Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-02-27

from one moment to the next.
If man were hungry and food which
was placed before him had Something
about it that was exceedingly unap,
petizing, it would apparently be hi,
stomach which protested, because the
thought which he entertained about the
food would be made manifest on his
body; but what would his stomach
know about the food? Absolutely moth
ing If he believed that the food was
ali right, this thought would be made
manifest in proper activity of the stom-
ach; and if he had eaten food believing
It to be all right and had then discov-
cred that it was all wrong, his changed
thought would be made manifest in
changed function = in nausea, indiges-
ton, and so forth.
In like manner, to believe that cold OF
wet could harm us would be just as dis
astrous to the lungs or the throat as to
believe that unappetizing food could
make the stomach sick.
1t is not necessary to know each par
ticular mortal belief, or so-caled law
in order that we may appropriate the
sicknesses and troubles they stand for
because we have accepted the false be-
lief that man is subject to all manner OF
diseases, the nature of which he is I'M
aware. and this belief insists that we
may have any sort of trouble to which
flesh has claimed to be heir.
RIGHT THoUGHT BRINGS Health.
As we see that both sin and sickness
are simply manifestations of mortal
thought, thoughts of imperfection, we
also see that by putting the thought OF
the perfection of God and all that God
has made in place of this wrong thought
we shall rule out the wrong thought
and with no wrong thought there can
be no wrong manifestation. The Bible
makes this identical statement when il
says, Put off concerning tho former
conversation the old man. which is cor
rupt according to the deceitful lusts
ard be renewed in the spirit of your
mind; and =. put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteous
ness and true holiness"
To those who are just beginning the
study of Christian Science the nothing
ness of the material man is the most
difficult proposition TO accept. The logic
OF the argument of the infinite perfec-
tion,of Mind, God, and the spiritual Gre
alton, seems clear to most OF us. but the
equally logical and correlated argument
of the nothingness and unreality OF ma
tcrial creation causes us more trouble
This point will become clearer as our
spiritual perception enlarges, for in the
proportion that the spiritual creation be-
comes real to us, the material loses its
reality.
| have often been asked the question
If this mortal, material body is not OF
God - if it isn't so ~ what am | gong
to do about it? what am | going to
think about it?
Well don't try TO get rid of it all al
once. Be content for to-day to get rid
OF the very worst things you know
about it, - those things that are so OBJ
v:ously unlike God, so contrary TO the
thought of His perfection, that you can
detect, no matter how small your under
standing, that they are not His making
and hence have never been made. As
YOU deny their reality and assert what
you know to be Gods perfection, these
conditions will disappear; and though
you will still have a material body 70
zeal with. il will be better body, made
letter and stronger through the appllca-
ton of Gods law of health.
1t is the putting off of the old ma,
end the putting on of the new, through
the application of the teachings OF Chris
tian Science, that constitutes the heal
ing. The thoughts of sickness and sin
are ruled out of human consciousness
by the understanding and declaration OF
the perfection of that which God has
made.
DECEPTION OF COUNTERFEIT.
There are those who feel that it is
almost a sacrilege to dispose of material
ran as Just the counterfeit of the splr-
i,ual, perfect man. This material man
is so wonderfully made, they say, how
can it be possible that God did not make
him? They feel that It is dishonoring
God to disown the material man as HIS
product.
Material man does seem to be won
derfully made, but you will remember
that in the many better baby" shows
that have been prevalent about the coun-
try, though the best and most pertec'
babies are entered, it is sometimes I'M
possible to find one that is one hundred
per cent perfect. If material man Is the
creation Of God, it is not honoring God
very much to have to admit that more
than ninety five per cent of His creation
could be vastly improved upon IN the
very beginning.
Others maintain that God made man
perfect, and gave him his own free vii
to do good or evil, but man chose to
do evil and the evil brought sickness
and other troubles upon him; or that
man unknowingly transgressed God
laws, but that God is in no way re-
sponsible, because had man chosen to
do right all would have been we'll
Suppose an architect put up a build
ing and it fell down; would that be the
fault of the building? Would you blame
the building? 1t would only fall be,
cause it was so constructed that 1t could
fall. Obviously, if God made man sc
ne could fall, and he fell, it would be
Gods fault, not mans.
RIGHTEOUSNESS Is LIBERTY.
1t should be stated also, that those
" no hold to the belief that God made
man free to do either good or evil are
holding a belief that is directly con,
trary to Jesus teaching. He said; !
came down from heaven, not to do mine
own will, but the will of him that sent
me-" Il can of my own self do moth,
ing" whatsoever shall do the VIII OF
Cod the same is my brother, and my