Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-02-10

LlL-lN atAG Aot II LIE OO0y many nave
doubtless had the experience of dream
ing that they were in pain when the
body was in what is regarded as
normal state. Christian Science shows
that all suffering and disease is
dream from which the dreamer needs
to be awakened. The first step in the
direction of freedom from this evil
dream of disease and mortality is to
know that these evils are not of God.
God never made anything that is not
good. Furthermore, God, being al
ways good, cannot make use of evil
for any purpose or tolerate its exis-
tence in any form.
The Christian Scientist is willing to
admit that suffering and disease seem
to exist and that matter often seems
quite real and very painful. He does
not deny that TO human sense this is
so, but seeks to correct this false
sense of things with the truth of be-
ing. He finds that by letting that Mind
be in him that was also in Christ Je-
sus," thereby substituting as consci-
BUSINESS ideas that are good for beliefs
that are evil, he can free himself from
the sense of pain and suffering, which
is called sickness, as surely as he can,
by similar mental process, resist and
overcome the temptation to sin. Evil,
pain and disease are without divine
authority or actual existence and can
not even seem to exist to one who is
fully conscious of the allness and ever
presence of good.
DISEASE HAS A MENTAL CAUSE
What of the experience called sick
ness, or disease? Practically all are
familiar with the fact recognized and
admitted by physicians, that certain
kinds of disease have a mental cause
| Christian Science declares that all dis
ease has a mental cause.
Human emotions, such as fear, an
ger, worry, hatred, etc, are now said
| TO produce poisonous conditions on or
in the physical body. If this is so may
not many cases of chronic poisoning
in the human system be traceable to a
chronic disposition to give way to the
emotions? Is it not as reasonable to
admit this as to recognize the fact
that acute fear Immediately manifests
itself in a blanched face? If one is
obliged to admit the mental cause of
some kinds of physical disease, why
not agree with Christian Science that,
primarily, all disease is due to a men
tai cause? This does not mean that all
disease is the result Of conscious fear
or of willful sin. Many types of dis
ease are effects of latent fear, heredi-
tary temperament, superstition, ig-
nOrance, or some of the generally &C
cepted beliefs of the human mind
! which seem to operate as law. Sup
pose a man to be sick from one or
more of these mental causes. viii
drugs cure him? Is there any anti
toxin that will destroy hatred, or any
serum that will prevent fear. Moth
| ing but the knowledge that God is
| Love and that man as the image Of
God is in reality nothing less than the
expression of Love, and therefore can
not and does not fear or hate, will eff
feet a permanent cure in such case.
All that is real exists as the effect Of
an intelligent cause, divine Mind. One
has only to look at badly frightened
person to see that he manifests little
or no intelligence while under the
sway of fear. Therefore, we may con-
clude that fear is not the manifesto
ton of an intelligent cause 1t is plain
that if one could be free from fear it
would be greatly to his advantage.
Many are ready to point out the evil
effects of fear. They are even quite
ready to urge their friends not to be
afraid, but they are not always able
20 tell them why they have no need to
fear.
Christian Scientists having discern
ed the fact that fear is not an attri-
butte of God, are beginning to under
! stand why it is no part of man, who is
n the ikness of God. They reason
that God is the only cause and is good.
Fear is not good Therefore, it is not
the effect of the one only cause and
consequently is without actual exis-
tence. There is no fear in the uni
verse of God and nothing in that uni
verse of which man could be afraid
There is no good in fear, for 'fear
hath torment" hence there is no God
in it, and no truth in it. Christian
Scientists do not, however, claim to
have demonstrated as yet that they
are entirely immune from fear; but
they are much less fearful than for
merly, and consequently, much less
subject to disease and disaster.
MIND ALONE HEALS
The prayer or treatment of the
Christian Scientist is based upon his
spiritual discernment of the fact that
there is but one Mind. The mesmer-
lists endeavors are based upon the be-
lief that there are minds many and