鈥淏uddha was not Buddhist. Jesus was not Christian. Muhammad was not Muslim. They were teachers who taught Love. Love was their religion.鈥�
I ran across this aphorism on Pinterest recently. As a Christian Scientist who grew up believing that God loves everybody regardless of 鈥渢he details鈥濃�攔ace, religion, creed, or culture鈥擨 must admit it made me smile.
It also got me thinking about the nature of love itself.
As humans, we tend to think of love as a beautiful but sometimes fleeting emotion that governs our relationships. We love our parents and children and spouses, yet these same people can frustrate and annoy us, too. This sentiment may sound familiar: I love my husband 鈥� but I might love him just a bit more if he stacked the dishwasher properly and actually remembered to turn it on! Even the highest form of human love鈥攁 parent鈥檚 unconditional love for their children鈥攃an have its peaks and valleys.
When reading the Gospels, one gets the sense that Jesus was talking about an altogether different kind of love. He counselled us to love our enemies, and he demonstrated this love by healing the ear of a soldier鈥攖he one Peter cut off with his sword鈥攚ho came to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemane. He even forgave those who crucified him while hanging from the cross.
The apostle John reiterated this message when he wrote: 鈥淕od is Love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.鈥�
Mary Baker Eddy, the discover and founder of Christian Science, came to realize there was a connection between God鈥檚 love and healing, too. In her book听听she wrote: 鈥淚f the (Christian) Scientist reaches his patient through divine Love, the healing work will be accomplished in one visit, and the disease will vanish into its native nothingness like dew before the morning sunshine.鈥�
That鈥檚 sounds nice. But what does it actually mean?
Perhaps an example will help. I recently read an article in the听听by Deborah Huebsch (March 2, 2020) that says a lot about what healing is and how it happens.听The author had been sitting in bed, reading a passage in听Science & Health听about the 23rd Psalm鈥攚hich emphasizes the all-pervasive nature of divine Love鈥攚hen she felt Love surrounding her, like an exquisite light.
Just then, her sister called to pour out a long list of grievances: she鈥檇 lost her job, didn鈥檛 have any money, and was afraid she鈥檇 be evicted from her apartment. As her sister spoke, Deborah realized that since God鈥檚 love is everywhere it embraced her sister, too.
鈥淢aybe you should expect something good to happen,鈥� she said.
Annoyed, her sister hung up.
Later that day her sister called to say she鈥檇 been offered a job, and two weeks later she came to Deborah鈥檚 apartment with a bouquet of daisies. She admitted she鈥檇 been addicted to heroin鈥攊njecting herself daily鈥攁nd that the phone call was to ask for drug money. Yet something amazing happened after hanging up the phone: she felt no more desire for heroin. She鈥檇 expected withdrawal symptoms鈥攂ut there were none.
鈥淚 was amazed. I hadn鈥檛 been praying to heal anything,鈥� wrote Deborah in the article. 鈥淭his experience convinced me that the healing work Jesus and Mrs. Eddy did resulted from their consistent, conscious dwelling in that abiding sense of God鈥檚 love.鈥�
So the next time somebody says love is the answer, you鈥檒l know it鈥檚 not just a platitude. Where God鈥檚 ever-present Love is concerned, it鈥檚 the literal truth.
Matt Jackson听has been fascinated by how science and religion relate to each other for as long as he can remember. He is a member of the Christian Science church in Victoria, BC, and has been a professional writer and editor for 26 years.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, HERE
* This article was published in the print edition of the Times 91原创 on Saturday, April 17th 2021
Photo of dawn by听听辞苍听
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