The study of the
Bible is indispensable to anyone who wishes to be thoroughly informed about
what has been accomplished through the use of prayer, and Christian Scientists
use the King James Version for daily study. Another book, "Science and
Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, the textbook of
Christian Science, is of much later origin and is of equal importance to a student
of this subject. It explains the Bible and shows us how to make practical use
of it.
Mary Baker
Eddy
The discovery of Christian Science
and the establishment of its organization is an interesting story. Mary Baker
Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, was a highly intelligent woman. Her
writings show that she was familiar with ancient and modern philosophies and
religions, as well as the most advanced scientific thought of her time. She was
reared in a Christian home, and from her early years she was deeply religious.
As she grew up and began to think for herself, she could see no reason for the
conflict that seemed to exist between science and religion. If science is based
upon an honest search for truth, if religion deals with the truth about God and
man, why should there be any conflict between them? If the goal of science is an
understanding of facts and laws, and if Christianity is setting forth the
facts about the nature of God, why should not Science and Christianity be one?
And why should not a scientific understanding of the laws of God enable us to
make use of these laws in prayer, as they were used by Jesus and his apostles?
An incident occurred which brought
a practical answer to her questions. She met with an accident that was
expected to prove fatal. She took her Bible and studied the account of the
healing by Jesus of a palsied man. She caught a glimpse of the fact that this
must have been due to the operation of law, and that the same divine law of God
which was applied by Christ Jesus must be available to her. This realization of
the unchanging nature of the law of God made such an impression upon her
thought that a remarkable thing took place. She was instantly healed. She saw
immediately that this was an indication of the method of healing used by
Jesus. She realized how important it would be to mankind if Jesus' method of
healing could be discovered; so she dropped all other activities and devoted
her entire attention to a study of the Bible, giving special thought to Jesus'
teachings and works.
Christianity Applied
By applying to Christianity the
scientific method which looks for facts and laws instead of emphasizing the supernatural
and miraculous, she discovered the divine laws that Jesus had used and the
methods of practically applying them to human needs. This was truly the Science
of Christianity, and she called her discovery Christian Science. In order that
this healing truth might be made available as quickly as possible to the great
numbers who were ready for it, with the cooperation of those who had been
benefited by her teachings she founded the Christian Science movement. So
Christian Scientists recognize Mary Baker Eddy as the Discoverer of Christian
Science, as the Founder of the movement through which this Science is reaching
mankind, and as the Leader whose dear perception of Truth has led them, and
continues to lead them, to health and harmony, success and happiness.
Her book, "Science and Health
with Key to the Scriptures," explains the Bible teachings. It makes a
distinction between the Christ, defined as "the divine manifestation of
God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error" (p. 583), and
Jesus, defined in part as "the highest human corporeal concept of the
divine idea" (p. 589). Because Jesus so fully exemplified the eternal Christ,
he was known as Christ Jesus. The eternal Christ always has expressed and
always will express the true nature of God. Perhaps one of the simplest ways
to understand the practical nature of the ageless Christ is to think of the Christ as a way of living, the
perfect way of living. Both the Bible and the Christian Science textbook speak
of the Christ as the Way. As our way of living approaches more and more the
divine manifestation of God, incarnate error is destroyed and true salvation is
attained.
Salvation, then, is a present experience.
The power of God, understood and demonstrated, saves us from all evil,
including disease and lack as well as sin. This is true salvation, complete and
eternal.
How do we make practical use of
scientific prayer? In music, in mathematics, or in any of the sciences, in
order to improve our own ability to get results we naturally turn to the
methods of those who have been most successful. The records indicate that the most
effective prayers of all time were those of Christ Jesus. He was able to
demonstrate through prayer divine power that has been unparalleled in history.
His disciples naturally wished to learn how to use prayer as he did, and in answer to their questions he gave
them an example of effective prayer, which is known as the Lord's Prayer. It is
the outstanding example of scientific prayer.
The Lord's Prayer
This prayer begins, "Our
Father which art in heaven," which is explained and interpreted in the
Christian Science textbook as, "Our
Father-Mother God, all-harmonious" (Science and Health., p. 16). This
is the one God, divine Principle, Soul, Spirit, Mind, Life, Truth, Love.
The next part of the Lord's Prayer
identifies the one who is praying. He is identified by his attitude toward God,
and we find him expressing his complete acceptance of God's will:
"Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it
is in heaven." The word "hallowed" comes from the same root as
"hale," "healthy," "whole," "holy,"
meaning perfect and complete. The word "name" as used in the Bible
frequently refers to "nature"; so when Paul found that his nature had
been changed, he changed his name from Saul to Paul. So the words,
"Hallowed be Thy name" express our desire that God's nature should be
fully and perfectly and completely manifested as expressed. The following statement,
"Thy kingdom come," shows, complete acceptance of God's government,
and the next one, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,"
reiterates this acceptance of God's government in every detail of experience.
