by Jules Cern

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How Christian Science was Discovered

What a comfort it is to realize that Christian Science does not ignore what appears to be a human need. Just because it exposes the unreality of mortal mind, matter, or physicality, it does not ignore the errors and discords resulting from believing that there is mortal mind, matter, or physicality.

It was the necessity of meeting a human need which led Mary Baker Eddy to the discovery of Christian Science. According to medical diagnosis, Mrs. Eddy was supposed to die within a few days following a critical injury which she had sustained. Faced with what was predicted to be certain death, Mrs. Eddy turned to God, as she had always done from childhood. But this time she did not pray to be healed, or to be saved from death. She simply turned to God for more spiritual understanding. She knew that Jesus was able to accomplish all that he had done without the use of a single material aid. He used no medication, no surgical operations, no drugs, no massage or manipulation, and, above all, he used no human will. It was so evident that he met every human need through his awareness, or spiritual understanding of God. Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do." Here is the assurance that whoever understands God as Jesus understood Him will demonstrate the power of God. It is also an assurance that it is possible to understand God, just as Jesus did.

Consequently, as Mrs. Eddy humbly pondered the Biblical account of Jesus' healing a man of palsy, an influx of divine revelation unfolded to her receptive thought. Her thought was transformed from a false sense of life in matter to the spiritual sense of Life as All, instead of matter. God is Life; He does not only give all Life, He is all Life. The awareness of God as all Life means Life as being unconfined, unbounded, and unhounded by physicality in any form. No matter in Life means nothing the matter with Life.

Mrs. Eddy was instantly healed. Why? Because the instant enlightenment of her thought resulted in the instant enlivening of what was thought to be a physical body. Is it any wonder that Mrs. Eddy was inspired to write in Science and Health, "Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual,—neither in nor of matter, —and the body will then utter no complaints. If suffering from a belief in sickness, you will find yourself suddenly well."

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