Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-03-27

liar Win the law OF MlnQ, the law
OF Spirit, and learn its operation We
have all of US known a good deal a
bout the so-called laws of matter,
but we have the Bible statement that
the law of Spirit shall overcome the
law of sin and DEATH Christian Sci
ence is the only thigh know of that
defines the law of Spirit, and explains
its processes and its operation, so
that people everywhere may under
stand it, and apply it. and prove it
for themselves.
WHAT is CHRISTIAN SCIENCE?
Christian Science is a religion.
It is the Science of Christianity-the
science Of God and man. 1t reveals
spiritual law, and explains the oper-
alton Of that law in it's relation to
man and tn euniverse. 1t defines NOR
tai mind and Immortal Mind, and SO
makes plain the difference between
mortal men and man made by God
in His image and likeness.
Christian Science pleads for ra-
tional understanding of God in place
OF mere belief about Him, and it is
urging mankind to look for the real
causation in Mind and not in mat
ter 1t declares that God is not the
author Of sin, sickness, or death,
hence these conditions are illegiti
mate and can be destroyed by know
ledge of the truth. 1t denies that
there is any divine authority for man
to sin, suffer, car die, and recalls the
| solemn declaration of the Scripture
| that God gave man as his birthright
dominion over all the earth and over
| all that it contained. Jesus said, Eye
shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free Christian Sci
ence says to the tired and suffering
man who is wandering about without
any dominion at all, that the know
| ledge of the truth Will set him free
| from his bondage to sin, suffering
sorrow, and failure, and will give tc
him that dominion which God said in
the beginning belonged to man.
A correct understanding of God
| therefore, is necessary as the foun
dation of religion. Any system Of
religious teaching that Is founded
upon an imperfect or an erroneous
conception of God must necessarily
fail to bring to the believer the com
fort and help that he seeks. WheI
we look around and see the devotion
and fidelity of people to their rehgi
Gus beliefs, and then see how Otter
they fail to realize the benefits fol
which they seek, it is a fair deduc
ton that there is something wronE
about their understanding of God
GENERAL CONCEPT OF GOD.
/ shall give no offense when / say
that the average person has a very
uncertain and indefinite conception
of God. Ii you We're to ask ten PEG
pie to tell you who and what Gods
Some think that God is a person. Flo
instance, in his great painting, cali
ed THE Flight of the Holy Family
which hangs in the Metropolitan Ar
Gallery in New York City, Rubent
painted what he conceived to be {
good portrait of God. He depicted
Him as man with long beard, an
patriarchal expression. In fact, Their
are two or three portraits of God II
/ the Metropolitan Art Gallery. The,
/ were painted by artists who express
ed their concept of Him as a mai
| with a finite form
How many people there are who
when they kneel down and with clos
ed eyes reyerently pray TO God, have
in mind person, or form, or image
to which they pray. How many 9th
ers there are who think of God as {
being of anger and wrath, who sends
disease and disaster to those wht
displease Him. And are there mo-
some who believe that God lives IL
a far-away country called HEAVIER
| where He maintains a court aftel
oriental fashion, and that it is ne
cessary for people to die and go there
in order to see Him; and still others
| whose beliefs about God are so ut
! terly nebulous and indefinite thai
| they would be entirely unable OF maxi
any statement about Him that would
be satisfactory even to themselves
| In view of all this confusion of be
lief about God is it strange that
humanity is sick and descendant!
| Is it strange that there are so many
different forms of religion, each point
ing a different way to God?
ooD AS DEFINED BY CHRISTIAN
SCIENCE
Christian Science teaches that God
| is Principle, and not person The Bi
| BILE reveals that God is infinite, and
that He is omnipotent, omniscient and
| omnipresent, and that He created the
ll1N VERSE dUu oFGTyu II COuCdIdlS.
Christian Science, therefore, explains
that God is Mind, that He is the
only source and origin, the creative,
governing Principle of the uni verse.
Christian Science also teaches that
God is good and that He is Love, as
the Bible declares Him to be, and
since He is infinite, He is infinite
good and infinite love. Can We grasI
the meaning of the word infinite Ell
Their as it relates to time or to space
or to qualities? Infinite means with
out beginning or end. It means un-
limited. We think that we gain some
idea of infinity when We contemplate
the solar system. The farthest plan
ct is so far away that it takes one
hundred and sixty+six years for it
to make a single revolution around
the sun. Halley's comet, travelling
at the rate of forty miles per second