THE UNREALITY OF EVIL
"Once upon a time long, long ago, there was a great and good king, who
lived in a country where everything was good. He had thousands of
subjects under him, and these subjects were all good. This was because
the king was good and the people strove to be like him. But one day
one of his people imagined she saw an evil thing or devil, and became
greatly alarmed thereat. She hurried home and told her husband what
she had seen, and he believed her story about this evil, or devil (that
never had any existence, only in the imagination of this woman). And
because of her great fear of it this woman kept thinking of this evil
constantly, until at last it seemed very real to her, and after a time
she imagined this evil, or devil, had entered her body and was stopping
her stomach from digesting its food. She also told this to her husband,
and he became afraid of this myth, and told his friends that an evil,
or devil, had entered the body of his wife. His friends began to talk
about this evil, or devil, wondering what it might be. At length, after
discussing it for some time, they decided they didn't know what this
evil was, but that it ought to be given a name, so called it
indigestion, because it had stopped the woman's stomach from digesting
her food. In this way this imaginary thing became real enough to have
a name. After the people had given this evil, or devil, a name, they
all began to make suggestions of how best to get rid of him. One
suggested that a plate be made hot and applied to the stomach. This,
he thought, would make it so uncomfortable for the devil that he would
leave. Another suggested that the woman take a strong dose of peppermint
and burn the devil; another suggested that they manipulate the stomach,
i. e., pull and haul and pound it, hoping in this way to kill him;
another said, let us attach an electric battery and shock the devil.
Another said he believed that devils had an aversion for blue lights,
and thought that if they would let a blue light shine on him, he would
leave. Another said, give the woman a bath of mud, let her be covered
all over with soft mud, and this will smother the devil. Still another
suggested that the woman be sent away from home to another climate,
he thinking the devil might not like the change, and so leave the
woman. Hundreds of other suggestions were offered and tried, but none
of them succeeded in driving this devil out of the woman. And now, after
several thousands of years, the people are still offering advice to
this woman, but with no better success. The simple reason why all these
things did not succeed in driving out this evil, or devil, is that in
reality there wasn't any devil to drive out, as it was only an imaginary
thing and had no existence, only as an illusion in the mind of the
woman. About 2,000 years ago, there lived a man who was intelligent
enough to understand what the trouble was. He said that there were not
any evils, or devils, and that God, or the Creative Principle, was
_good only_, and that evil was a lie, or delusion, and proved His
words by His works. This enraged the wise men of His time very much,
for they had been teaching the people that evil was real, and that in
many instances God put evil upon His children to make them good. These
wise men were sore afraid that the people would believe what this good
man was teaching and denounce their teaching. So they conspired together
and had Him crucified, and still continued their teaching that evil
was as real as good. About forty years ago, a woman, intelligent and
good, became conscious of the unreality of evil, and after a careful
study of the life of this man who was crucified, she discovered that
all this good man had said and taught regarding the unreality of evil,
was the truth. She wrote a book explaining this great fact, and said,
'If the people would study this book, they could prove for themselves
that there weren't any evils, or devils.' As in the time of the good
man that was crucified, so in her time, the wise men were teaching the
people that evil was real, and as the teachings of this woman were
contrary to their teachings, they became enraged; and if it had been
customary to crucify people in her time, she would have been crucified.
Since that book was written, many thousands of people who imagined
they had evils or were possessed with devils, have, by reading and
studying this book, discovered that all of the evils, or devils of the
past and present were imaginary, and seemed real, because we feared
them. This book also teaches that the _only_ way to get rid of
these imaginations, or false beliefs, is to use our God-given
intelligence and reason rightly, and then we would discover the
nothingness of these evils, or devils, and our fear of them would
depart, likewise the evils, or devils, no matter under whatever name
they might be masquerading, as it was only our ignorance of the true
facts, coupled with our fear, that made them seem real. So with this
woman, who imagined she saw an evil, or devil; if she had not feared
it, she would have investigated and consequently have discovered its
unreality."
As Mrs. White finished her story, she looked at Walter, and by the way
he nodded his head she was sure he had grasped the truth of her story.
Then, glancing at the pastor, she said, "Mr. Williams, does that answer
your question, as to the unreality and origin of evil?"
"Mrs. White," said the pastor nervously, "That story answers my
questions so fully that I haven't any foundation to stand on, and as
I have been preaching the reality of evil these many years I am at a
loss to know what to say or do."
"Do not worry or get excited, Mr. Williams, Every person is more or
less confused as his old idols and gods are destroyed, but fear not,
for out of this destruction will rise an intelligent temple with God,
Good, the ruler thereof."
