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God and math

A Christian Science perspective: Mathematical principles help illustrate divine Principle – another name for God.

I was deep in thought when it happened. My discomfort disappeared, and all coughing and congestion completely vanished. At the time, I had been earnestly trying to comprehend God and my relationship to Him, when I was healed instantaneously. I hadn’t set out to remove the symptoms I was experiencing – but it’s what happened when I grasped an idea I had been learning about in Christian Science.

As odd as it may seem, I find it best to illustrate the idea in the context of mathematics. Christian Science Founder Mary Baker Eddy describes God as the perfect Principle of being – the Principle that is Life, Truth, and Love – which are names for God given throughout the inspired Word of the Bible (see, for example, Proverbs 8:34, 35; Zechariah 8:3; and I John 4:8, respectively). Because God is Principle, the Lawgiver behind all laws, I found it helpful to use math principles to articulate divine Principle, God, in this case.

Like the laws of God, mathematical laws are absolute and perfect, and any conclusion made from not following a mathematical function properly is incorrect – it’s an error. From the perspective of mathematical laws, an error doesn’t factor into the equation. The error has no purpose. It is in effect, nothing. If someone solves an equation incorrectly, the answer isn’t true. The laws of math didn’t change. They simply weren’t being proved.

Similarly, if we misunderstand a concept, our misconception doesn’t make the mistake true. A belief that God is perfect and made man erring and imperfect, doesn’t follow logically. Perfection can create only that which is perfect. As in math, if we correct an error with its principle, then the error and any of its erroneous effects are removed from the equation – from our lives.

From the basis that God is Life and man is created by Life, it then follows that anything outside Life’s context – any condition that seemed to go against my health and well-being – has no reality in God. It is an error. As I understood this idea, like mist clearing before the light of dawn, my ailments evaporated. Health was restored, and the practicality of this truth was proved.

Let’s be clear, however, that it wasn’t mere contemplation that brought me to this conclusion. It was prayer, my deep desire to truly understand God and man, that brought divine ideas to light. This healing light is the Christ, what Christian Science terms Truth, in action. It is what Christ Jesus demonstrated so profoundly: man’s unity with God.

Mrs. Eddy explains: “Is not a man metaphysically and mathematically number one, a unit, and therefore whole number, governed and protected by his divine Principle, God? You have simply to preserve a scientific, positive sense of unity with your divine source, and daily demonstrate this. Then you will find that one is as important a factor as duodecillions in being and doing right, and thus demonstrating deific Principle” (“Pulpit and Press,” p. 4).

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