The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-11-17

prompted Nicodemus to come to him seeking explanation and enlighten- ment, was a false concept of God, man, and the universe. From his puzzled inquiry, How can these things be?" Jesus perceived that Nicodemus could not understand his teachings from material stand. point and that he must exchange his false concept for the right one, and he answered simply, "Ye must be born again"
 We can well imagine the even greater consternation which followed this pronouncement. Tn one brief moment Nicodemus probably re- viewed the history of his human birth, growth, development, and ma- turity, and 1t, no doubt, seemed to him a most preposterous thing that this should be done all over again. But Jesus was not speaking of his human origin and birth. He knew that the only true growth and lasts ing development Is the unfoldment of spiritual Ideas. He spoke of the renewing of the mind, a change in the basis of thinking, which was difficult for Nicodemus to compre- bend. Jesus saw and recognized but one God, and one man, the man of Gods creating, not struggling and working out of materiality, harassed and disturbed by Its problems, but existing at the standpoint of whole ness and completeness. It was this true view of man as the son of God that enabled him to heal the sick, cast out devils, and raise the dead
 It was to God that Jesus always turned for wisdom and strength, for 1t was his nilsson to prove Gods all- ness and mans oneness with Him. Christian Science teaches this same God. Tn giving the platform upon which the teaching of Christian Science stands, Mrs. Eddy writes on page 330 of the textbook: God is what the Scriptures declare Him to be,--Life, Truth, Love-" It Is the spiritual import of the Scriptures, and practical application to daily life that Christian Science is teach ing i,s--how to make these truths live and move in us.
 Creation
 There are two divergent accounts of creation in the Bible. There Is a record of both a spiritual and a material birth of man, with two different creators. We cannot con- sistently believe or accept both of them, for each denies the validity of the other, and both. therefore, can- not be real and true. The account of creation in the first chapter of Genesis is the one which Christian Science reveals to be the true record.
 Following the record of the spirit. ual creation, in which God pro. nounces everything He has made to be perfect and intact, and very good, in second record beginning with the statement, But there went up a mist from the earth" after which ap- peared material sense of creation, with the Lord God as the creator of 1t. Through this suppositional mist one is led to believe there arises a counterfeit creation, a counterfeit man and universe, and in 1t he secs sin, sickness, and death. Not one Of these conditions is any more real than the mist itself. They are not included in Gods creation, and He made everything that was made. In Gods perfect universe there is light, and there was no mention of the possibility of a mist that might arise and obscure or dim that light. But so long as mortals believe in the mist of materiality, which ob- scureS the true creation, they will argue and suffer accordingly.
 Christian Science assures us that we have the power to refuse to acc cept this counterfeit creation. It supplies us with the spiritual en- lightenment which dispels the mist Of materiality and reveals Gods uni- verse and man as perfect as they were created. It answers the ques- ton, What am I to God? as well as, What is God to me? In other words, What is mans relationship to God? It reminds Us. as Jesus did Nicodemus, that fin order to gain this enlghtment we must be born again, and further teaches us how this can be done. Nicodemlis, no doubt, knew these two records the same as Jesus did, but we find Jesus serene, confident. undiSturbed in the strength of spiritual understanding We find Nicodemus doubtful, limited, and uncertain.
 Finding God
 It is safe to say that practically everyone believes in a supreme be- ing, a power greater than himself, Because the individual concepts of the creator may differ, some may say. There Is no God, but by this they generally mean that they do not be- lieve the concept of God which has been presented to them, or which they have formed in their own can- sciousness. Of course. the widely di- verging theories concerning God could not change His nature or be- ing, nor would 1t be possible for Him to coincide with all the differing con. cepts. Then we must rightfully con- clude that only one concept can be true, and 1t is necessary for us to find out which one is true and con- form our lives in accordance with it.
 When you ask the question, How can l find God from where I am? the question follows, Where are you? Simply and directly answered, you are just where and what you are thinking about God. One of the first and most important things to under stand about God. is that He made everything. but He did not make part oI His creation good and part evil. Then the puzzled inquirier may ask, Well, if this is true, how do you ac- count for evil, and how does man find himself in this material uni- verse; A cOmplekA answer k0 theea