How Christian Science Can Help You
Charles M. Carr, C.S.B., of
The spiritual view of man is actually
the most scientific, Charles M. Carr,
C.S.B., of
"There's a spiritual
law," Mr. Carr said, "based on the universal presence called
God," which can be known, obeyed, and applied to humanity's problems - even
to the healing of incurable disease.
"This law is universal. It's
available to everybody, just like the air we breathe."
The basic truth is, he said, that
there's only one God, or creator, and consequently there can be only one creation.
And this creation "would have to be entirely Godlike - entirely spiritual,
entirely good. This is true of you, me, everyone," he declared.
Holding to this view - despite any
contrary outward appearance - is the highest kind of love, and it can transform
people's lives, Mr. Carr continued.
"The greatest gift we can
give to ourselves and to the world," he said, "is the gift of the
Christly point of view that recognizes nothing but the perfection of God and
His creation as real."
Mr. Carr, a member of The Christian
Science Board of Lectureship, is currently on tour throughout the
A partial text of the lecture,
titled "How Christian Science Can Help You," follows:
Need for enlightenment
There's a story about a traveler
who was lost in a terrific thunderstorm. It was a very dark night and he kept
struggling along through the mud. He was on a horse, but finally his horse gave
out. There he stood in the middle of the road all by himself with the thunder
roaring and crashing. One clap seemed to shake the earth and it brought him to
his knees. Now he wasn't a praying man, but he did make a petition, and it was
short and to the point. He said:
"O Lord, if it's all the same
to You, give us a little more light and a little less noise."
Well, we all need more light and
less noise, don't we? We need to be enlightened, not frightened. This is where
Christian Science can help us. How? By giving each of us a better understanding
of what good really is. By showing us that good is present everywhere - in
everyone - and is available to all.
This was brought out in the experience
of a friend of mine who spent nearly a year traveling around the world. What
struck her most was that just about everybody responded to the good she expressed
- kindness, friendliness, goodwill, happiness.
People everywhere are searching
for a better concept of things. This is a start in the right direction. But in
order to really get anywhere, we have to see that there's an ever-present law
of good that's based on the universal presence called God. That actually
there's a Science of good that everyone can know by gaining a spiritual
understanding of God.
Without this understanding, or
spiritualization of thought, no matter how long we search for a satisfying way
of life, we just won't find it.
Why? Because we've been believing that good is material rather than spiritual.
This kind of believing is groping in the dark like the traveler with a lot of
noise and no light. The noise, the darkness of a material sense of good, would
obscure the spiritual, the only reality.
Jesus recognized the need for
light when he said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John
Good is not material
Understanding the spiritual nature
of good is our first goal. But this isn't enough. We need to see just why good
isn't material - why materiality isn't the ultimate good. Then, after that, we
need to use this understanding in our lives.
There's a story I like about
Paderewski. Somebody said to him one time, "Oh, Mr. Paderewski, you must
have had a world of patience to learn to play the piano the way you do."
He said, "It's not that at all. I have no more patience than anybody else.
It's just that I use mine." Well, it's the same way with all of us. We
need to understand the law of good first. But we can't stop there. We have to
use it.
Understand the law of good, exchange
material beliefs about life for spiritual truths, use the law - these are our
three tasks. We need to answer, then, three questions: What is the nature of
good? Why are notions of material good, materiality inadequate? How can we use
our understanding of the nature of good?
Let's first bring to light what we
know about the nature of good. The Bible says in the first chapter of Genesis,
"God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good"
(
This means that from one cause or
God, we can have just one effect or creation. What is this creation like? Well,
it would have to be entirely Godlike - entirely good. That is just what the
scripture in Genesis says.
Since there's only one God, there
can be only one creation - that means only one kind of man, all spiritual and
all Godlike. How can we have two kinds of creation, two kinds of man, one
spiritual and the other material, one good and one bad, when there's only one creator
and He's infinite Spirit, infinite good? We can restate very simply this basic
truth: There's only one God and therefore only one creation, only one kind of
man, the spiritually good one. This is true of you, me everyone. It's basic to
healing, to good health - to life itself. We can see how true it is by the fact
that it works.
