DEFENDING THE PURITY OF CHURCH

ST. PAUL deeply loved the churches he established. He wrote tender words of encouragement to the early Christians and strong admonitions to them to desist from practices which would undermine their purity and harm the church. To the Ephesians he said, "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." 1

The primary purpose of the Church of Christ, Scientist, is to teach and demonstrate the Christ-healing of Jesus. Healing is a need of all ages and peoples, and the Christ-healing is possible to all who purify human thinking through the spiritual understanding of God. Many consecrated Christian Scientists throughout the world understand and demonstrate the

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spiritual teachings of the Master and enjoy the fruits of their obedience. Yet there are 'some who become advocates of Science for a season and then leave it. Others dabble with its teachings but never fully grasp them.

Why is this? Why do some profess a love of Truth but do not live it? Is it not because the allurements of the world seem more attractive or impressive? Such unresisted material-mindedness is animal magnetism, which reverses one's better intentions and holier aims and hinders spiritual understanding and healing.

Some students are not aware of the extent t? which they are influenced by animal magnetism, Mrs. Eddy writes: "People may listen complacently to the suggestion of the inaudible falsehood, not knowing what is hurting them or that they are hurt. This mental bane could not bewilder, darken, or misguide conscious?es~, .physically, morally, or spiritually, if the individual knew what was at work and his power over it." 2 All error is not on the surface to be seen, heard, or felt. "The inaudible falsehood" is too often mistaken for one's own thought instead of the workings of animal magnetism. This imposed thought process is

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DEFENDING THE PURITY OF CHURCH

dethroned by divine Mind through the universal power of good, which one demonstrates in Science.

To master the elements of discord, the Christian Scientist must start with himself before church problems can properly be solved. "For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?" 3 wrote Paul to Timothy. Watching the trend of one's thought and eliminating error before it is externalized are basic to spiritual progress. Animal magnetism engenders retrogression in subtle ways: through ease in matter, through evasion of responsibility, and

- through one's drifting with the currents of social materialism. These dulling mental conditions lead to apathy and spiritual ineptitude. They stultify one's spiritual growth, the fulfillment of class - instruction, and the enjoyments of rewarding church activities.

One who is alert to the claims of animal magnetism is on the front lines defeating the enemy. 'Vhen this perverting influence presented itself to the thought of Jesus at Gethsemane, he prayed; when it touched the thought of his disciples, they slept, and they failed the

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DEFENDING THE PURITY OF CHURCH

Master when he needed their help. Indifference to church problems never solves them. Leaving their solution to practitioners or to board members is evading one's responsibility of church membership. One does not interfere with constituted authority, but the wise church member will not desert his post of spiritual watchfulness and prayer, knowing that God is supreme and that His law governs the church and each one in it.

If a mistake is made in church affairs, the spiritually-minded member does not rise up in rebellion but quietly turns to God for peace and guidance. He maintains that Mind alone is on the field, communicating law, order, harmony to His manifestation, man; that man, reflecting the very nature of God, hears the voice of Truth and is obedient to it. Man responds to the one Mind, not to minds many. The healing dynamics of Love, law, intelligence, reality, when demonstrated, melt away wily manipulation, flagrant human will, selfimportance, personal domination.

Domination is not overcome by retaliatory domination. Every human error is~ the opposite of a spiritual verity: the specific error must be negated and the spiritual fact affirmed. No

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mortal error is power; power is Truth, and this fact demonstrated exterminates error. The divine will is the antidote to human will. The will of Principle is the basis of all true government.

Animal magnetism operating through dis-. couragement over church problems may lead some to withhold their support, but there is more opportunity to strengthen and advance our movement from within the church than from without. We must not be deceived by the whisperings of anti-Christ, antichurch arguments which would divest our Leader's revelation of its purpose, place, and true destiny. Hypnotic suggestions that would defraud one of his support of the spiritual idea of Church are overcome by loyal obedience to Principle, or Love.

The Bible reveals many instances of the defeat of evil and the establishment of God's government by one's being faithful to Principle. Today spiritual obedience blesses each earnest student who, following his Leader, defeats the adversary with the sword of Spirit.

Truth is forever triumphant, but it is the proclivity of error to resist its destroyer. Christ J esus mastered mortal mind's resistance to his spiritual mission. Our Leader also encountered

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DEFENDING THE PURITY OF CHURCH

the world's resistance in establishing the final revelation of Truth to this age, as prophesied in the Bible. But no thrust of malicious malpractice overthrew the God-ordained mission of these messengers. Included in the answer to the question, "Has Mrs. Eddy lost her power to heal?" is this statement by Mrs, Eddy: "Instead of losing her power to heal, she is demonstrating the power of Christian Science over all obstacles that envy and malice would fling in her path." 4

Today, the Church of Christ, Scientist, is destined to fulfill its mission of overcoming hypnotic materialism and opposition to Truth. Animal magnetism, the sum of mortal, evil thinking, still runs to and fro in the earth; attempting to oppose the onward spiritual forces of Truth; but the bulwarks of ever-present Principle are not overthrown.

