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The Bulletin Board is for gratitude for Christian Science and the Church, as well as timely excerpts from the Bible, the works of Mrs. Eddy, and the early workers that help and encourage. We are very grateful for all posts that conform to these guidelines, but will edit or remove anything that the Practitioners feel is not in complete accord with pure Christian Science or in any way disrespectful of it.
We also ask that you keep your postings as concise as possible. If you quote the Bible, please use The King James Version, as this is what Mrs. Eddy used. Thank you!
The different degrees of i.a.m. which are still a belief of a power aside from God. Many years ago I was diagnosed by medical doctors for a severe ‘label’/malady of inhaling mold from moldy cow feed and told I might die from it and there was nothing that could be done. I resorted to ‘pretending’ that the issue didn’t exist which never resulted in a cure! Mrs. Eddy explains emphatically in S&H 446:31 “Ignorance of the error to be eradicated oftentimes subjects you to its abuse.” What was amazing is that 30 years of various degrees of suffering from this ‘label’ disappeared upon coming into Christian Science, not specifically seeking help for it, but through the Truth acquired from daily study. That is what Mrs. Eddy means when she says that God’s healing is not miraculous but “supremely natural!” (does seem that way when one hadn’t known better)
After unreservedly committing to Christian Science I discovered how far the csbod had diverged from Mrs. Eddy’s true Science I wasn’t shocked (had experienced many failed organizations already aside from the medical!) but that knowledge and still ignorant of true Science left me stuck in the whims of i.a.m. Once I began to submerse myself into the earlier CS Journal Bound Volumes and writings, started attending all that this Plainfield Church has to offer in classes etc. things have become a whole lot more scientific for me but still not being as useful to “the healing of the nations” as I need to be I felt somehow I still wasn’t handling a.m. well enough, still a level of ignorance.
The way malicious animal magnetism was explained during the Study made me realize that I was believing this organized maliciousness aimed at the likes of Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy to destroy their ability to share God’s Word was beyond my ability to resist. In Truth, the same porter, God, at the door of my consciousness prevents me from accepting either ignorant or malicious animal magnetism as real:)
” John Adams: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” ” Over the years I’ve come to recognize that is so true. One can have a lawyer written, duly filed contract, but only as valid as the parties involved. All the layers of dross laid upon the Constitution allow immoral people to not live up to their end of the bargain because too many times the people with the most money win in court through attrition. Or one wins in court and the offending party has all their assets in a spouses name. This happened while farming when a very brazen individual completely in the open was selling used silos and never delivering, to more farmers than just me. The state police, FBI, state attorney general, all refused to enforce the law that we won in court. After entering Christian Science had a buyer default on my wife’s property. Using prayer to the best of my ability with positive results. Glory to God always; when used as taught in Christian Science. (Through all the litigation she was unjustly dragged into, by listening to God, Mary Baker Eddy always told her lawyers the RIGHT thing to do!!)
And Mrs. Eddy was equally absolutist: “The thunder of Sinai [the Ten Commandments] and the Sermon on the Mount are pursuing and will overtake the ages, rebuking in their course all error and proclaiming the kingdom of heaven on earth.” (SH 174.) Mrs. Eddy was definitely absolutist in being able to discern the Spirit of God’s Word.
After decades of rejecting the too-prevalent concept of an anthropomorphic god and thankfully, finally being introduced to Christian Science and the REAL GOD; the exchange between Christ Jesus and Peter mentioned from John 21 made no sense to me when I first read it. Thankfully during class instruction we were taught how to use Strong’s Concordance to understand better through the use of the original Hebrew and Greek words the Scriptures were written in (see below). This showed me that Christ Jesus and Peter were speaking on different levels of consciousness. In my arrogance I’d think; “How could Peter being with Jesus so much not understand what he was saying?” Well………. now I humbly discover a different aspect: that after all these years of CS study and participating here at the Plainfield Church, even though I have thought I was having Spiritual understanding, I’ve been very stuck in the world’s material language. So now I get it; I’m like Peter, some of us just have a more difficult time learning the true language of Spirit, regardless of good intentions and no lack of desire!
