The Science Of Christianity

IT'S not unusual to wonder what Science and Christianity have to do with each other. They seem so separated in human thought. Science indicates the practical and provable. In popular thought, Christianity represents a religious ideal, which is often considered a matter of the heart rather than of understanding and proof.

Looked at from this standpoint, the Bible would have little relevance to our daily lives. But Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, approached both the Bible and Christianity from a totally different perspective.

She perceived that Christianity deals with God as a knowable entity--one who loves His children and sends only good to them. She saw clearly that Christ Jesus' mission was to reveal to humanity the goodness of God's law and how understanding this law would heal sickness and sin. And he did this, not just by teaching and preaching but by actually rescuing people from disease, immorality, and even death. His ministry was based on love--for humanity and for God--and on the understanding that God, divine Lov e, is our divine Parent. Even more than a human parent, Love cares for us and guides every step, when we are willing to listen to Love's direction.

Toward the end of his career, Jesus told his disciples: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

The love Jesus was talking about wasn't a "feel good approach to one's fellowman. His love was one that redeemed the sick, that challenged sin, and that fearlessly faced death and overcame it. Such love was and is the very essence of Christianity.

The divine power behind this love is what makes it more than human affection. This power is God, or divine Principle, and the Science at its heart is the understanding that God can be known through provable law. This divine law not only reveals God to us; it also shows us how we can heal through prayer just as Jesus and his disciples were able to heal. Mrs. Eddy writes of Jesus' methods in many places in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In one place she says: "Jesus established wha t he said by demonstration, thus making his acts of higher importance than his words. He proved what he taught. This is the Science of Christianity. Jesus proved the Principle, which heals the sick and casts out error, to be divine.

When we link Science and Christianity, then, we are affirming that the teachings of the Master can be proved by each of us, according to our understanding of divine law. We are also recognizing that God is not only knowable but is worth knowing because His love for us is limitless and is present to help us.

For some, the proof of the Science may start out simply--a decision to trust God's direction in a job situation, for instance. And as each little proof builds up, we become more willing to turn to Love in prayer and to listen more closely for its guidance.

Others may come to Christian Science for relief from disease that couldn't be cured, or to find freedom from fear and sin. Such genuine turning to God is not in vain. Jesus proved this when he healed a woman who had spent all her money on care but who had not been cured. He dealt with her compassionately and said to her, as we read in Luke's Gospel, "Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

Science and Christianity--the practical love behind Jesus' teachings--are available for all of us to bring healing to our lives.