Christian Science given credit
A young girl I know was suffering
from ulcerative colitis. She went from 110 pounds down to 65. She had medical
treatment from one of the finest hospitals in the country but it didn't help
her. Finally, her doctor said he and his staff couldn't do any more, that her
condition was incurable, and she had just a short time to live. This verdict
was so alarming that her parents brought her home and, at the suggestion of a
helpful neighbor, they asked for Christian Science treatment. Several months
later, the girl was fully restored. She had her normal weight back and the
tissues that'd been destroyed were completely renewed.
The doctor learned of her healing
and wrote several very gracious letters to the girl's parents. I'd like to
read from two of them. "It certainly is very thrilling to hear of her miraculous
cure. There is no doubt in my mind, despite the fact that I am an MD, that all
the credit can be given to Christian Science." "All of us of the
medical profession are open-mouthed in wonder. Of all the patients I know with
that particular ailment she is the only one who has had such a complete return
to normal."
This healing, as well as many thousands
of others accomplished through Christian Science, is proof - and encouragement
- that you and I can practice Christian Science successfully. Anybody can.
How? Through the application of the law of God, good. Through the realization -
the persistent realization - that there's only one God, and He's infinite
Spirit, infinite good. So there's only one creation, only one kind of man - all
spiritual and all good. So the only man there is is God's image and likeness.
And this man - this is the important point - this man is right where matter,
flesh, disease appear to be.
Misconception eradicated
Then what was this appearance of
mortality? What was this disease that seemed so real? Just a false statement
about man, a misconception, therefore unreal. The Christian Science
practitioner on this case refused to be fooled by any such misconception. She
realized that the only reality is God and His all spiritual idea, man. She
really stuck to this truth. We all have to stick to what we know is true, don't
we?
When I use the word,
"stick," it makes me think of a dog I used to have - a bull terrier.
He loved to play with a bone and have me try to get it away from him. I could
lift him off his feet and whirl him round and round, but he still held onto
that bone. Practically nothing would keep him from sticking to the bone. Well,
suppose you and I stick to the truth of man in the image and likeness of God as
wholly spiritual, wholly good - the way that dog stuck to his bone, with as
much tenacity. If we do this, we'll never let go of the fact that there's
nothing but God, the only cause, and perfect man, the only effect. But the dog
did let go of the bone several times when I diverted his attention by throwing
a ball. Then he tried to hold onto the bone and go after the ball, too. Soon
his hold on the bone weakened. I was able to get it away from him. But before
long I couldn't fool him any more. He held onto the bone no matter what I did.
Well, let's hold on tenaciously to the fact that God, good, is All. And His
allness includes His infinite, spiritual idea, man. Let's not be diverted, or
fooled, by the belief that there's any other reality but God and His creation.
And another thing about the dog.
He enjoyed sticking to the bone! Let's enjoy sticking to the happy fact that
God, Spirit, is All and the only Life, therefore material belief, or matter,
with its troubles and limitations, is no part of existence as creator or
creation. And this is practical, just as we've seen in the healing of the
young girl.
As we really stick to our understanding
of God's goodness and allness, we'll see only God's true "likeness and
reflection everywhere." This phrase about God's "true likeness and
reflection" being "everywhere" is from Science and Health. Let
me read the whole statement. It's basic to an explanation of Christian Science.
And it's fundamental to its practice. "The substance, Life, intelligence,
Truth, and Love, which constitute Deity, are reflected by His creation; and
when we subordinate the false testimony of the corporeal senses to the facts of
Science, we shall see this true likeness and reflection everywhere" (p.
516).
As we really stick to the spiritual
fact that man in God's likeness reflects the substance, Life, and Love that is
God, we learn to subordinate any material seeming to this truth. Because God is
All, because He is infinite good, infinite Spirit - the only cause - all effect
or creation must be spiritual and good.
We are now in a position to answer
the question: Just why is good not material, why is materiality not the ultimate
reality? If all creation is spiritual, then matter with its troubles and
limitations is not creation or any part of it. It's the falsity not the fact of
existence. What seems to be material is simply a misconception of reality; a misconception
of creation in the likeness of God divine Mind or infinite good.
