Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1914-09-24
Christian SC.LECTURE
From page one

Jesus has declared that it will come,
when the knowledge of the truth shall
emancipate humanity from its bond
age to sickness, sin, unhappiness, pow
erty, old age and death, such results
can only be brought about when the
knowledge of the truth shall have dis
placed and destroyed tout of human
consci, ousness), the belief of that
which is not true. There is no escape
from this conclusion.
Christian Science shows that it is
the effect produced by Truth operat-
ing in the human mentality, destroying
superstition, false and vicious beliefs
that must and will some day emanci-
pate mankind from bondage to sin,
disease and death.
There must be ultimate truth some
where, and when it is apprehended by
the human mind it will emancipate
those who apprehend it from bondage
to evil. Christian Science asserts
that ultimate truth concerning God
and man and their relationship is re-
vealed by the Scriptures, and may be
gained by every person when the
Scriptures are rightly interpreted.
Difference Between Belief and Under
1t is sometimes difficult for people
to understand how religion can heal
sickness and destroy sin, but the
words of Jesus make it plain. Since
it is through a knowledge of the
truth that these results are accom-
plished the important thing for each
one is to gain an understanding of
truth instead of being satisfied with
mere belief about it. In other words,
in order to find out how religion can
destroy sin, sickness and all sorts of
evil condition, it is first necessary to
gain an understanding as to what is
religion. To gain the benefits prom
ised in the Bible to true believers it is
necessary to get rid Of that which is
erroneous in religious belief and
practice, and to ascertain what con-
stitutes true religion.
There are many who honestly think
that it makes no difference what re-
ligious beliefs they entertain, so long
as they are sincere in them. A mo-
ment's reflection, however, will show
that such a theory is pernicious and
destructive, for it is perfectly plain
that if a thing is not, in fact, true, no
amount of sincerity on the part of the
believer can ever make it true. No
axro,. a,.txroI or n oorrapf 70
suit, no matter how sincerely he may
have believed that his processes were
correct, if they were not so in fact.
With respect to many things it may
be unimportant whether the thing be-
lieved is true or not, but with respect
to the things that people believe about
God, and about themselves, and about
their relationship to God, they are
vital, because it will be shown that
the things believed with respect to
these matters, become laws that are
binding upon the believer.
In trying to ascertain what consti-
tutes religion the very first subject
to be considered is that which relates
to God. Every one must agree that a
correct understanding of God is essen
tial as the foundation of religion.
Any system of religious teaching that
is founded upon an imperfect or
erroneous conception of God must
necessarily fail to bring to its adher-
ents the help and comfort for which
they seek When we look about us
and see the splendid fidelity of men
and women to their religious beliefs,
and then see how much suffering and
failure they experience, and how far
short they come of attaining the
good which they so honestly seek, it is
fair deduction that there is some
thing wrong about their understand
ing of God
No offense will be given, therefore
by the statement that the average
person has a very indefinite and
nebulous conception Of God. If you
were to ask dozen people to tell you
who and what God is, you would get
dozen different answers. There are
some who think God is a person. How
many people there are who, when they
kneel down and close their eyes, and
reverently pray to God, have in mind
a person, or a form, or an image, ia
which they pray! And how many
others there are who think of God as
being of anger and resentment, who
sends failure and suffering to those
who displease him. And are there not
great many others who think of God
as a being who lives in a far-off
country called Heaven, and that it
is necessary for people to die, and &c
there, in order OF see Him?
These are only few Of the incor-
rect beliefs which people entertain
about God.
Yet, all the while that people have
gone on believing these erroneous
things about God, the Bible state
ments concerning Him have ben per-
fectly plain. The Bible says, for in
stance, that God is Love, and, since