must be taken unquestionably as authority. It is, in this respect, different from most religious systems of the world. Its students are not asked to believe anything that they cannot logically demonstrate to be true. Thus, it is the only system of religion before the people today that, because of its universal appeal to the pure reason in man, can be accepted and applied by every nation under the sun.
Christian, or Gentile--In the New Testament symbology Christian typifies the spiritual and Gentile the material.
church--The word church is derived from a Greek word meaning "the Lord's house." The individual's consciousness is his "Lord's house," and assembled within it are groups or aggregations of ideas (thought centers). The spiritualized will carries to the different "churches" (thought centers) the word of Truth and builds them up into a knowledge of their perfection and divinity by training them in spiritual thinking.
church of Christ--Spiritual consciousness, first individual, then collective. In the general usage the word church applies to persons who have been "born anew" (John 3:3) through the quickening power of the word, gathered together in one body, their union being typified by the human body.
Jesus never organized a church on earth; neither did He authorize anyone else to do so. He said to Peter, "Upon this rock I will build my church" (Matt. 16:18). He did not tell Peter that he was to be the head of the church, with a line of popes to follow. He said, "I will build my church" (ecclesia, assembly, or called-out ones). Jesus is still the head of His "assembly," and its only organization is in Spirit. He gave but one guide, one source from which His followers should receive their inspiration: "The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you" (John 14:26).
circulation, spiritual--The inner stream of life, substance, and intelligence flowing freely through the entire being.
circumcision--Symbolical of the cutting off of mortal tendencies; indicative of purification and cleanliness under divine law. Circumcision is fulfilled in its spiritual meaning by the freeing of the individual from the law of sin and death. "Circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter" (Rom. 2:29).
clairvoyance--"The power of discerning objects not present to the senses but regarded as having objective reality" (Webster). Intuitive perception; clear vision. Everything that takes place in the world of manifestation first takes place in the realm of thought. If one is spiritually quickened to the measure that he can discern the thought movements, he can gain a foreknowledge of what is about to occur.
coats of skins--The body of flesh. Man was connected originally with the spiritual-body idea, but when he took on personal consciousness he was given "coats of skins," which, under divine law, corresponded with the quality of his thought world. When spiritual thought becomes supreme in consciousness, the coats of skins will give way to the manifestation of the spiritual body, which is the immortal body that was spoken of by Paul.
coat without seam--The "coat . . . without seam," which the soldiers did not separate, represents the great unified doctrine of Truth that Jesus left (John 19:23). (see vesture of Jesus)
cocreator, man with God--"My Father worketh even until now, and I work" (John 5:17). God creates in the ideal, and man carries out in the manifest world what God has idealized. Jesus treats this relation between the Father and the Son in the 5th chapter of The Gospel According to John: "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, the Son also doeth in like manner" (John 5:19).
Comforter, the--The Holy Spirit, the only authorized interpreter of the gospel of Jesus; He who gives comfort and cheer and reveals the Truth of God to us.
commandments--Having to do with the law or the orderly working out of divine principles. Moses represents the "Thou shalt not" phase of law; Jesus represents the "Thou shalt" phase of law.
commandments, to keep His--This is to command, to control, and to direct every thought according to the harmonious law of love one to another.
communion--Sharing the deep aspirations of our heart with the indwelling Father and hearing His "still small voice" (I Kings 19:12).
communion, kept secret--There are times when it is to our own spiritual benefit and to God's glory to keep things concealed and, like Mary, to ponder them in our heart until due time for expression. There are joys of the Spirit that are secret between a man and his Lord. One feels a sense of condemnation and depletion if he talks too freely about his communion with the Lord.
companionship--Association of those who are in divine harmony. This perfect fellowship is best found by those who practice quiet communion with God.
compass, points of the--In scriptural symbology east means the within, which is spiritual; west, the without, which is expression; north, the above, or intellect; south, the below, or physical.
compassion, divine--In the heart of God exists an eternal tenderness and mercy for His children. "Jehovah is gracious, and merciful" (Psalms 145:8).
compassion, human--A characteristic of love and mercy prompted by an understanding heart. A compassionate mind sees the error, but does not condemn. "Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more" (John 8:11).
compensation, law of--The order under which one receives just remuneration. The law of compensation is universal and not subject to personal demands. If the mind is turned toward man as one's recompense, it is turned away from divine law.
concentration--A thought center; a nucleus of faith or spiritual confidence. The centering of the attention on a particular idea. Concentration forms a mental loadstone in the mind to which thought substance rushes like iron filings to a magnet, bringing the forces, whether mental or physical, to a common purpose.
conception--Power of forming ideas in substance; the embodiment of an idea.
condemnation, dangerous--According to Webster, condemn means "to pronounce to be wrong." There is always a cause for every mental tangent, and that which would kill the sense man, root and branch, has its point of departure from the line of harmony in the thought of condemnation. In John the Baptist it seemed a virtue, in that he condemned his own errors, but this led to his condemnation of Herod, through which action he lost his life. We are to learn from this that condemnation is a dangerous practice.
conditions, evil--In Divine Mind there is no recognition of evil conditions. Such conditions have no basis of reality. To rid ourselves of any appearance of evil, let us change our thought at once and begin to build a consciousness that knows nothing but good. Let us affirm: "I am a child of the Absolute. God is good, and I am His perfect child. Everything that comes into my life is good."
conqueror--Metaphysically, one who attains mastery over sense consciousness. "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37).
conscience--There is a divine goodness at the root of all existence. It is not necessary to give in detail the place of abode of each sentient part of this central goodness, for it is there, wherever you look, and whenever you look. No man is so lowly but that at the touch of its secret spring this divine goodness may be brought to light in him. This goodness sleeps in the recesses of every mind and comes forth when least expected. Many stifle it for years, maybe for ages, but eventually its day comes, and there is a day of reckoning. This is the law of universal balance--the equilibrium of Being. It cannot be put aside with transcendental philosophies or metaphysical denials any more than it can be smothered in the forces of the blind passions.
Whoever has felt the prick of conscience has been spoken to by the Holy Spirit. Whoever has sat at the feet of his own inner convictions has been aware of God's presence.
conscience, accusing--A state of mind that refuses to remit past sins and keeps one in a state of self-condemnation and remorse.
conscious mind--The mind that makes one know of one's mental operations and states of consciousness; that phase of mind in which one is actively aware of one's thoughts. The mind through which man establishes his identity.
consciousness--The sense of awareness, of knowing. The knowledge or realization of any idea, object, or