But to understand fully that matter
is the falsity not the fact of existence we have work to do. We have to
subordinate the false testimony of the corporeal senses to the spiritual facts.
Are the senses in matter? We say that a stone feels smooth. But this is only a
manner of speaking; stones don't feel smoothness; we feel the smoothness. It is
obvious that the physical body without mind or consciousness, can't see, hear,
feel, smell, or taste any more than a stone can.
Sense testimony rejected
Then what is it that feels and
smells and senses? Isn't it the human mind basing its thoughts on these
material observations, these misconceptions of reality? But what these thoughts
claim to be existence is just a blind belief of life in matter. We have to
learn not to be fooled by these material observations. Why? Because they're
false testifiers. Instead, let's accept the facts - that there's nothing but
God and His all spiritual idea, man.
If we're climbing a mountain and
know there's a beautiful valley below, we don't deny this just because we see
nothing but fog, do we? You and I know that, as the fog disappears, we'll see
the beautiful landscape right where it has been all along.
We must put the fog, or belief in
the reality of corporeal sense testimony, out of our thinking, whether it's
material premise or material conclusion, material good or material bad. We
must be willing to stick to the truth of the wholly spiritual and wholly good
nature of God and man. And not reach for, or fear, the misconception, or matter
sense of creator and creation. Then we'll see God and His creation, the only
creation, in all its glory and perfection everywhere.
You know, when we see creation as
wholly spiritual everywhere, with no mental reservations, when we stay
perfectly calm and don't let ourselves be disquieted by the physical evidence
- this kind of praying leads to healing and health. Let me tell you about a
woman - a friend of mine - who was suffering from a distressing growth. The
practitioner asked her how she was praying and she said, "Oh, I
acknowledge that I'm all spiritual because God is all Spirit. I thank God that
I am not made of matter, either sick matter or well matter. I know that I'm the
perfect image of a perfect God." "Then what?" the practitioner
asked. "Well," she said, "the next day I guess I take a look to
see how I'm doing."
He said, "You've been disobeying
a rule in the rule book, Science and Health. It says, 'Observe mind instead of
body, lest aught unfit for development enter thought' " (p. 419). The word
"mind" in this instance is spelled with a small "m," so it
refers to the human mind. The practitioner pointed out that she should observe
her thought, or mind, rather than her body. She should ask herself, Am I more
Christlike today than yesterday? More loving? More grateful? More spiritually
minded? She began to see that she shouldn't struggle to change sick matter into
well matter, but that she should recognize that she was a completely spiritual
idea of God, now, having nothing to do with matter, bad or good.
Divine likeness recognized
She brought her thinking into accord
with the example of Paul. Remember he said, "Immediately I conferred not
with flesh and blood" (Gal.
An important turning point in her
healing came when she put her desire to know more about God ahead of her desire
for physical healing. She found Jesus' words true and practical, "Seek ye
first the
How often we seek the things first
- physical healing, maybe, more business, better relationships at home or at
school, wider opportunities.
Then we ask God to hurry up and
help us straighten these things out. We begin with the problem. We rationalize
incorrectly from what we believe is the problem's reality. Then afterwards we
feel perhaps burdened, frustrated, because of our own falsely drawn
conclusions. Well, thank God, such goings-on don't have to be. We solve our
problems from the standpoint of God, not from the standpoint of the problems.
We read in Science and Health,
"The starting-point of divine Science is that God, Spirit, is All-in-all,
and that there is no other might nor Mind, - that God is Love, and therefore
He is divine Principle" (p. 275). Note this, we start with God and not
with a problem. Do we bring God to a problem? No, never. God or good is there
already, in place of what appears to be a problem, because He's everywhere. And
where God is is His everywhere manifestation. Where God is are all of His
qualities fully and perfectly expressed - qualities like wisdom, loving-kindness,
truthfulness. Our work - and we have to be very friendly to spiritual work - our
work is to see God's "true likeness and reflection everywhere," in
terms of spiritual qualities and attributes of God, and not conditions or
manifestations of matter, so-called.