Now my focus has become with the patient help of my practitioner and the Plainfield classes, to ‘convert’ to Spiritual receptivity and thus thinking first; because even a little bit of this now gives the Bible and Mrs. Eddy’s writings so much more sense to me:)
S&H Glossary:
LAMB OF GOD. The spiritual idea of Love; self-immolation; innocence and purity; sacrifice.
SHEEP. Innocence; inoffensiveness; those who follow their leader.
Strong’s Concordance:
Love, lovest,(original Greek word’s used and their ‘degree’ of love)
Phileo: to be a friend, to be fond of, having affection(personal attachment)
Agapao: to love in a moral sense (internet def.; as God Loves)
John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (agapao) thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love (Phileo) thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (agapao)thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love (phileo) thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (phileo) thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest (phileo) thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love (phileo) thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
(For all the variations of the word love; love, loved, loveth, etc. there are about 13 different levels/nuances thereof.)
Thanks for this post.
“dissimulation among statesmen is sometimes regarded as a necessary vice, or as no vice at all.
ABHOR
1. To hate extremely, or with contempt; to loathe, detest or abominate.”
“dissimulation” under any circumstance is dishonesty and not of God. Unfortunate that it is accepted as normal behavior by too many when the only right thing is to “abhor” it!!
“Father, let my unselfed love for the world be without opinion, human goodness, or false appearances. Allow me to recognize the workings of animal magnetism, and to be instant in impersonally handling it, and to never be mesmerized to believe it has power, presence, or lasting effect. Help me to feel and understand my oneness with You and Your ideas, and to fully experience the beauty and wonder of your creation with joy and gratitude!”
All of God’s creation holding to this beautiful prayer IS Christian Science and cures the false ‘need’ of dissimulation!!
Thanks for sharing Watch 120:) What I believe I’m realizing is that All is easy to Spirit. So my past though fraught with discord and dismay was the only consciousness I knew and no way out of it. Christian Science has showed the ‘Way’ out into the consciousness of the ‘new man’ but that only can happen through spiritual consciousness coming first. Truly it takes digging out ALL of the sand my consciousness was built upon and replacing it with rock (God). 2 Sam. 22:47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. Psalm 94:22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
“We were instructed recently that this type of thinking pollutes the world. If I could see the pollution of these thoughts would I prefer this to the beauty of God’s creation?”
A person in the milk business once stated; “The solution to pollution is dilution.” In other words when a milk processing company received a load of contaminated milk they didn’t pay the farmer that caused the issue and then turned around and still used the contaminated milk by diluting it to where the contamination tested under ‘the legal limit!'(still adultery!!) So true that wrong thinking pollutes the world so then obviously the solution to pollution is divine Mind, correct thinking. The solution for all of societies ‘pollution/ills’ is abiding by true, Christian Science Principles.
Thanks for Plainfields’ teachings, watches, and this post!
In working at correcting my way of thinking I have found great help from this Bible verse which ties in with your post, thank you very much:
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Thank you, so beautifully stated!! If I’d read this first it would have saved writing what I did on the other thread!!
For me there is always the nuances that are difficult when translating human words into explaining the meaning of God’s Spirit Word. When young and going through tough times (when comparing to classmates in school for example [and having no clue what they were going through but looked better than my situation from the outside]) and the loss of many favorites through ‘accidents,’ I decided the solution was not to love anymore because it was too painful!? Christian Science has shown me that it was painful because it was the false, human personal (Rule for Motives and Acts) sense of Love. Very selfish. While it has been a struggle to become as ‘God Loves’ it is well worth it. I Love my parents better now than when I ‘loved’ them as a child for what they ‘gave’ me but their reward was more cravings on my part and too much disobedience from my material acts even though quite well behaved from the ‘material view.’ By striving to Love my Mother-Father God first I feel I love others better and more productively while am constantly being accused of being un-loving due to not going through some of the ‘human love’ which when from the wrong motive is unfortunately malpractice on my part. So I feel my Love for my parents today though they ‘passed’ many years ago is now a blessing to all of us and feel at peace though their were what I viewed at the time as great verbal fights for ‘survival’ with my dad.
So grateful for Christian Science that I have evolved to this point and now need to apply it to the rest of the universe including myself.
To me that hating phrase is reversed in a sense because the Love that both Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy poured forth was so pure and fruitful to all just being in the world somewhere with them(!!) that how could it be seen as ‘hate’ by many which is what was mostly poured upon them in return?