A vital choice confronts every church member: will he yield to world beliefs and be rendered incompetent to master evil, or will he obey Principle and be empowered to destroy animal magnetism? No form of error, personal or universal, malicious or subtle, should go unchallenged by the progressive student in

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demonstrating for himself and others the powerlessness of viper thoughts and the allness of an ever-loving Father-Mother God.

Church problems may seem to exist entirely outside us, but this is far from the fact. If we entertain these false concepts, they become in belief a part of our own consciousness and existence. Whether we are dealing with personal or church problems, the false concepts entertained in consciousness must be nullified and healed. We do not want to entertain sick thoughts that may lead to a sick body, so why hold the concept of a sick church? Rather, it is the spiritual idea of Church and government held in thought that heals church problems and one's relations with church members. This spiritual knowing removes the sick concept, keeps the healing energies of divine Mind active in our consciousness, and blesses our church.

The teachings of Christ Jesus and Mrs. Eddy, his faithful follower, include unequivocal statements regarding morality. The Christian Scientist knowingly commits himself to living a life which is above the average human standard and which is based on divine Principle and requires obedience to spiritual law. This law,

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DEFENDING THE PURITY OF CHURCH

as enunciated in the Bible, charges him to be loyal to the marriage covenant, to avoid fornication and homosexuality, to overcome mad ambition, envy, malice, deceit, pride, and every vice. He shuns the use of liquor, tobacco, and drugs, since these forms of materialism, like all others, dull his spiritual sense and limit his demonstration of Christian Science.

Animal magnetism focuses thought on sensuous materialism. Its antidote is the demonstration of purity and spirituality, the understanding of God made practical. Abandoning false tastes and practices need not be difficult when obedience to God is the motive. Forsaking error is like dropping an earth weight and finding unburdened freedom. The dullness of mortal mind is cast off as Soul gives human thought new vigor and spontaneity.

What about the suggestion that materia medica can aid one in demonstrating health? Forgetting man's spiritual selfhood, and mesmerized by matter, mortals seek matter to cure matter and forsake the spiritual mode of healing. The church member should quickly and vigorously repudiate every insinuation that materia medica can do something that God cannot. Health is basically a spiritual quality, an emana-

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tion of divine Mind. It does not rest on functional matter or chemical combinations for its security. A conscious trust in God establishes health.

The use of drugs creates a hypnotic state which undermines one's reliance on the omnipotence of God. It also quenches spiritual illumination and inspiration. The Revelator saw this when he wrote of an angel addressing Babylon, "The light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." 5 The word "sorceries" is from the Greek pbarmakeia, meaning "enchantment with drugs."

Christian Science must never be adulterated with material methods. It presents spiritual healing to mankind. The purity of spiritual healing would be lost if the aggressive arguments of animal magnetism were permitted to invade the consciousness of Christian Scientists.

Mrs. Eddy says, "To seek or employ other means than those the Master used in demonstrating Life scientifically, is to lose the priceless knowledge of his Principle and practice." 6 She

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states further: "We cannot depart from his holy example, - we cannot leave Christ for the schools which crucify him, and yet follow him in healing. Fidelity to his precepts and practice is the only passport to his power; and the pathway of goodness and greatness runs through the modes and methods of God."

Our Leader proved that Christ-healing surpasses all other methods, and her demonstrations launched the great Cause of Christian Science. The strictly spiritual practice which reinstated Christ-healing in this age must be faithfully adhered to in order that it may be perpetuated for all succeeding generations. This healing can be perpetuated only as the elements of materialism are eradicated from the lives of church members who comprise the practicing body of Scientists. Consecrated metaphysical work for oneself and the church is the demand of the hour.

Demonstrating the supremacy of God, Principle, is the only way by which mankind can be saved from mortal mind, or animal magnetism. Mrs. Eddy exposed and explained animal magnetism only to save mankind from believing in the unreal. Where God is - and God is

everywhere - evil has no validity. Christian Science is here to prove this to mankind. But Christian Scientists must keep striving to give the proof so that animal magnetism is deprived of its boastful claims. The effectual proof of evil's unreality must begin with our members so that our churches are inwardly pure, outwardly strong; progressively triumphant.

1 Eph. 5: 25-27; 2 Message to The Mother Church for 1901, p. 20; 3 I Tim. 3:5; 4 Miscellaneous Writings, p. 54; ~ Rev. 18: 23; 6 Mis., p. 270.

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