Christian Science: Utilizing Divine Power
Leonard T. Carney, C.S.B., of
Leonard T. Carney, C.S.B., of
Deep in the heart of troubled humanity,
we may hear the cry of an urgent need swelling into a mighty crescendo. It is this: "I want deliverance from
danger, freedom from fear, liberation from lack, surcease from sickness; I want
peace and happiness. All this I must
have for myself and my loved ones." If in the midst of great need one were told
that there is an invisible power, which has been tried and tested for thousands
of years and never found wanting, and that this power is of God, would it not
be considered strange if one should turn away and say, "It interests me
not at all!"
The Discoverer and the Messenger
Great discoverers throughout
history have braved the scorn and scoffing of the incredulous, the anathemas of
the bigoted. Galileo,
"Bright, good, and pure, aye brilliant! I never before had a pupil with such depth and
independence of thought. She has some
great future, mark that. She is an intellectual
and spiritual genius" (The Life of Mary Baker Eddy by Sibyl Wilbur, p.
83).
Throughout her lifetime Mrs. Eddy
was one of the most consistent followers of Bible teachings that the world has
ever known. In the light of her
spiritual understanding, gained through revelation and the study of the Bible
alone, she was able to heal others of sin and disease as well as to raise some
from their deathbeds. Down through the
centuries everyone has been free to follow Jesus' command to "heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils." But Mrs. Eddy not only heard this word of command,
but obeyed. Thus she became the
divinely appointed messenger of God, a messenger with a message, bringing to
us the understanding of the Comforter, or Christian Science, the coming of which
Christ Jesus prophesied in these
words: "The Comforter . . . shall teach you all things and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
No Personal Deification
For Christian Scientists to express
gratitude to their Leader for benefits received through her teachings is not
deifying her. If your purse were lost,
the finder doubtless would be the recipient of your heartfelt thanks. If your life were doomed, the one who showed
you how to recover it should likewise receive your profound gratitude. The manufacturer of a nationally known article
once complained that Christian Scientists deified their Leader because her name
is identified with the various activities of the movement. He was asked, "Why do you have your
initial impressed on each item which you manufacture and sell?" He replied, "So the public cannot be
deceived." Then said the inquirer,
"For the same reason Christian Scientists identify the name of their
Leader with her books, her organization, and followers, so that the public
cannot be deceived by the counterfeits."
The Bible and The Textbook
The Bible of our forefathers is
the basis of all spiritual healing. That
revered and age-old volume of spiritual lore, replete with a nation's history,
laws, biographies, letters, poetry, songs, and sermons, is woven through and
through with the golden thread of spiritual revelation and the silver filament
of divine mercy and love. Christian
Scientists inevitably become daily students of the Bible. It is essential to their faith and works. To them the Bible is no longer remote but
near at hand, no longer a fetish but a friend, no longer a fearsome volume of
reproach but a tender counselor and guide. It is indeed the book not of yesterday but the
Bible for today - and for all time.
Because of a lifelong devotion to
the Bible, the Founder of Christian Science dedicated her skillful pen to
elucidating its sacred meanings. Mrs.
Eddy's unique volume, "Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures," commonly called the textbook of Christian Science, though
reasonable in price, is immeasurable in value. An understanding of its pages has healed
countless numbers from life long suffering, preserved the dying, purified the
sinful, supplied the poor, rebuilt character, restored peace and happiness. The textbook is the responsive friend to
multitudes. To own and study this book
is to possess the "pearl of great price."
The Availability of Divine Power
In a world in which impoverishment,
instability, and warfare are increasing rather than diminishing the problems
confronting mankind, is it singular that the individual should once again long
for a Messiah or Christ-power to silence his fears, heal his troubles, and
assure his weary hope?
Many have experienced benefits of
an unusual nature which they have attributed to luck or chance, sometimes to
miracles. Comparatively few have looked
beneath the surface for a law causation, a source of good. One well-known public man who has been brought
safely through more peril, perhaps, than any other individual, has said that
he is convinced there is a divine power which controls and governs in times of
danger, delivering men from jeopardy.