Mrs. Eddy experienced healing
And Christian Science, or the Science
of good, the Science of the present spiritual perfection of God and man, brings
the light that helps us to see creation spiritually as it really is. Then, as a
result of this true seeing, an increased sense of good comes into our human
experience. That's how Christian Science helps us, why it's so practical.
Over a hundred years ago Mary
Baker Eddy was struggling with the problems of human existence. It's a matter
of public record that the first forty-five years of her life were filled with
ill health, loneliness, a sense of insufficiency, even severe want at times.
But she early developed a growing awareness of God's infinite goodness, of His
nearness and dearness and of His loving care for His creation. For many years
she searched for a deeper understanding of God. You know we all have to make
that search. She had a strong belief in God's ability to heal mankind. This
grew to a solid conviction when she was healed of severe injuries herself - injuries
that threatened her life.
This healing came about, as many of
you know, through her prayerful reading of the account of Jesus' healing of the
man sick of the palsy (Mat 9:2-8). She saw that her life was in and of Spirit,
or God, instead of in and of body, or physicality. She was healed. As she studied the Bible she
began to see that Jesus had a unfailing method of healing - a scientific
method. She saw, as she says in Science and Health, "There is a law of God
applicable to healing, and it is a spiritual law instead of material" (p. 463).
She began to see how Jesus had
healed. She put it this way in Science and Health, "Jesus beheld in
Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears
to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this
correct view of man healed the sick" (p. 476). The correct view heals the
incorrect view. Always. That's all that needs to be healed. There's no
incurable problem because there's no incurable point of view.
We have to see this perfect
spiritual man - the way Jesus did - in place of the material belief about man.
We can't make any compromise. We can't see man as partly spiritual and partly
material. We have to see him - know him - as wholly spiritual. This is the law
of God - the very basis of the Science of good. This understanding is the
Christ, Truth, Jesus taught and practiced.
We have to stick to this understanding.
We have to persist with the truth, or Christly point of view, and not persist
with the material, or problem point of view. As we've seen, we have to
subordinate the evidence of the material senses to the facts of Science - that
there's nothing but God and His wholly good, all-spiritual creation.
We can't accept the material belief
about man - that he's material, the image of matter. Instead, we must see man
through spiritual understanding as he really is - as the image of God, good,
the image of Spirit. When a builder lays the foundation of a house he uses a
level to establish a horizontal line. He doesn't just go by his eye. So, in
establishing our concept of ourselves and others, we have to be guided by
spiritual law - by spiritual understanding - rather than by material belief,
or the matter sense of man.
What are the uses of the Science
of good? What good does it do us to understand that man is spiritual when we
live in a world where most people believe in the reality of matter? The uses of
the Science of good are infinite. By sticking to the understanding that there's
only one God, one creation, one effect, one kind of man, many people are learning
to solve their problems - not to worry about their problems, or file them.
Higher concept of business
One problem that Science can help
us with is getting along with each other. How? By teaching us to think of
ourselves and others in terms of the spiritual qualities or attributes of God,
instead of in terms of physicalities or matter. By giving everyone full credit
for being God's image and likeness - full credit. By seeing the real qualities
of man as loving and lovable. By being Christlike always and destructively
critical never.
The love you and I manifest for
our fellowman indicates the extent of our love for God. We want to be sure that
our Christianity, our practice of Science, always is warm with the sunshine of
Love. That we're not trapped in the deep-freeze of denominational beliefism - religious
belief without practice - and popular materialism.
In business today - and we're all
in the business of living - of reflecting God, there's a tremendous opportunity
for us to apply the spiritual law of good - another use of the Science of good.
Let me tell you how a friend of mine applied this law in his business. He'd
been located for years with a large electrical company, and he'd worked
industriously and faithfully. But he began to feel that this business was his
god. It was pushing him around. He thought of looking for another position. But
changing jobs didn't seem practical. His age, for one thing, and he'd lose his
pension rights.
Now what was his basic need? To
reflect the light of spiritual understanding, not to be pushed around by
material-mindedness and fear. How? By acknowledging that there's only one God,
therefore only one creation. That this creation includes all activity - all
business - as God's expression of Himself. His business, therefore, was
spiritual in nature, abundant, unrestricted. It was the expression of the
spiritual attributes and qualities of God - intelligence, originality,
helpfulness, consideration, integrity.