"But I am at a loss what to do. I have discovered the fact that I was
mistaught in regard to the reality of evil, and now I fear that all
the rest of my teachings may be at fault and I cannot conscientiously
preach what is false, as God knows I would not wilfully mislead my
fellow-man. I am afraid I will be compelled to give up my position at
once, and feel I am not fitted to do anything else." He then glanced
at the practitioner and said, "Mrs. White, can you offer me any advice?"
"Yes, first of all, remember that there is room in God's kingdom for
all His children. Second, remember that your real source of supply is
not your church, but God; trust in Him fully, and your every need will
be supplied. Third, I would advise you not to give up your position
on the spur of the moment; take time to consider, study 'Science and
Health,' and see if it is what you want. If it is, you can then send
in your resignation. If not, no one need be the wiser that you have
been studying the book."
"But I cannot conscientiously preach one thing and believe another."
"Then, Mr. Williams, I would suggest that you ask for a vacation for
six months, as I understand from what your son told me, that it has
been a long time since you have taken one, and by the time six months
have passed you will know what is best for you to do.
"Mrs. White, I would be pleased to take your advice, but I haven't
enough money to carry me for six months without a salary."
"God is your supply, trust Him fully," said Mrs. White.
"Father, have no fear, God is all good, all love, and I know He will
not see us want, if we will only trust Him."
"Walter, my son, I will take your advice and trust it all to God."
Then, after a moment, he looked at Mrs. White and said, "Now, Mrs.
White, let us talk of my dear wife's illness; I suppose Walter told
you she has been suffering from tuberculosis of the lungs for many
years. Do you think she can be healed?"
"Mr. Williams, do you think an all-powerful God could heal her? For
it is not myself that does the healing, but God."
"Yes, I know that God can heal her if He will."
"Have you ever asked Him to?"
"Many hundreds of times have I asked, prayed, begged, and beseeched
Him."
"What did you expect to accomplish by your begging and beseeching?"
"I do not understand what you mean, Mrs. White."
"Did you think you could influence a good and just God by your begging
and beseeching, to be more than good and just?"
"Oh, I did not wish to influence God," said the pastor.
"Then what did you expect to accomplish by begging and beseeching?"
As the pastor did not answer, Mrs. White continued:
"A good and just God could not be less than good and just, and if this
be true, what could we expect to accomplish by begging and beseeching?
Mr. Williams, the reason your prayers have not been answered, is that
you don't know how to pray aright, besides you have been praying to
a false god, an idol of your own making."
The pastor's back stiffened up perceptibly, as he said rather cooly,
"Mrs. White, don't you think your accusations are a little unjust? You
must remember I am an ordained minister."
"Mr. Williams, don't think I am alluding only to you; almost the whole
human race has made the same mistake. I am free to confess that I did
not know how to pray aright until after I had studied 'Science and
Health.' If you will allow me, I will try to prove my assertions."
"Please proceed."
"Mr. Williams, when you pray, do you or do you not have a mental picture
of your god in mind?"
"Yes, most generally I do." "Will you please describe this mental
picture?" asked Mrs. White.
"When I close my eyes in prayer, I usually see the spirit of God as
though He was appearing through the clouds," said the pastor.
"Does this spirit of God, as you call it, have a human face?"
"Yes, Mrs. White, a face that is radiant with goodness and love."
"Mr. Williams, don't you see that this is a god of your own making,
an imaginary creature of your own mind?"
"I don't quite understand," said the pastor, somewhat confused.
"When you close your eyes to pray, you imagine you see the face of a
man, appearing through the clouds. You know this is not real, but the
face appears only in your imagination, and when your congregation close
their eyes, they each have an imaginary picture of some kind before
them, or else a void, and if you were to compare notes, you would find
no two persons to have the same picture or idol. Are there so many
gods as that? If not, which one of the congregation has the right one?
The fact is, most people pray to a god of their own making, a man-made
god, a thing that does not exist, except in their own imagination, and
then wonder why their prayers are not answered. Have I proven my
assertion, Mr. Williams?"
"Yes, Mrs. White, you have, but you have also robbed me of my God, and
now I am entirely at a loss."
"Better no god at all than a false one," said Mrs. White.
"That may be true, Mrs. White, but you do not wish to intimate that
there is no God?"
"Most assuredly not, have I not told you that God heals the sick, that
God is Good, that God is Mind? If I have robbed you of your false god,
I have done a good work, for then you are ready to seek the true God.
I recommend that you carefully study 'Science and Health.' In it I
found who and what the true God is. If you will read this book, in
connection with the Bible, you will find that it will unlock the
mysteries of the Bible, and you will come into possession of that peace
that passeth all understanding." "I shall certainly do as you suggest,
Mrs. White; for I have determined to find the true God."