We read in the Christian Science
textbook (p. 134), "There is divine authority for believing in the
superiority of spiritual power over material resistance." When faced with sudden danger, many years ago,
I proved this law for myself beyond cavil. I was driving a heavily loaded automobile over
a steep mountain range in the Northwest. Part way up the mountain we encountered snow,
rendering traction on the narrow unpaved roadway insecure. Within sight of the crest and on a long sweeping
curve where the roadbed sloped faultily towards the outer edge, an automobile
had slipped so that one rear wheel hung over the precipice. Only by skillful handling was it pulled out
of the deep snow to safety by a crew of men operating a mountain truck. I started my car, increasing its speed, but
upon reaching the dangerous point the car ceased its forward momentum and
slipped backward and outward to the edge of the precipice in the tracks of the
other car, the wheels without chains churning helplessly in the snow.
I then made firm and audible
declarations of truth, that God is ever present, that His law is all-governing,
that divine power is all-controlling, for "underneath are the everlasting
arms." With my deep and instant
realization of these truths, the tread of the tires, although snow-packed,
ceased slipping as though in sudden response to a command.
With every declaration of truth
they took firm grip on the roadway, and the car was brought back from peril
into safety, thus illustrating our Leader's statement (Science and Health, p.
427), "Immortal Mind, governing all, must be acknowledged as supreme in
the physical realm, so-called, as well as in the spiritual." Farther up the grade a similar hazard was
faced, and again divine power proved sufficient for the need. Finally the summit was reached in safety. The exultant sense of gratitude and joy in
having just witnessed such an immediate manifestation of God's power cannot
adequately be described. This and other
recurring proofs served to solidify a mounting conviction that the Bible
teaching, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble," is based on an invariable law of divine power applicable in
times of need. Many fliers and others in
the present war have acknowledged their deliverance through prayer from
situations far more perilous.
The Nature and Understanding of This Power
It is not possible within the limits
of this hour to answer the question, "What is this power and how does it
heal?" Only a devoted study of the
textbook can fully answer that question.
However in presenting some phases it may be remarked at the outset that
the healing power is not that of one human mind over another; it is not will
power, hypnotism, faith cure, and the like. It is the same deific power of the eternal
Christ which activated the healings of Jesus and the apostles two thousand
years ago.
To understand this power one must
understand God. This requires
humbleness of mind, the spirit of the beatitude, "Blessed are the meek: for
they shall inherit the earth." Humility is strength, not weakness. It is the sturdy oak bearing the brunt of the
storm; the strong piers of the mighty bridge spanning the torrent. Humility is the solid foundation of real
success and true greatness. It is not self-depreciation,
but a rightful sense of self-appreciation, a just estimate of one's real self
as the child of God. One perched high on
the pinnacle of self-adulation cannot move forward, nor can he make progress
mired in the clay of self-condemnation. He who would reach the goal must travel the
straight road of humility.
Words may seek to define God but
only spiritual thought may rightly apprehend Him. Thought must ascend beyond
earthly things to catch even a faint gleam of God. Experts spend years in arduous labor, exactly
placing a telescope, mounting it far from habitation and artificial
illumination, so that it may bring to view the unknown constellations of the
stars. With the same intent, steadfast
gaze away from earthly things one may look through the lens of Spirit and
perceive the nature and character of God, the all-wise, all-loving, and
eternal, infinite Mind, Spirit, Life, Love, which are all Biblical terms used
to define the nature of God. God
includes all that really exists. He is
all-inclusive, all-embracing, all encircling, all-encompassing. God is All-in-all.
Its Utilization In Treatment
Such is the starting point, the
beginning of Christian Science treatment. The nature of treatment is that of prayer. It is not beseeching God for earthly things,
but is the recognition of spiritual things. This prayer, or treatment, acts upon the human
mind, and this in turn governs the body.
Prayer is entering the divine
presence, having audience or communion with God, approaching Him in humble
adoration and worship. Just as one
beholds with rapture the exquisite blooms of rare beauty adorning garden and
landscape, so one may with joy view the spiritual ideas of God, man and the
universe, perfect reflections of their Creator, the glorified offspring of
ineffable Love. This uplifted state of
consciousness is attained either by spiritual inspiration or by right
reasoning and argument. This is denying
the beliefs of the material senses such as fear, sin, sickness, symptoms, suffering,
and death, and affirming the truths of spiritual sense.