His primary business, then, wasn't
the buying and selling of matter, nor the making, distributing, or servicing
of it. His primary business was seeing man and all creation correctly - as the
spiritual reflection, or effect,
of infinite good, God. He had to see God’s "true likeness and reflection
everywhere" - even where a matter business - either materially good or
materially bad - seemed to be.
No struggle in reflection
He had to stick to the Science of
good - and not stick to the problems of materiality - tenaciously, joyously.
The Science that reveals there's only infinite God, good, and His infinite
perfect manifestation. This was the truth about everyone, everything, about his
business.
You see, he had to break away from
the matter concept - from a false, limited, material way of looking at himself
and his business. He realized that he couldn't afford to see himself - or
anyone - wrongly as a struggling matter man, in a struggling matter business,
controlled by matter laws and restrictions. He saw that the more he reflected
God, or Spirit, the less he'd have to struggle with matter, which was just a
spiritually uneducated point of view. In other words, in reflection there's no
struggling.
You know, a material business is a
body. It's a corporate body. So it's no more scientific to see one's self in a
material business, a material profession, or some other material activity,
than it is to see one's self in a material body. Man dwells only in God as an
infinite spiritual idea embodying or reflecting God's own infinite goodness.
This is the law of good. When applied, the effect humanly is that business
will be prosperous and the body harmonious. As we serve God, good, business
and body will serve us - instead of the other way around.
As my friend gained a more spiritual
concept of business, he was inspired and encouraged to look for a new
position. He soon relocated in a related field where his opportunities to help
mankind have greatly increased. The joy of the job was his, as well as a
satisfying reward in the form of salary and worldwide travel. His specific use
of spiritual law, or the Science of good, broke down some of the limitations
associated with his business. I stress the use, because, as a student of
Christian Science, he went beyond the reading and studying stage. He used what
he'd learned. He held to the spiritual point of view just as the dog held onto
his bone.
Sticking to the truth healed a man
who was suffering from heart trouble. Healing is another use of the Science of
good. This man had great difficulty in breathing and he'd lost his natural
color. The practitioner kept sticking to the truth of God's allness. He prayed
something like this: "Dear God, I know that You are All. Because You are
All, You are All-presence; so You're everywhere. And where You are is Your
beloved image and likeness. This son of Your creating You're well pleased
with. He's all spiritual because You are all Spirit. He's all Godlike because
You are all good. He's perfect in all respects and particulars because You are
the center and circumference and perfect Life of all manifestation. He's
always harmoniously active because You are his divine Principle eternally. He's
subject only to the law of Love, therefore he's forever complete and whole,
satisfied, abundantly provided for."
Effect of spiritual reasoning
Then the practitioner reasoned
that because God is Mind and Mind is All, there's no mortal mind to be aware of
heart trouble, and no material mentality to fear it. Because God is Soul, and
Soul is All, there's no physicality to experience organic or functional
disease or disorder. Because God is Love, and Love is All, there's no disease,
no fear, no evil, sin, or mortal law of any kind, to have any place as creator
or creation, or any power to interfere. Then he thanked God for being the
infinitely good source and substance of His beloved image and likeness here and
everywhere, now and always.
The man was healed quickly. He
discovered that heart trouble is not tenacious, but that abounding health is
tenacious. Oh, another thing. The man received a bonus! He was healed of the
smoking habit, too.
What a change it can make in our
lives to stop believing blindly in the testimony of the senses. We've seen that
this testimony doesn't make the facts of Science. When we learn this, we'll see
God's "true likeness and reflection everywhere." When we stick to
this truth, courageously, tenaciously, joyously, we'll see man and the universe
as God made them - entirely good because entirely spiritual.
As this great light of truth permeates
and spiritualizes our thinking, we'll find health and healing. We'll see our
real relationship with one another. We'll develop new opportunities for
helpfulness in our business or profession - in life itself. These are the
proofs of the Science of good - the proofs of God's love.
© 1964 Charles M. Carr
All rights reserved
The Christian Science Monitor
Under the headline "Law of Spiritual Healing is
Available to Everyone"