Christian Science Mind-healing rests on the great truth that God's allness precludes the existence of matter. Mrs. Eddy declares: "Spirit is infinite; therefore Spirit is all. 'There is no matter' is not only the axiom of true Christian Science, but it is the only basis upon which this Science can be demonstrated."
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 357. This revolutionary discovery of the unreality of matter came to Mrs. Eddy through divine revelation and was conclusively proved in her own healing practice before she presented it to the world.
This axiom must be wholeheartedly accepted by all who would practice genuine Christian Science. Our success as healers largely depends upon our ability to perceive the insubstantial, illusory, mental nature of matter. In the proportion that we grasp this fundamental fact, we are able to destroy the foundation of disease.
Throughout her writings our Leader has given us a number of illuminating definitions of matter that aid us in comprehending the nothingness of matter. The first word Mrs. Eddy uses in her definition of "matter" in the Glossary of Science and Health is "mythology." The definition begins: "Matter Mythology; mortality; another name for mortal mind; illusion; intelligence, substance, and life in non-intelligence and mortality ...."
Science and Health, p. 591.
Mrs. Eddy more than once likens the belief in matter, mortal mind, and material sense to myths.
Myths often involve or grow out of elaborate legends about people and events. In some ancient societies people were thoroughly convinced of the reality of certain mythical characters they worshiped as gods and goddesses, and to whom they attributed power over their lives. In time these pagan beliefs were dispelled, and mankind generally has gained a more spiritual conception of God. Similarly, through growth in the understanding that all true substance is Mind, God, human consciousness will be eventually purged of its belief in the reality of matter. It will be seen that either to fear matter or to idolize it is just as unenlightened as the ancient worship of gods and goddesses. Mrs. Eddy comments, "The heathen gods of mythology controlled war and agriculture as much as nerves control sensation or muscles measure strength."
Ibid., p. 485.
How important it is to realize that everything we have been educated to believe about matter through the five physical senses is merely a myth! This enables us to relegate false education regarding disease to the realm of mythology.
No one has ever demonstrated as fully as our Master, Christ Jesus, the mythologic nature of matter. Every event in his earthly experience, from his virgin birth to his final ascension above all mortality, proved the fallacy of matter as a creative power, substance, or law.
Each of his demonstrations of divinely derived power annulled the claims of matter. His healings of disease and of those who were believed dead proved his declaration "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing."
John 6:63.
But Christ Jesus' dominion over matter wasn't confined to physical healing. He proved his control over matter by turning water into wine, by walking over the waves, by stilling the tempest, by multiplying the loaves and fishes. In his final demonstration he ascended above all material selfhood without leaving any relics of corporeality behind. With what reverence and awe should we contemplate the master Metaphysician's triumphs over matter and rejoice in the privilege of following, however feebly, in his footsteps!
Science and Health teaches that Jesus' inseparability from the Christ, his spiritual sonship with God, gave him control over matter. Doesn't it follow that we too will be able to have dominion over matter as we grow more Christlike? This growth comes as we become more and more aware of our own sonship with God. This discernment enables us to demonstrate Christly qualities of purity, spirituality, unselfed love, and meekness, revealing the substance of our God-given individuality.
We gain control over our bodies and master sickness and disease by learning to do what the Apostle Paul says: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."
Phil. 2:5. As the Christ works in human consciousness, it corrects mental errors externalized as disease, replacing them with spiritual concepts. This change in consciousness is then evidenced in normal conditions of health.
Christ, Truth, dispels the errors of fear, hate, anxiety, or tension which may be manifesting themselves as a diseased condition. Once error is destroyed in thought, and divine Truth is in control of human consciousness, the body expresses health and harmony.
Referring to Jesus, Mrs. Eddy writes, "The power of his transcendent goodness is manifest in the control it gave him over the qualities opposed to Spirit which mortals name matter."
Miscellaneous Writings, p. 199. What a penetrating definition of matter—"qualities opposed to Spirit"! Opposed to the purity and perfection of Spirit are the impurity and imperfection of matter. Opposed to the harmony of Spirit are the inharmony and discord of matter.
When we are confronted by disturbing material evidence, let's realize that we are not faced with material conditions but only with "qualities opposed to Spirit." The answer to our problem is not to do something to matter but to bring into consciousness more of the qualities of Spirit, which is true substance.
Fear, hatred, resentment, bitterness, self-will, envy, lust, are often at the root of discordant physical conditions. Healing takes place when the mental qualities opposed to Spirit are replaced by what Paul refers to as "the fruit of the Spirit"—"love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."
Gal. 5:22, 23.
Since the synonyms for God are interchangeable, we could also define matter by saying it is qualities opposed to Life, Truth, Mind, and so on. Matter is inert because it is opposed to Life; matter is error, a lie, because it is opposed to Truth; matter is nonintelligent and sensationless because it is opposed to Mind.
In "the scientific statement of being"
See Science and Health, p. 468. Mrs. Eddy defines the unreality of matter by revealing what the qualities of God, Spirit, are. This profound declaration of absolute truth illustrates how important it is to deny matter specifically and thoroughly in our healing work.
I learned a helpful lesson in the importance of denying matter in seeking a healing a few years ago. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, a pain developed in one of my feet, making walking uncomfortable. I recognized it immediately as an aggressive mental suggestion, not a material condition. I prayed to know that I could not be receptive to any thoughts except those that were being imparted to me by the one pure Mind that is God.
But when relief did not follow, I saw the need to expand my prayerful work to include more specific denials of matter. It was soon evident that this was the right line of attack. As I vehemently denied that matter has any intelligence to cause or experience pain, the sensation became momentarily more aggressive. The suggestion that error could resist truth's denials was so obvious that I laughed out loud.
However, I found it necessary to persist in my affirmations of spiritual truth and denials of matter. The final blow to the error came one afternoon when I was giving prayerful attention to another situation. As I turned to God, the angel message unfolded, "Evil never penetrated man's being, which is not material but entirely spiritual." I thought to myself, "Why, this is true of my real being!" Several hours later as I walked to the parking lot from my office, I realized that I was almost entirely free from the discomfort in my foot. Very shortly the healing was complete.
It's not enough to declare the axiom of Christian Science, "There is no matter." We need to demonstrate the profound significance of that absolute truth. This requires growth in spiritual understanding. A thoughtful study of the many different ways Mrs. Eddy defines matter enlarges our understanding of its illusory mental nature and is an effectual help in attaining this growth. But every student can prove that even a degree of understanding that there is in reality no matter heals, because God, Spirit, is All-in-all. .