In treatment one must hold thought
steadfastly to God. The ship's compass,
its needle pointing to the pole through the mountainous waves of storm and
stress, is indicative of what steadfast clinging to God and His ideas which
brings healing to the sick and sinning.
We must adhere to the truth of being, cling to Mind's ideas, cleave to
spiritual facts, stick to the realization that it is the divine idea which
empowers us. To quote again from Science
and Health (p.261), "Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good,
and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to
their occupancy of your thoughts."
A Christian Scientist once found
himself clinging by his hands to the almost perpendicular rock wall of a cliff,
his toes on a ledge below, the uncertain pathway downward having
disappeared. His small son was between
him and the wall, his feet on those of his father. No further step downward was visible, no
retreat upward possible. Great fear began to weaken the father's hold, when
the little boy with assurance said:
"Daddy, God is right here. You don't need to be afraid." Then the father began to cling steadfastly to
God, holding firmly to the truth that, as the child said, "God is right
here." His hold on the ledge became firmer, his eye clearer, until a
possible downward step, and then another and another appeared. Finally safety was reached fifty feet below.
By holding thought steadfastly to God, fear was dispelled and the
human footsteps were brought to light.
The Christ-Power
What is the point of contact between
God and our daily needs? To light a city
requires not only the powerhouse but the means of transmission as well. The old prophets looked for the manifestation
of God's power which would bring healing to the world. Isaiah referred to it as "light:"
"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: . . . upon
them hath the light shined." This
light of understanding, this manifestation of divine power, came to be known
in the following centuries as the Messiah or Christ, the spiritual idea of
God, which Jesus demonstrated so effectively.
To be worthy and valuable, our
understanding of the Christ must do something, accomplish something, for the
distinctive mission of the Christ is to heal us physically, financially,
morally. If you understand God to be
omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, invincible and irresistible Truth, then
the Christ has come to you and it will heal. It silences fear, destroys pain, and restores
normal action to the body. It removes
whatever is erroneous and supplies that which balances and happifies existence.
The Christ-idea is also the communicator
of truth from God to man, instructing man in things divine. It comforts the sorrowing, satisfies the
lonely, brings happiness and joy to earth. You will recognize it by the quietness and
peace that comes to you.
The following incident illustrates
the fact that neither severity of the disease nor distance of the practitioner
from the patient lessens the effectiveness of the Christ-power to act upon the
human mind and thereby govern and heal the body. It occurred in a family early in their
experience in Christian Science. One
member near and dear to them became afflicted with diphtheria in a most virulent
form. The symptoms were clearly apparent
and alarming indeed.
The Christian Science practitioner
who applied the rule of healing was twenty-five hundred miles away. Despite the anxious fears of the family, they
clung tenaciously to the spiritual facts of Life, as opposed to the fearsome
testimony before them. For several days
the disease raged, and then the symptoms subsided and the healing came. The Christ-power had opened the prison door of
suffering and let the oppressed go free. This became an infallible proof to all
concerned that clinging steadfastly to the spiritual idea of God heals the
sick; that this may be done effectively even though the practitioner be far
away, even as did Jesus when he healed the centurion's servant who was absent
from him.
In order that the Christ may come
to us, abide with us, and be available for our every need, we must be receptive
to it. A closed door bars a welcome
guest. The ever-present Christ will come
to our understanding only as we are pure, patient, loving, and meek. It is elusive to the hard of heart; it enters
at the door of those who are God-reliant, tender, and trusting. Selfishness, self-satisfaction, self-will, and
sin close the door of receptivity; while humility, honesty, purity, faith, and
understanding open it wide to the Christly visitant and it abides with us. If healing is delayed, it would be well to
discover what bars our mental door against that which comes to bless and heal everyone,
everywhere, every moment.
Disease a Product of the Human Mind
It may surprise some of us to
learn that sickness is as much a product of the human mind as is sin. In an Associated Press news story of
This is not news to Christian
Scientists. For over three quarters of
a century the Founder of Christian Science has been telling the world through
her writings that the human mind induces organic as well as functional diseases,
and that the healing of sickness, like that of sin, must come through a change
in the human mind. If it is true that the
cause of disease is a state of mind, as the news item indicates, then the one
who believes that his difficulty is a state of matter is laboring under an
illusion, or mesmerism, which must be removed before he can be healed
completely.
The Mesmeric Nature of Disease, Fear, and Lack
The following is illustrative of
the deceptive and mesmeric nature of matter, causing something to appear to
exist when it does not. It is related
that some years ago a European professor, not a Christian Scientist, desired
to investigate the mental powers of a celebrated magician who performed his
feats in a large cave far up in the mountains of
He found nothing unusual. He firmly resolved that notwithstanding what
he would see or experience during the test he should know that it had no place
in a normal mind; that it was in fact an illusion, which he could prove to be
so through his clear reasoning and resolve. Among the fearsome experiences to which he
was subjected were those with cobra, savage animals, earthquake, falling into
a chasm, storm at sea, hunger and thirst.
He met and mastered each difficulty.
One trial is worthy of recounting by
reason of its object lesson. As he
followed the magician, there appeared suddenly between them a wall of rock
across the path, as solid as the cave itself. Recovering from his surprise, he approached
the wall, laid his hands upon it, then slapped, kicked, pounded it, and struck
it with a rock. It was as unyielding as
the walls of the cave. He then withdrew
and reasoned with himself thus: "If there is no wall there, it is a
mistake to kick, pound, or strike it, for that but adds to its seeming reality;
I should treat it as nonexistent, and walk through it." He closed his eyes, stepped forward, and
passed through the wall. On looking back
he saw nothing except the path along which he had passed. There was no wall there.
How many of us today are striking
and pounding vainly at the walls which human beliefs have raised - walls of
fear, worry, grief, despair, discouragement, lack, limitation, disease, sin,
and death. If we make a reality of the
condition, feel it, deplore it, rail or strike at it, think or talk about it,
it will appear to be as real and solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.
However if we lift our thought
above and beyond the difficulty, fasten our gaze on divine Mind and its
realities, take firm hold of God's hand, we shall walk through the illusion of
a wall of error. Evil cannot raise a
wall. It merely seems to cast a shadow.
There is an old proverb, "The shadow of a dog cannot bite; the shadow of a
sword cannot pierce; the shadow of death cannot kill." The twenty-third Psalm bids us "walk
through the valley of the shadow." Refuse
to be mesmerized by what does not really exist. God is the only reality; therefore evil has no
real existence, no power to harm you
What if there appears to be a wall
of fear! Although it be mountain high,
yet it will be brought low; it will utterly disappear. Know the perfect Love that casteth out fear,
as the Bible teaches; and know that fear cannot enter the consciousness filled
with love alone. Be conscious of that Love which embraces humanity, enfolding
it in the realization of Love's ever-presence and all-power.
If one believes himself to be
facing a wall of lack, with business gone, the future dark, he should know
that the wall is mental. Poverty is
nothing more than a self-depreciated estimate of oneself. It has been said, "Poverty is thinking
poor." That wall of lack will
vanish through a correct self-appraisement. Thus you will ascend to a right evaluation of
yourself as an affluent son of your heavenly Father. This rightful estimate of your true value,
based on your relationship to God, will be accepted and honored by others and
become the basis of restoration and recovery from the belief of lack and
limitation. God's man is already well
supplied in that which makes for happiness, contentment, and success.
Love Is Needed
The most urgent need in the world
today is for a demonstrable understanding of Love. Love is the cement of the
home and society, the bond of union in the world. Hatred, warfare, murder, death are its
antithesis; harmony, activity, life are its essence. Love is the one thing with which we can do all
things, the one thing we cannot do without.
The law of Love is the basis of
true substance, the foundation of real structure. The earth revolves in space, and each particle
of sand and soil in strict adherence to cosmic law. The mighty bridge bolted and riveted swings
securely on its myriad wires twisted into giant cables. The bricks and stones in the towering building
reaching skyward are held together by the particles of unassuming mortar. These wonders of human achievement symbolize
the adhesion of spiritual elements, the strong supporting strands of Truth,
the cement and attraction of divine Love.