Thanks for the question and the responses:)
Thank you for this accurate definition of ‘rock!’ How do we know it is correct? The Bible states the following;
Deuteronomy 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
Some items from the Blue Book as we digest our feast;
p. 269 Digestion is harmonious action. Assimilation is unity of ideas. Nutrition is life.
p. 196 Bread of Heaven: that which nourishes, and sustains.
Wow, thanks for sharing this!!
It always fascinates me how God unfolds things. Last week a friend recommended an article for me to read. I tracked down the CSJ volume it was in and went into the storage area where I keep the bound volumes. I noticed that for some reason on top of a box was a copy of Lyman P. Powell’s Mary Baker Eddy: A Life Size Portrait. I thought maybe I was thinking that I intended to store it with the Peel book’s I’d had; in the recycling bin. But I left it there and now have an incentive to take a closer look at this book and know why I never threw it away!! Thank you very for this and all the wonderful items that come to you and which you share so graciously.
Thank you for this instructive post.
What I find fascinating is how the Bible warns us of coming calamities if we continue in wrong thinking in opposition to God’s Word as given in the Bible. Yet most forms and sects of ‘Christianity’ don’t acknowledge that wrong thinking has bad results because so far as I know of, only Christian Science through Mary Baker Eddy’s teaching not only tells us it does; but also that it is our responsibility to do something proactive about it.
Taking care of our ‘own little space’ is doing much; we have to start somewhere. I’m grateful for many testimonies from the members of this church on “peace be still” and the positive outcomes when applied to predictions or experiences of bad weather. I’ve also experienced the harmonizing effects of prayer in regards to inclement weather and in the past disappointment that this prayer didn’t dissipate the belief of the whole storm. So I work to be grateful for all positive results and to do better ‘next time’:) And follow our Leader better by strengthening my faith.
Mrs. Eddy addresses this in Miscellany p. 292:
My answer to the inquiry, “Why did Christians of every sect in the United States fail in their prayers to save the life of President McKinley,” is briefly this: Insufficient faith or spiritual understanding, and a compound of prayers in which one earnest, tender desire works unconsciously against the modus operandi of another, would prevent the result desired. In the June, 1901, Message to my church in Boston, I refer to the effect of one human desire or belief unwittingly neutralizing another, though both are equally sincere.
In the practice of materia medica, croton oil is not mixed with morphine to remedy dysentery, for those drugs are supposed to possess opposite qualities and so to produce opposite effects. The spirit of the prayer of the righteous heals the sick, but this spirit is of God, and the divine Mind is the same yesterday, today, and forever; whereas the human mind is a compound of faith and doubt, of fear and hope, of faith in truth and faith in error.The knowledge that all things are possible to God excludes doubt, but differing human concepts as to the divine power and purpose of infinite Mind, and the so called power of matter, act as the different properties of drugs are supposed to act — one against the other — and this compound of mind and matter neutralizes itself.
Psalm 103:1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.”
S&H 307:25 “The divine Mind is the Soul of man, and gives man dominion over all things.”
I’m so grateful for Christian Science and it’s true teachings.
My mother passed on 25 years prior to me coming to giving Science a try. I understood nothing about life or death and botched the whole experience from even a material point of view!! Gratefully Mrs. Eddy’s explications and sharing of her experience changed my whole understanding. I realized my mother did all, laid down her life in material view for her three children, and through all times sacrificed for our happiness so why would she want us sad after she ‘passed?’ I also understand that I conduct my life daily following precepts that she lived as an example, so we’re never separated even if I would try to be!!
I’m so overwhelmed with gratitude for those in this Plainfield Christian Science Church Independent that have ‘experienced passing and stayed’ in this conscious state and so willingly and graciously and candidly share their experience with the rest of us. What they say is so in ‘tune’ with the teachings of Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy that they serve to build upon each others as proof of God’s Law of Eternal Life:)
Thank you for this lesson on “to plenish.” It is amazing how understanding a word can so enhance the meaning of a concept. Long ago I researched dominion; sovereignty, control, protectorate; (beautiful when under God as I’ve always taken it to be in Gen. 1!) and dominate which tends to usually be human control.