The next statement is, "Give
us this day our daily bread." We look to God, and God alone, for everything
good, for everything that is needed in our daily experience to bring out health
and abundance and happiness. We look to God for right desires, and for the
fulfillment of these right desires. We look to Him for inspiration and vision.
In the Christian Science textbook (p. 17) this is interpreted and amplified: "Give
us grace for today; feed the famished affections." True prayer
acknowledges God as the only source of good, realizing that He has lovingly supplied
all good and abundantly met our every human need.
The next two verses deal with the
problem of evil: "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." As we are willing
to forgive and release those around us, God releases us from any results of evil
in the past or present. As we accept God's guidance, we shall also be enabled
to avoid and overcome all temptation and evil in the future. Neither sin nor
suffering has power over you as a child of God.
The closing statement of this
prayer is filled with meaning: "For Thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, forever." "For Thine is the kingdom." God's
government is supreme, controlling everything, including ourselves. In order
to accept God's government we must know what His laws are and how they can be
applied to our ordinary everyday decisions.
Listening to
God
This brings us to one of the most
important considerations in scientific prayer, namely listening to the voice
of Truth. Moses listened to God and received the Commandments which have
greatly influenced the concepts of mankind. The ancient prophets listened to
God and spoke with authority, "Thus saith the Lord." The remarkable things
which they accomplished, as well as the mighty works of Christ Jesus, show that
they were the result of listening and responding to God. The Discoverer of
Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, says in one of her hymns (which is also a
prayer),
"I will listen for Thy voice,
Lest my footsteps stray."
So it is highly important to
listen for Truth.
There is nothing mysterious or
supernatural about listening to God in prayer. Whenever we give our attention
to receiving right ideas from infinite Mind, God, we are listening to God. In
order to pray understandingly and sincerely, "Thine is the kingdom,"
we must constantly listen to God, accept His government in every detail of our
lives, and respond to His directions.
"Thine is the kingdom, and
the power." Because God's power is supreme, governing us and everything
around us, there can be no inert substance or matter that can resist it; there
can be no power that can oppose it. We accept and respond to God's government
as we use this power effectively. This spiritual power of God heals sickness,
as Jesus demonstrated. It is a power infinitely above the limited claims of
drugs and antibiotics hampered by allergies and uncertainties, deficiencies
and cumulative aftereffects. It produces results that are far beyond anything
that can be accomplished by the well-meant efforts of surgeons and mental
manipulators. I wish there were time to tell you of even a few of the
remarkable healings that are constantly taking place as a result of the
scientific prayer of Christian Science. But you can find testimonies of healing
in the Christian Science Sentinel or in The Christian Science Journal; you can
hear them any Wednesday evening in a Christian Science church. Sickness is
healed, desperate business problems are solved, happy and successful
relationships with others are established, through the power of God in
scientific prayer. The results are satisfying to anyone who has ever resorted
to spiritual scientific prayer.
Healing Illustrated
An abnormal growth appeared on a
young woman's face, and it increased steadily until it reached alarming
proportions. There was a difference of opinion as to whether it was a malignant
growth, and she was told that the only safe course would be to have it removed
at once by surgery and that there was no way to escape a disfiguring scar.
She had heard of the healing by
Christian Science of similar cases, and with the help of a Christian Science
practitioner she earnestly turned to God in scientific prayer as taught in the
Christian Science textbook. She constantly studied and used the spiritual interpretation
of the Lord's Prayer found on page 16.
In the chapter on "Christian
Science Practice" in this book she found on page 390 specific instructions
how to deal with disease. She was greatly impressed by the words on page 393,
"Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good,"
followed by the statement, "God has made man capable of this, and nothing
can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man."
As she conscientiously endeavored
to put this into practice it made a great difference. She began to realize that
she was God's idea, perfect and spiritual, governed wholly by God and by
nothing else; that neither disease nor sin belonged to her or could be any
part of her; that the diseased condition that appeared to be so real and
substantial had no actual reality but was as unreal as a mistake in
mathematics, and that it could no more resist the power of Truth than could a
mathematical mistake; that divine Life is ever present, overcoming and
supplanting anything that seems to have substance or activity opposed to God.
As she continued to use the power
of Truth in this way, the growth gradually disappeared, without leaving the
slightest trace of a scar. But her constant scientific prayer and her effort
to follow the instruction in the Christian Science textbook to "resist all
that is unlike good" produced even more far-reaching results. Her
disposition changed, so that a willful and ruthless disregard of the happiness
of others gave way to loving helpfulness. Malice and revengefulness were
replaced by undisturbed kindliness as she was controlled by divine Love. She
was living a new life; it was like being born again. The spiritual power of the
scientific prayer of Christian Science healed both disease and sin.
The Power of God
How does this power of God
operate? Through the power of Truth over error. "Two plus two equals
four" will destroy any mistake about that fact. Any mistake must be a
mistake about a fact; there is always a fact to correct any mistake. The
reversal of the mistake by the use of the spiritual idea destroys a mistake
with the irresistible power of Truth. So the truth about God and man constantly
poured into thought with love and gratitude will destroy and remove conditions
of sickness and sin, inharmony and lack that appear to be as real and powerful
as a mistake in mathematics seems to be before it is corrected.
The practical use of this power of
God, Truth, is called Christian Science demonstration. The utilization of the
intelligent ideas that come to us through scientific prayer produces remarkable
results. These ideas understood, faithfully declared and applied, not only
improve our subjective attitude toward people and things and conditions, but
actually change the objective circumstances around us.
Marconi refused to accept the
general impressions regarding electricity, and we have radio. Not long ago a
few clear thinkers challenged the usually accepted scientific theory that an
atom could not be divided, and today we have the atomic bomb and the tremendous
possibilities of the use of subatomic energy. A more intelligent subjective
attitude has changed and controlled the objective things and conditions around
us. Think of the possibilities of subjective thought in constant communion with
infinite Mind through scientific prayer!
Prayer Lived
As the statesmen of the world more
consciously accept God's guidance and make more effective use of scientific
prayer, we shall find the justice of Principle and the tender helpfulness of
divine Love bringing peace and security and progress to each individual and to all mankind. We can support
this liberation with our own scientific prayers. As those who are engaged in
the scientific research of natural science develop their breadth of vision and
their depth of discernment and penetration through scientific prayer, how the
barriers of materiality, the limitations of time and space, will yield to the
unlimited freedom that God gives to His children! As those in the business
world are governed by God through scientific prayer, how the brotherhood of
God's children will find expression in respect for the freedom of individual
progress!
This power of true prayer is what
Jesus and the prophets demonstrated. Moses, Joshua, Elijah, did things that
were called miracles because the power of scientific prayer which they used
was not understood. Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the multitudes,
stilled the storm, with the power which he received from God in prayer. He gave
this power to his disciples, as he taught them how to pray. Through this same
power of scientific prayer, Christian Science is today healing sickness,
raising the dying to health, replacing lack with abundance, changing natural phenomena,
bringing peace and happiness. God is Love and Love is the greatest power there
is. Through prayer the love of God reaches us and all mankind, lifting us to
harmony and loving cooperation.
Then we come to the very climax of
the Lord's Prayer - gratitude to God. "For Thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, forever." Thine is the glory! Jesus, the master of
scientific prayer, who raised Lazarus from the dead, even after four days,
began his prayer, "Father, I thank thee" (John
Gratitude Heals
Does healing seem to come slowly?
Does your sense of divine power appear feeble? Try more gratitude. Gratitude
maintains our close communion with God. Try giving constant thanks to God for
all your blessings, little and big, for all the good of the past, every
evidence of His goodness and power that has come to you or to others, and see
how it breaks through the illusion that you cannot feel God's presence and
power.
In this atmosphere of gratitude,
in which God is close to us, we thank God that He is "Our Father which art
in heaven;" thank God that we can sincerely pray, "Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven;" thank God that He is ready
to give us everything necessary for daily human needs and for progress and
inspiration - "Give us this day our daily bread;" thank God that He
lifts us above the bondage and the consequences of sin in the past or present
and will lead us away from temptation and evil - "And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil." We thank God that we can say, "For Thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever;" that His love and wisdom
constitute the supreme government of men and nations, conditions and things;
that His good power is irresistible and that we can use it to heal and bless;
and to crown it all we thank God that He has given us the gift of gratitude.
"Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest
me always" (John
Possibilities of Prayer
Here are the tremendous possibilities
of scientific prayer, ready for us to use. But we must use them. Only as we use
it can scientific prayer help us. We can make constant use of it, and through
daily study of the Bible and Science and Health make ourselves more proficient
in it. As we do this we find that it brings to us the infinite wisdom of Mind
to make wise decisions, the unlimited power of God to heal sickness and solve
business problems, the irresistible influence of divine Love to establish
sound and happy relationships with others and with other groups and nations.
God's great power works with us and through us to bring out results that seem
marvelous and miraculous to those who do not understand the possibilities of
working with God through scientific prayer.
You will find that even the short
time we have spent together listening to this lecture will have a definite
effect on your experience. These truths never leave us, but they will continue
to operate in your consciousness, bringing out a clearer sense of your oneness
with God, of His presence and power as Truth, as Life, as Love.
Our loving, wise Father-Mother God
is here now. He will be with us each minute of every day. We can go forward,
with confidence and power, letting the good of each day unfold as we keep close
to Him in grateful prayer. In the words of a beautiful hymn from the Christian
Science Hymnal:
"Day by day the manna fell:
O, to learn this lesson well.
Still by constant mercy fed,
Give me Lord, my daily bread.
"Day by day the promise
reads,
Daily strength for daily needs:
Cast foreboding fears away;
Take the manna of today.
"Lord, my times are in Thy
hand:
All my sanguine hopes have planned,
To Thy wisdom I resign,
And would mold my will to Thine.
"Thou my daily task shalt
give;
Day by day to Thee I live;
So shall added years fulfill
Not my own, my Father's
will."
Grosse Point (