"Now, Mr. Williams, do you wish me to give your wife treatment?"
"Yes, I have determined to give Christian Science a fair trial."
"As it is getting rather late, I will not see your wife to-night, but
will treat her absently as soon as I get home. I would also suggest
that you acquaint her with the fact that I will see her tomorrow
evening."
"But I have not asked her whether she is willing to take science
treatment," said the pastor.
"Father, that has all been arranged, as I have asked her; all that
mother wanted was your sanction. Otherwise she would not take the
treatment, and I had acquainted Mrs. White with the facts before she
came."
"I am pleased to hear that your mother is willing to try these
treatments, as we have tried everything else, and now this is our last
and only hope."
"When it should have been your first; yet that is the way of mortals,
they try everything else first and God last, nevertheless God is ever
ready to help man when man turns to Him, no matter what has gone
before," said the practitioner.
"Mrs. White, your words give me great hope, yet my wife's case seems
hopeless."
"Mr. Williams, why should you think it strange that a good, and loving,
and all-powerful Father should be ever ready to help His children?"
"I know not, unless it is because He did not answer my prayers, and
this may have weakened my faith," meekly said the pastor.
"But you did not pray to an all-good, loving, and all-powerful God,
or you would surely have been answered; you were praying to a false
god, even one of your own making."
"Yes, I know now that there was something wrong, and I supposed it was
because God did not wish to help; but you have shown me that the fault
was not with God, but with myself."
"Well, Mr. Williams, I am glad that the light of understanding is
coming to your consciousness, and now I must be going. I have no special
directions to give you regarding your wife except that I don't want
you or Walter to tell a single person that your wife is receiving
Christian Science treatment, and you may rest assured that I shall not
tell any one."
The pastor was very much relieved to hear Mrs. White say she would
tell no one, and supposing she did not wish to jeopardize his position
as minister, he said, "I thank you very much, Mrs. White, for being
so solicitous of my position."
Mrs. White's answer rather surprised him. She said: "When I told you
to tell no one, I did not have you or your position in thought, I was
simply thinking of the welfare of your wife. Now good-night, and you
may expect me at the same hour to-morrow evening."
The pastor and his son bade her a hearty goodnight, then returned to
the library. As soon as they arrived there the pastor turned to his
son and said, "Walter, what other reason could Mrs. White have in
bidding us say nothing of the treatments, excepting my position?"
"Father, I do not fully understand why this is done, but I have heard
that they request this in all cases. I think it is for the same reason
that Jesus Christ told them He healed, to go and tell no man."
The pastor looked at his son and said, "It may be for the same reason,
although both are a mystery to me, at any rate this disproves the
assertion the Rev. Jones made in regard to these lady practitioners
being pleased to tell their business to everybody. Why, any one could
be healed by Christian Science and no one be the wiser. I wonder if
this does not account for the mysterious recovery of Mr. Anderson. You
remember the paper stated that he was given up by the physicians, and
that he could not live more than twenty-four to thirty-six hours; then
to the surprise of everybody he began to mend rapidly, and in six
week's time no one would think that he ever had a sick day in his life.
And ever since he has been attending to his business, and every time
I meet him he seems running over with happiness, joy, and good health."
"Father, wasn't he supposed to be suffering from a very severe case
of Blight's disease?"
"Yes, he had a consultation of three of our best physicians, and they
pronounced it Bright's disease."
"If it really was Christian Science that healed him, I am sure it will
heal mother."
"Yes, son, I think so too, I believe I will ask Mr. Anderson what healed
him, for if it was Christian Science, it will give me more confidence."
"Now please bring me this science book you found, as I would like to
see it."
"I will get it at once, father," said the delighted boy, for he felt
sure that if his father ever started to read it, he would never leave
it until he had discovered the great truth the book contained.
In a few moments he was back and handed the book to his father, who
said, "Walter, I wish you would call in to see your mother and acquaint
her with what has been done; then you had better retire, as I may spend
some time with this book."
"All right, father. Good-night."
"Good-night, Walter," said the pastor, as he assumed an easy position
in his large armchair.
Walter went to his mother's room and, finding her awake, told her all
about the visit of the practitioner, and also some of the things she
had said, and that she was coming to see her the next evening. He then
bade her a cheerful good-night and retired to his own room, a very
happy and well satisfied boy.
His father continued his reading until long after midnight, and as he
closed the book he said aloud, "It truly is a wonderful book, but I
cannot agree with all that it contains, although this may be because
I do not fully understand." He then wended his way to his wife's
bedchamber, and looking in, found her sleeping peacefully; then he
murmured: "I must trust God fully, for no one else can help her."