Mary Baker Eddy makes the point that Truth is real, and error is unreal; and that this fact is the most important to understand. In fact, she says that it is the point one would most
reluctantly admit. What this means is that evil in all its forms is unreal and non-existent. It has no
support in Truth and is deceptive.
All that God makes is spiritual, perfect, and eternal, hence real. Sin, sickness, and death are therefore unreal because they were not created by God. However, Christian Science does not teach that evil should be ignored, but that the understanding of its unreality helps us to destroy it in Science.
How is this done? Since evil is unreal, it has no power and is merely a false belief. God, Truth,
does not know evil, and so we are taught in Christian Science to turn away from the error of
belief and exchange it for the spiritual truth that destroys it. For instance, if we are in pain, we know that God didn’t create it so it is powerless and unreal.
We then turn to God and realize the truth of our unity with Him: man, you, and everyone, is
the image and likeness of God, Spirit, in whom all being is painless and permanent. We cling to
this truth and prove that pain is unreal for the truth restores harmony.
Because evil seems real to human beings, we are required to grapple with it, to handle it. The
more spiritually-minded we are, the easier it is to prove its nothingness; but only those who
are living a Christlike life, though, can prove the unreality of evil. Therefore, the sinner can take
no comfort in the fact that evil is unreal.
Cited Sources:
Bible:
James 4:7; Matt 5:43-45
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: