Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-09-11

Cod as understood in Christian
Science. In fact all consideration of
Christian Science must necessarily be
predicated on a correct concept of
Deity. But perhaps at this point some
one may say, But | do not believe in
God. What Christian Science teaches
regarding God does not interest me.
I am an agnostic or an atheist" |
know you will pardon me if | venture
ia suggest that what you no doubt
mean is that you do not believe in
the thousand or more differing be-
liefs and confusing statements re-
garding God in which mankind has
for centuries involved itself. All these
YOU may reasonably question, and in
presenting the concept of God as I'M
derstood in Christian Science, | do so
with the knowledge that you will ac.
cept it only SO far as it accords with
clear and logical reasoning. Christian
Science does not ask you to believe in
God. 1t asks you to know or under
stand Him. Christian Science asks you
to accept nothing on the basis of be-
lief or faith. We only ask that you will
think.
You do not deny that you are con-
scious; that you are conscious that
you exist; that for the present you
exist in this church and that some
thing makes you live and makes you
think You know that you think, that
you have the power to think. Here we
are, great group of living, thinking
moving beings, and as our thought
reaches Gu. We realize tina. outside
this church, in tins city, in this coun-
try, yes, in all parts of the earth
there are billions more like ourselves
all living, thinking, moving, intelligent
entities. What does it proclaim? What
does it indicate? We exist. we are
conscious of existence and conscious
also that some force has brought us
into being. Did we create or evolve
ourselv es? Can any one or all of us
c1airl the distir ction of being rhe orr
gin or creator of all, or even a part
of conscious being? Reason auables
us to recognize that all that we be-
hold even in human way, certainly
an immeasurable effect, can only pro-
coed from self-existent, self-perpe
trating, and Unreasonable cause, and
leads us then logically to admir- con-
scious existence, conscious intelligence
and lie infinitely manifested, and
back of it all one infinite, intelligent
cause which we in Christian Science
reverently call God
In line with such thinking, Mrs.
Eddy states in Science and Health,
on page 267, God is one. The allness
of Deity is His oneness Christian
Science is monotheistic in the very
highest sense 1t declares that God is
not only one but All and all-inclusive,
a conclusion which follows logically
if the one sublime cause is infinite
Christian Science demands correct
and thoughtful appraisal of words in
their proper metaphysical sense We
all realize the possibility of their care
less or shallow use when applied tc
Deity, but Mrs. Eddy CAV them their
full value. When she declared in her
definition of God that He is All, she
meant exactly that. God. The great
AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing; all
acting, all-wise, all loving, and eternal;
Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life;
Truth; Love; all substance; intelli-
gence" Science and Health, p. 5S7).
In the same manner she employs the
word Infinite exactly and entirely
in accord with the best standard die
tioDaries.
Christian Science affirms logically
that there cannot be more than one
ALL one all-inclusive, self-existent
and unreasonable God 1t also follows
that since the cause of all conscious
being is self-existent it must also be
eternal, and wholly good Christian
Science reveals, too, that since God
is the one AM the infinite cause Of
the universe, including man, He is j,
nature not only Father but also
Mother, embodying all the attributes
of love, gentleness, mrcy, and good
ness, 'our Father-Mother Cod"
Science and Health, p. 16).
EVIL UNREAL
Mrs Eddy through spiritual logic
perceived that God was infinite and
wholly good and stuck to it in the
face of everything that the material
senses declare to the contrary. And
now someone is thinking, "But evil,
what do you say about evil? Isn't it
real?" If evil is real, actual, it must
be true; if true, it is a part. of Truth,
God-created and God-ordained If God
creator of evil, where does it lead us?
To the inevitable and unthinkable con-
clusion that the intelligent creator of
the universe is the originator of all
sin. disease, disaster, and accident;
that God deliberately makes men sim
full, criminal and sick, and then