Knowing the real from the counterfeit

Those most skilled at identifying counterfeit money are thoroughly familiar with all aspects of authentic bills. They aren’t required to know all the forms counterfeit money might take, but they do need to be keenly aware of the attributes of true currency in order to recognize that which is fake.

This concept is sometimes used as an analogy in the practice of spiritual healing in Christian Science. The Christian Science textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” states, “The real man is spiritual and immortal, but the mortal and imperfect so-called ‘children of men’ are counterfeits from the beginning, to be laid aside for the pure reality” (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 409).

The real man – the true identity of each individual – is already perfect, reflecting perfect God. The Bible tells us that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). Therefore, anything that is unlike God that seems to be part of us or our experience is the counterfeit. Like those trained to recognize authentic money, we don’t need to know all the forms the counterfeit might take. Instead, we need to know the true nature of God’s creation, so we can naturally discern and reject the counterfeit.

For example, we recognize health as the natural and normal state of being for the man God created in His likeness. It follows that a diseased state would be a counterfeit. Science and Health explains: “If sickness is real, it belongs to immortality; if true, it is a part of Truth. Would you attempt with drugs, or without, to destroy a quality or condition of Truth? But if sickness and sin are illusions, the awakening from this mortal dream, or illusion, will bring us into health, holiness, and immortality” (p. 230).

I love the logic of that passage. It affirms that disease can’t be a fixed fact of the universe. If it were, as Mrs. Eddy says, there’d be no hope of trying to cure it. On the other hand, no one tries to cure health.

If we buy into the commonly accepted view of life as being in and of matter, we are bound to believe in the reality of disease. When we thoroughly understand that life is completely spiritual, we naturally recognize matter and its associated maladies as unreal. Essentially, the fixed fact of God’s allness means that nothing but God’s creation can be known as the reality.

I had an experience years ago that illustrates this concept. I had just graduated from college, and a close friend from high school came to visit me. It was during college that I had first learned of Christian Science, and I had already experienced several notable physical healings through prayer. My friend expressed interest in what I had been learning.

One night during his stay, he mentioned a splinter in his hand that had been there for some time, causing his hand to become swollen. He asked if the kind of prayer taught in Christian Science could heal something like that. I said yes, and told him I would be happy to pray for him in the way I had been learning. He accepted my offer, and we both retired to our rooms for the night.

That night, I didn’t try to mentally fix a physical problem. I simply got quiet and reflected on the many wonderful qualities I admire in my friend. Based on what I’d been learning in Christian Science, I saw those qualities as his real identity as a child of God and dismissed anything counter to that, including a painful splinter. I recall reading a passage or two from Science and Health, feeling at peace, and then going to sleep.

The next day, my friend told me that the splinter was gone and that his hand was no longer sore or swollen. He and I were impressed by and grateful for this demonstration of spiritual healing.

Sometimes it takes a substantial transformation of thought to be able to truly see a problem as a simple counterfeit. But regardless of what needs healing, what’s true about God and His image is eternal fact. When we align our thinking with the truth of being that has been brought to light by Christ Jesus’ teachings and healings and Christian Science, our experience naturally conforms to the standard of divine reality, including health.

Adapted from an article published in the April 10, 2023, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.