Love is the vital part of Christian
Science, its life-giving, life-sustaining element. Heart difficulties, somewhat prevalent,
indicate the need for more attention to a pure affection, less to organism. One must turn away from self, be absent from
fear and be present with the great heart of divine Love. This needs no medicine except that of
fear-dispelling love for God and man. This
is the true remedy.
Where revengeful, selfish, ugly
traits are in evidence in others, it may seem difficult to obey the Scriptural
command to "love thy neighbor." But to love one's neighbor means to love not
the unlovely characteristics, but the Christ-idea, the man whom God, not
error, created. That is the only man there
really is.
One student learned the meaning of
this command to love one's neighbor in this wise. He enjoyed looking through
his office window, on occasion, to the park below to see the beautiful trees,
the colorful beds of flowers, the vivid green lawn. One bright morning, following a day of dust
storm from the desert, his gaze became arrested by the dirt upon the windowpane.
On looking intently he also saw some
defects in the glass of which heretofore, he had been unaware.
The unsightliness held his gaze
for the moment until he realized that he might look through the defects to the
attractive scene beyond. This he did
and again appeared to him, undimmed, the beauty of scene, of trees and garden. In a similar way this one saw how he might
look through the unlovely traits of character in his neighbor and see in
Science the beauty of the real man. The
evil in human character may arrest one's gaze for the moment. It may silence human affection. But it need not be for long. One may, if he will, look through the mortal
sense of man with its unseemly traits, and see, resplendent, man's real
spiritual selfhood, beloved as the child of God. This is loving thy neighbor as thyself.
Someone said to me years ago,
"I like people." This person
cultivated friends as a means of service, not a self-serving means. The greater the demand, the greater the
service. To her, another's faults never
outweighed the good. Her loving rebuke
but stirred one to greater effort. To
have a friend one must be a friend. Flowers
grow better where the soil is stirred; and nothing so effectively stirs the
soil where friendship grows as does frequent cultivation with deeds of
kindness, constant tending it with thoughts of love. He who serves man lovingly, serves God best.
Discouragement
One of the commonest phases of
wrong thinking is discouragement, presenting itself as depression, despond,
heaviness, grief. It is usually draped
in innocence and may be passed by as a harmless indulgence. But beneath its disarming exterior lurks the
thief of confidence, and the debilitating tendencies to disease, poverty, and
vice. When one places himself on the
toboggan of discouragement, there are other downward tendencies equally
injurious.
They invoke the loss of faith in
oneself, in one's ability and desire to do things, and above all a distrust in
God's ability to help him. Then the
bottom of despair is reached with its darkness, helplessness, and gloom. Would that the victim of discouragement might
know the remedy for this state of mesmerism - a remedy so easy of access, so
simple to apply. It is the same remedy,
that of gratitude, which Joshua used at
At the sound of hoof beats on the
roadway he hardly turned his head. A
wagon stopped beside him and a cheery-voiced farmer sang out, "Better get
in and ride!" With no word of reply
the peddler laboriously lurched himself into the seat beside the farmer, who
started his team down the road whistling a merry tune. The farmer finally turned to the abject figure
at his side, hunched over with the weight of his pack still on his back. "Why don't you put your pack down in the
wagon and rest yourself?" he asked. The peddler sighed and replied, "It's easier
just to carry it, than to put it down."
And he probably still is carrying it, for he is more accustomed to discouragement
than to gratitude. It is gratitude which
lays down the load of care, makes all burdens light, and "bears a song
away."
Gratitude
Gratitude is more than a mere
"thank you." The word comes
from the same root as the word "grace.'' Gratitude is not only for things received but
for grace bestowed. We are grateful in
order to obtain more grace, more spiritual blessings, not more things. To be ungrateful is to be unmindful of God's
goodness.
An effective plan to overcome
discouragement is the good old-fashioned way of counting one's blessings. It is an important factor in healing the
sick. If we are not grateful for the
material blessings we see, how can we be grateful for the spiritual blessings
we do not see? John asked, "For he
that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath
not seen?" While God does not need
our gratitude, still we do need to give it. The longer one is a student of Christian
Science the more important this lesson of gratitude becomes; because it is a
thing easily forgotten, and disastrous to forget.
