The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-05-17


Junior high school auditorium Mon
dav evening. The lecturer was
William Wallace Porter. c. S. b,
Of New York City. member Of
the Board Of Lectureship Of The
Mother Church. The First Church
of Christ. Scientist, in Boston.
Mass. His topic was Christian
Science: Its Inexhaustible Com
pensstion." He spoke substan-
TALLY as follows:
PREMISES
When considering the subject of
Christian Science. l have always
liked to think of this Science as
sanctuary. or place of safety. In
decd. whenever Christian Science
Society is organized, wherever
Christian Science church is built.
there is thrown open a sanctuary
OF safety, where men, women. and
children may come and find
refuge from the destructive sug-
gestions of mortal mind. ana
here they may lose their fear
OF evil habits, of false sppetites'
habits of sickness, of pain, and OF
failure-and where their natures
ave transformed in an atmosphere
of friendliness and love. This is
as it should be. because In order
that Christian Science may be of
vaiue to humanity it is necessary
that this Science shall do some
thing or bring something to hu-
mainly in a compromising and APP
probable way. Christian Science
demonstrates the proposition that
health, peace, harmony. and pros
perity exist as the unlabored man.
ifestations of Life. Mind, or God,
which belong to all alike. These
desirable and welcome states are
not the result of chance or of
supernatural impulsion. On the
contrary, they are the natural
fruitage, embodiment. or scientific
translation of the divine Mind. or
God, to the human understanding.
For a long time human thought
has been drifting about under the
erroneous assumption that ex-
istence is controlled by cireum-
stance and chance; and that the
only escape from all this must be
found through the hypnotic chan
nels of matter medicine or through
supernatural religion.
Human thought seems to have
lost sight of the essential fact that
creation or existence implies har-
monv and order; and it has ac-
copied instead the theory of dis
cord and chance. This comes from
trying to carry destructive sense
of evil. sickness, and dissolution
into the realm of the creative
Mind, or God, and then assuming
that this creative Mind, or God, is
the cause Of these discordant
material conditions; which is as
reasonable as to try to make the
fundamental law of numbers the
author of all mathematical errors.
This procedure builds up false
sense of the creative Mind, or God.
which involves imperfection, limi-
tstlon. and uncertainty in Deity.
Following this imperfect, false
sense of deity. it is impossible to
see man, the image and likeness Of
this imperfect deity. otherwise
than as imperfect. and thus SUBJ
Ject to the expectancy Of evil and
to the caprice of chance.
Here is encountered wide gulf
before which humanity has paused.
Some religionists have tried to
bridge with dogmatic beliefs this
chasm between an infinitely perfect
God and an imperfect man. Other
travellers, unwilling or unable to
trust such beliefs, have become
discouraged, and assumed the stu
pid makeshifts of atheism.
A woman. Mary Baker Eddy,
the Discoverer and Founder of
Christian Science, and the author
of its textbook, Science and
Health with Key to the Scrip
lures" declined to follow either
the way of supernatural theology,
or that Of destructive godlessness.
Christian Science shows that the
creative Mind. or God, cannot be
known through any concept hay-
ing the bias OF materially, but
only through the spiritual or true
idea which interprets Alright the
nature and character of God to
the understanding. To consider
God in any other manner than as
thus made known 10 the under
standing involves false sense Of
deity. and OF man created IN the
likeness Of this imperfect deity.
As shown by Mrs. Eddy, Christian
Science accepts the seriptural
premise Of creation set forth IN
the first chapter of the book Of
Genesis and the early verses Of the
second chapter. as presenting
mature in man which alone salts
.nes the longing and eager out
reach OF human desire The eraY-
.ing and desire TO gain an adequate
iucw OF man is compensated and
satisfied only as man is seen TO be
identical with the spiritual Or true
idea the image and hkenes-of
God.
TRUE IDENTITY AND
INDIVIDUALITY
The question arises: What is and