Knowledge and intelligence

There is a vast amount of human knowledge available today, and more coming. We're virtually swamped with information from all sides. What do we do with it?

Intelligence is the key. For judging and synthesizing useful information, intelligence is essential and effective. But it's important to know that knowledge is not intelligence. Knowledge can't decide, think, originate. A computer may store and call up millions of items, but it has no real intelligence.

Choosing truth over error, choosing what points to the greater blessing instead of what drags down -- this is the role of intelligence. Intelligence takes information and reveals the tendencies of life or mortality in it. Intelligence discerns the practical from the impractical, progressively unfolding for us the spiritual power of all that is right and good and the baselessness of evil.

Christian Science points out that ultimate intelligence is really God, or Mind. Instead of being merely a decisionmaking entity, the divine Mind already perceives all, for infinitely wise intelligence is complete and boundless. Man, being the image and likeness of God, as recorded in the Bible, n1 reflects this infinite Mind. So as we exercise divine intelligence in our daily activities, we become more perceptive, more wise. An inspired Bible writer gave this advice: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." n2 Through the inspiration of Truth and Love, of God Himself, human knowledge takes on a higher usefullness.

n1 See Genesis 1:26;

n2 Proverbs 3:5;

A new art gallery owner had doubts about serving alcoholic drinks at her opening reception -- drinks she herself would not take or encourage for others. She knew that not serving alcohol was supposed to affect sales and make a poor impression. But this knowledge, she felt, needed to be tempered by intelligence. She prayed for divine direction, knowing that God meets needs in wholly moral ways.

Her decision came quickly, and doubts disappeared. Several customers inquired if the drink was alcoholic, and only accepted a glass after finding it was not. Divine intelligence had been sought rather than mere human knowledge about the best way of entertaining. The oneness and power of Mind were expressed in the agreement of guests and hostess. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, explains, "Controlled by the divine intelligence, man is harmonious and eternal. n3

n3 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,m p. 184;

Sooner or later human opinion must be set aside, even when it seems based on valuable experience. Evidence from the material senses will then be seen as theory sometimes seeming to evolve toward, but never substituting for, Truth, or God. In Christian Science, infinite Mind is inexhaustible wisdom. As we find in prayer the profound understanding that man has no real intelligence but what he reflects from God -- and as we put that understanding into practice -- Christly light shines through us. In proportion to our spiritual understanding we demonstrate the healing dominion Christ Jesus exemplified and taught others to practice. Then the infinite good of divine Truth is felt in consciousness, correcting the errors of human thinking. "The finite must yield to the infinite ," n4 writes Mrs. Eddy.

n4 ibid.,m p. 256.

DAILY BIBLE VERSE Wisdom is the principal thing . . . . she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. Proverbs 4:7 , 8