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Science and Christian Healing.
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15
As far back as the 15th century Nicolas of Cusa recognized that development is never linear. He recognized that before the maximum of a species is attained, the species is changed into a wholly different species. Likewise, before a species collapses to its minimum, the species is again changed into a different species. For instance, long before mental regression takes mankind down to a zero-intelligent state, civilization collapses and the species becomes barbaric and incapable of sustaining itself except on a very low level of existence that bears none of the features which define humanity today. In the same manner, if scientific thought enables spiritual discovery to break long established axioms, a new image of humanity comes to light with capabilities never before realized which may appear as incomprehensible to conventional perception as the performance of a symphony may appear to a tribe of barbarians. This does not mean that humanity is made up of different species, rather it reflects variances in self-development that are associated with variances in capability, behavior, and quality of life. It becomes interesting in this respect that the two major phenomena of Christ healing in history have both occurred at the end a prolonged period of mental development or renaissance.
Ultimately human development is not driven by utilitarian necessities. The barbarian do survive to some degree in their primitive fashion. Instead, the advanced progress that opens doors to infinity appears to be always driven by the aesthetic necessity of bearing witness to the truth, to man's wondrous nature, to the dimension of his grand intellect and its capacities.
Ultilitarianism is itself a facet of empiricism. The German poet, Friedrich Schiller, called it "the yoke of mankind." At present, it rules mankind. Hitler had extended utilitarianism to horrible extremes, who had called the elderly, the orphans, the chronically ill, the disabled, and the impaired "useless eaters" and eliminated close to 100,000 of them as an act of governmental policy. Schiller speaks of, what he calls a Beautiful Soul, when referring to a person who has eliminated the low and evil impulses and elevated his emotions beyond the sphere of the empirical to the scientifically viable and spiritually aesthetical, that which has a beauty of its own and is anchored in reality.
If the Christian's prayer for healing is primarily motivated by utilitarian reason, it achieves no response in self-development, but tends to be counterproductive. But if it is motivated, as Christ Jesus has stated to Pilate, by the need of bearing wittiness to the truth, by an honest love for the higher reality of the divine Being reflected in man, then, the door to healing is open. This is what Christ Jesus had set out to accomplish. This is also what Mary Baker Eddy had endeavored to accomplish.
Mary Baker Eddy attributed her tremendous success in healing in part to this higher level of love, the non-utilitarian kind, which she calls "divine Love." She wrote in her textbook: "If the Scientist reaches his patient through divine Love, the healing work will be accomplished at one visit, and the disease will vanish into its native nothingness like dew before the morning sunshine."*(Science and Health, p.365:15)
This love, unlike the lower forms, doesn't disappoint. It is founded on truth. Neither does it make any demands. The same cannot be said about utilitarian love, or emotional passion. The French composer, Hector Beriloz, describes in a symphonic poem (Symphony Fantastique) that echoes his own experience the problems associated with empirical love. His love was sparked by an unreciprocated passion for an Irish actress. The symphonic poem describes the imagined fantasies of a young musician, who in despair had poisoned himself with opium. He describes in this manner his own feelings of joy alternating with despair and jealousy, even consolation in religious serenity, though always interwoven with the emotionally arousing beautiful theme of the beloved.
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