One individual found himself in
need of physical healing. In his
confused state of thought he could comprehend only the simplest things. He began by thanking God for the cool sheets
on the bed, the glass of water near at hand, the gracious light of day through
the window, the tender, loving care of his family. This effort opened his mental door to the recognition
of the healing Christ-power, and he was healed. But it did not stop there. He learned to thank God for the countless
blessings around him as he went about his daily tasks. None were too trivial to escape notice. The tender blade of grass pushing its
persevering way up through the hard soil became a symbol of power and life from
God; each flower turning its face from dimness to light an object lesson of
the joy in living and giving; sustenance, shelter, and raiment typified the
heavenly Father's loving care. To think
good is to thank God.
Safety for Those Under Arms
What has Christian Science to
offer to those on the field of battle and to their loved ones at home? Because of the ever-availability of divine
power, those at the front, as well as those behind, are equipped with the means
of protection against which no devices of evil may prevail. We read in the Christian Science textbook: (Page
559), "The 'still, small voice' of scientific thought reaches over
continent and ocean to the globe's remotest bound." The power of Truth is instantly present and
operative everywhere, every moment.
Your word of Truth, uttered and
understood, reaches beyond human limits and brings peace, security, and safety
wherever the need may be. Thus daily and
hourly one may render effective support to those in need, whether they be on
land, in the air, or on or under the sea.
The following is illustrative of
the manner in which Christian Science is being used by young men and women in
the armed forces all over the world. During
February of 1942, when the submarine menace along the sea lanes to
Suddenly another vessel northbound
and off its course, looming straight ahead in the darkness, collided with it. The second ship sank immediately, most of her
crew being rescued. The front end of the
first vessel was completely removed, leaving only the single bulkhead to keep
out the water. The extensive exposure of the inner ship to the power of the
waves made the captain doubtful of the bulkhead's withstanding the surging
sea; for such damage had sunk other vessels. The third engineer aboard ship was a young
officer who was a sincere student of Christian Science.
At first he had encountered
ridicule because of his faith, but several visible demonstrations had gained
the general respect of many on board. As
the ship lurched under the effect of the impact of the collision, this young
officer hurriedly inquired of the captain, "What can I do?" "You go below to your stateroom and pray
as you are taught," ordered the captain. The lad obeyed; and there in his tiny
stateroom directly adjacent to the straining and bulging bulkhead, he opened
the Christian Science textbook to the synonyms of God. Instantly he built his own spiritual sense of
bulkhead with the foundation of it as Principle; its intelligence, divine
Mind; its individuality, identity, oneness, as Soul; its substance, Spirit;
its existence, Life; its everlastingness, Truth. This spiritual bulkhead was bolted and
riveted in the cement of divine Love.
He held tenaciously to the truths
he knew; the bulkhead held; and the vessel returned safely to port. The entire personnel then recognized that he
was armed with a power of which they knew nothing. Their respect and gratitude were evident. After each subsequent voyage the captain
ordered the young officer to go home, once with only two hours available, that
he might receive again from his mother that replenishment of spiritual
inspiration which was to make the voyage a safe one for the ship and her crew.
God is ever present, hence evil is
not present and is not power. God's
child cloaked in the mantle of divine Love is immune to hatred and violence. His inseparability from God means his
inseparability from you, for individual identities are coexistent in divine
Mind. Within the confines of infinite good, man is safe, harmonious, and
eternal.
Conclusion
In conclusion: The purpose of
Christian Science is to show mankind how to avail its self of divine power and
how to utilize it in times of extremity and urgent need. It fulfills the command of Jesus to heal the
sick and the sinning. It discloses the
illusionary and mesmeric nature of disease and lack. It shows the life-giving, fear-dispelling
power of Truth and Love. Again on earth
the Christ-power is with men, comforting the sorrowing, healing the sick,
reforming the sinner, and bringing peace and quiet to a troubled world.
In the words of the poet, John Greenleaf
Whittier:
"Breathe through the pulses of desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh
retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,
O still small voice of calm.
"Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from us now the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace."
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 49.)
The
November 17, 1944