Face down what’s false

Annihilate. Obliterate. Destroy. Vanquish.

These are pretty strong words that need to be used carefully in proper context. Distressing and harmful conditions are one such context. For instance, would you hesitate to eradicate a disease? Wipe out poverty? Crush a drug or alcohol addiction? In those cases, there’s no desire to leave behind even a trace of the problem.

The discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, holds nothing back as she explains how Christ – which she describes as the true, spiritual idea of God – frees humanity from evil circumstances. Not only do her writings include those very words listed at the beginning of this article, but she uses some form of them over 500 times. For instance, in the Christian Science textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” she writes, “As light destroys darkness and in the place of darkness all is light, so (in absolute Science) Soul, or God, is the only truth-giver to man” (p. 72).

So what, exactly, is this darkness to be destroyed? It is the subtle, false belief that man is material and mortal or some mixture of the material and the spiritual. The truth is that man is spiritual, the image and likeness of God, Spirit (see Genesis 1:26, 27). Each of us reflects the perfection and completeness of God, who is also infinite Mind.

The belief that anyone has a mortal mind that can stray from perfection is a lie that would obscure our view of how God created us. As we refuse to accept this false mental suggestion, however, we deny the darkness a place in consciousness and turn instead to the light of Christ, the true idea of God, which frees us from sin, disease, and death. In this way, the darkness that would appear to bring those evils upon us is not just defeated, but destroyed. We cannot be fooled by it any further.

Does such a vanquishing of erroneous thinking require a massive mental effort? While it can be challenging at times to face down the claims of evil, especially when they arouse fear, it is powerful to know that God’s creation is, like God, wholly good and that the omnipresence and omnipotence of God as Truth, Life, and Love is fact, not conjecture. When faced with problems, we can be confident that our job is not to make the universe good but to acknowledge its present, God-established and God-maintained goodness.

Christ Jesus was able to heal any and all afflictions because he understood that God is the only presence and power. If what seems substantial is actually a false belief in evil, what could possibly be more effective in removing it than not believing it? A firm grasp of reality makes believing any opposite lie impossible.

While we strive to love as Jesus loved, doing so does not imply that we should be timid when facing erroneous beliefs. The Master destroyed sickness and sin because he loved all. He healed not by ignoring evil actions and conditions but by refuting their claim to reality.

Some years ago, while playing basketball, I made a quick move and felt a pop in my lower leg. It was quite painful, and I suddenly felt I had no control over my foot. Great fear swept over me as I hopped off the court. My friends helped me get home that night, and I called a Christian Science practitioner for metaphysical treatment.

My prayer was one of fully accepting my true being as spiritual and perfect, as God had created me, and refusing to entertain any sense that I was a mortal with a vulnerable, material body. Every time the fear arose that I would not regain full mobility, I challenged that suggestion until I had annihilated it, replacing it with a calm trust in God’s omnipotent ability to maintain my activity and freedom.

With the fear eliminated, my body improved rapidly. I was able first to walk, then to gently jog, and finally to run freely again. With gratitude, I marveled at God’s great, healing power.

Annihilate. Obliterate. Destroy. Vanquish.

Mrs. Eddy was a precise wordsmith, and her use of those strong and active verbs reveals an important metaphysical point: There is never a reason to accommodate error. Prayer that knows error as nothing because God, Spirit, is the sole creator and cause thoroughly destroys error, and the result is healing.

Adapted from an article published in the March 11, 2024, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.