Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-08-10
FAITH REMOVES
ALL OBSTACLES
RECOGNITION OF TRUTH CAN
ACHIEVE MIRACLES
KNOWLEDGE AND IGNORANCE
AFFECT ALL LIVES
Christian Scientist Shows How Fear
and Doubt Delay Blessings and
Hinder Progress-Great
Value of Trust
BY CLARA E. MAC MAHoN

INAITH is a word used primarily 10
express the state of consciousness
essential to religious teaching, and
it is commonly differentiated from the
understanding which is essential to the
acceptance OF scientific teaching or
knowledge of truth. 1t is ordinarily
thought that the understanding OF
physical science is an activity or the
human mind based upon the testimony
of material sense, and that therefore II
is to be relied upon; while falth Is re-
garded as a transcendental mental
state, a spiritual attitude which &C
cents as a guide to eternal life theories
about an unknown and unknoWapie
God, and which bases Its hope OF sal
walton upon belief in the unexplalnaple
miracles attending the life OF Cnrise
Jesus, who through special grit from
God was able to put aside the GUS
to1nary order of divine law for a specl-
fic time and purpose.
In the early centuries of the worlds
history this type of faith was almost
universal, and scientific knowleuge
practically nonresident, but through
the gradual development of thought
exact knowledge of material facts ana
nhenonena has become more general
and faieh in the mysterious UNKNOWN
has gradually diminished. The olscoV-
ery of the relation of the planets TO the
sun transformed the thought OF man
hind about astronomy and brought to
our knowledge the existence of nXeo
laws governing our solar system. me
discovery of the laws of graVltatloll'
of radiation, of attraction, etc.' mas ue,
stroyed much superstition, much pllnu
faith. much mystery, and has broughI
~ mankind an everincreasing sense or
security and confidence in dennlte'
controlling mower or Principle, unuer-
lying and supporting the universe; anu
as scientific knowledge of the universe
increases, 1t is being apprenendeu tndt
This underlying, controlling Prlhclple
narvades the rninutia of affairs and
through unvarying law governs every
detail of being.
Of late wears. as men have pondered
over this problem of the government
of the universe 1t has become MANIFEST
that this governing Principle Is IN
finite. all-pervading, ever-presen9 eVet.
active. intelligent and unvarylng IN
nerfection; and in Christian Science 1t
is recognized as divine Mind and ac-
LnowIedeed to be the one creative
Principle the only creator, and IN SO
far as this divine Principle is appre-
hended through its manifestations OF
activities, there is always commences,
or faith. in it's unvarying support and
protection.
ImmutabIe Law Discerned
Does any one ever stop to worry lest
the law Oh REdNlldIlOll llAchJ nv
properly tomorrow, or whether some
circumstances may arise to prevent It's
perfect action? Why not? 1t IS pc
cause we have faith in it's unvarylng
rule. When night comes on there Is
no frenzy of fear lest the light may
not come again; nevertheless, II we
trust the evidence of the material
senses. how can we know that day VIII
return? Our confidence is not because
of what we can see, hear, feel, taste or
smell of coming daylight, but because
of our knowledge of and faith in the
immutable activity of law. the law by
which the earth is turned upon It's
axis so that in due time we shall be
brought again into the suns light.
Again, when we go to the railroad
station prepared to make journey,
our first impulse is to look up the
track and see if the train is coming
and in so doing we may observe that
the track rails seem to converge to a
point on the horizon; and yet when
the train comes in we go aboard with
out fear or hesitation, because we are
not trusting the evidence of sight and
because we have faith in parallel lines
faith in the law which declares that,
no matter what the seeming be, IL laid
parallel the rails are the same dis
lance apart throughout their entire
length. These simple illustrations
might be multiplied, but enough has
been said to emphasize the fact that
wherever men have discovered in the
universe a manifestation of unVary1ng
law they instinctively have faith in
it; they trust it, and find that In their
affairs 1t works to produce and main
tain harmony.
Just here a query naturally arises, to
wit, if divine Principle, the infinite in
felligence, creates and governs the uni
in, Tarforf hqrn1OnV- how shall
we explain the discord of which we
have too common and intimate an ex-
perience? 1t cannot be cue to divine
absence, nor to the mutability Of di-
vine law, but rather to lack of under
standing, to wrong teaching with re-
spect to the nature of being and of the
divine manifestation. In the realm of
mathematics the action of eternal and
imnutable law has long since been dis
cerned and has been correctly taught,
and as a result we witness the worlds
faith in mathematics ano the ensuing
unanimity and peace so far as this sci
ence has to do with human conditions.
All by knowledge of Truth
Suppose an estate is t. be settled.
and on examination into its affairs
the accounts are found to be in dis
order; this does not excite fear or de-
spair in the minds of the people con-
cerned. Even though they may not
themselves understand the science of
bookkeeping they acknowledge that
there is a science, or knowledge Of
the law of numbers, and they employ
an accountant who will use what he
knows of this science to straighten out
the affairs Of the estate. During the
process the heirs are not troubled with
doubts and fears lest perchance this
science may not work, the neighbors
do not gather to shake their heads and
utter dismal prophecies in view of the
fact that their friends are trusting to
a mans right thinking to destroy dis
cord; not at all. Every one concerned,
whether he understands bookkeeping
or not, has faith in mathematics, is at
peace with It, and so allows the work
to go on undisturbed.
In the realm of physics also the
recognition of order is being rapidly
established, and the achievements of
mans dominion In the physical world
have ceased to be wonders simply be-
cause of the appearing of correct
knowledge of the facts and the laws
pertaining to them. Turning to an
other field of thought, it may be said
that no one statement of Jesus has
been considered more impracticable.
more impossible of literal acceptance
than this-"For verify / say unto you,
That whatsoever shall say unto this
mountain, Be thou removed, and be
thou cast into the sea; and shall not
doubt in his heart. but shall believe
that those things which he saith shall
come to pass; he shall have what
soever he saith" In another place
Jesus is quoted as saying, IF We have
faith as a grain of mustard seed, We