The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-10-04
FEAR MANKIND s
WORST FOE, SAYS
GEO. SHAW COOK
Lecture on Christian Science at
High School Hall
APPRECIATIvE AUDIENCE
One Basis for Christian Unity is
TO Understand that God Is
Truth, Says Speaker


Mother Church. the first Church Of
Christ, Scientist. in Boston, gave
lecture entitled Christian Science;
the Science of BE ng" at high school
hall last evening to an appreciativc
audience. Mr.. Cook who was intro.
duced by Miss Evelyn Payne of North
Bennington spoke as follows:
Much Is sa d and written about a
proposed union or reunion OF the
churches. In several recent denomi.
national conventions considerable
time was devoted to discussion OF a
possible basis for church unity. To
one who wi give this question suffi-
cent thought, 1t will become appar-
Ont that there is but one basis for
real Christian unity, that basis being
a common, demonstrable understand
ing that God is Truth, or Principle.
This is the base upon which Jesus
built his church and "other founda-
tion can no man lay than that Is
lad"
Christian Science has come to re.
veal chat God Is divine Principle,
Love, and to show mankind that
knowledge of God Is demonstrable.
Thus Christian Science Is reinstating
primitive Christianity, and re-estab-
fishing the teachings of the Master.
Christian as demonstrated by him and
by his early followers in the healing
Of sickness and sin.
In an audience Of this kind there
are, without doubt, those who enter
tain widely divergent views on the
subjects of religion, OF philosophy, of
medicine. Some Of those opinions are
doubtless opposed to the teachings
Of Christian Science. trust, however,
that as this lecture proceeds we shall
find that there are many points ON
which we can agree. and some points,
at least. on which we are already in
agreement For example, we are all
agreed that we exist. Everyone pres
ent admits, without argument, the
| fact of his conscious existence.
Since we are agreed that we exist
we can ca lily proceed to the next
point Of agreement viz: mat there
must be cause for our existence. The
prem Sc of existence leads unavoidably
to the conclusion that there Is cause
for existence. We may, however, diff
| fer as to the nature of that cause.
Writing on the subject of causatior
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer ol
Christian Science, says on page 544 o
| the Christian Science textbook, sci
ence and Health with Key to the
Scriptures" man exists because Goo
exists And Jesus said, Call no mar
your father upon the earth, for ont
is your father. which Is in heaven.
The Lords Prayer is addressed t
our Father which art in heaven ant
at one time Jesus said, 81 ascend untt
my Father and your Father and t
my God and your God"
Causation, as understood by Jesus
and as taught by Christian Science
is spiritual. This spiritual cause Il
the one infinite, heavenly Father whom
men call God. The scriptures not onl.
declare God to be Father, but to b.
the Almighty, the Everlasting, | AM
Spirit. Life, Truth, Love. Christian
Scientists accept these scriptural def
nltions OF God without reservation, bu
they also think of God as being infinit
good. as supreme intelligence, or Mind
the one self-existent and eternal Life
as the only source, origin, cause, o
or Consciousness. God Is thus see
creative Principle.
These scriptural ,and Chr,stianl
scientific synonyms for Diety give us
better understanding Of the omnipt
terce, omn.science, and omnipresenc
of Cod
From the standpoint of spirtua
causation, it is readily seen that crei
tion must be spiritual since effet
must always be like cause. If Go
) the only creator is Mind, or Spiri
y then His creation must be menta
2 or spiritual. Since God is inilnii
! Consciousness or divine Mind his un
verse must be a conscious univers
The Office of mind is to think, an
the effect of thinking is thought
hence the universe OF mind is a un
= verse of thought consisting of idei
t, which perfectly express their divir
! origin. The only real and endurir
:. universe, then, existing in Mind, pa
: takes Of the exact nature OF its Pri
9 clple. or Creator. 1t, therefore, rehec
. all the divine attributes, including pc
n manonce, Immortality beauty, ord
l. harmony, health, joy, peace, purit
d perfection. The universe of Spirit
st governed by absolute law, and is he
: forever in safety and security by &
/. power that created 1t. This univer
= being infinite and allnclusive, lac
- nothing--it is complete. All things
n. this universe are the expression
y perfect Mind, or God, and for +
N pleasure they are and were created
i'd The Scriptures tell us in the fiji
4. chapter of Genesis that man was G.
i. ated in the image and after the Ill
re ness Of God. A true likeness is th
to which perfectly expresses It's origin
y If, therefore. man Is created in I