I never really took note here of “replenish” which tied to “dominion” shows we should replace if not have more in the end than what we used!! This gives me such a better goal than simply ‘waste not’ and ‘recycle!’
In last Sunday’s Roundtable I noticed something I’d missed in the past that in’the multiplication of the loaves and fishes’ Christ Jesus points out that in one instance there were “twelve” extra baskets of bread and in the other instance “seven.” No accident and points to completeness of God’s goodness:)
It makes me think of a pot of chili (or other food of our choice); the first day it tastes really good:) But for some reason (God) it seems to taste even better having the leftovers the next day!!
Great !! Thanks for mentioning JSH Online, an oversight on my part, if one has that one doesn’t need the “Ark.”
Years ago, shuttling family around I had some time waiting for them so after the shopping was done and I had some spare time to use up I’d go to my church and began looking at some of the Journals from the 1800s. I was so amazed at what I found; it was a different language (highly spiritual and to the point) than ‘current day’ writing. When my local CS Society closed, through the grace of God I was able to finagle the bound volumes because we were talking about potentially renting a place to keep our group together and I wanted to preserve the precious volumes for posterity, ironically no one else saw value in them. I remember reading “An Allegory” which I had read in “Prose Works” already and finding it altered in wording so then read them side by side. The meaning was the same but I understood the wordings better in one or the other which I found fascinating because I could understand better what Mrs. Eddy was saying.
Frank E. Mason did a number of Bible Studies that are extremely profound and I concluded from the depth of Mrs. Eddy’s “Genesis” and “The Apocalypse” that he had learned from her how to glean the spiritual import out of the Bible. Now attending Plainfield’s Bible Studies and Roundtables one not only learns a lot from each discussion but also the methods of using commentaries, 1828 Webster Dictionary, and all the other resources to understand better (“Key to the Scriptures”) those spiritual gems as we read on our own.
If one doesn’t have a reading room close by (or if they don’t have the bound volumes anymore since they’re ‘just old’) there are some at different times for sale on Ebay. There is so much incredible spiritual information even if one had only one bound volume I’m sure one could mine it for years and still learn fresh things daily!! Also Longyear Museum has “Arkpublication” computer programs which have the important years 1883 to around 1920. If a limited budget but still want to purchase, buy the earliest ones you can find because Mrs. Eddy was the editor for the first couple years and was better able to pay closer personal attention to content when the movement was a bit smaller:)
All ‘jobs’ or ‘walks of life’ are demanding if done morally and correctly. It took a while to figure out that growing up on a farm i was taught little things gradually over time with new things added when earlier lessons were perfected. When hiring an adult who hadn’t grown up on a farm; even the ‘simplest’ thing such as interacting with a new species of animal (in this case cows) was baffling to the most ‘intelligent’ newbies. Sometimes that seemed better than an experienced hired hand because they usually wanted to do things ‘their way’ that they were familiar with. So when I milked cows for a neighbor I tried to imitate ‘their way’ of milking because that’s what the cows were used to.
Coming to Christianity later in life I materially am clinging to what I’m familiar with; human thought. Even more difficult than overcoming my incorrect concept I had of Christianity is the ‘skewed’ version of Christian Science that is practiced by those who don’t follow our Leader correctly. Essentially at the present time I’m trying to drop human concepts and be at-one with God, now I see why those poor folks I hired in the past were so confused because that’s what human thought does to us:(
I do enjoy hearing testimonies from Scientists who work among people or in offices because that’s where I find it the most difficult to listen to God. When I’m doing ‘physical’labor’ out in nature I find it much easier to be at-one with Him.
1 Sam. 17:40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
CSJ Sept. 1889 Christian Science Bible Lesson by Frank E. Mason p.318
In the moment of greatest peril a David appears to free us from the senses’ thraldom. Goliath is the personified expression of one of the five personal senses, a giant who defies the manifestation of the senses supernal. (He was one of five brothers.) These false witnesses must be destroyed by us. We must “work out our own salvation.” Collectively, and using worldly weapons, we are powerless.
p.320
V. 40 : “And he took his staff in his hand,” etc, his support is God. “Five stones ” from the brook. pure thoughts; — Divine logic, — “Out of the brook,” type of the river of life. SCIENCE AND HEALTH the river of Life to humanity. “Shepherd’s bag or scrip,” receptive thought. “Sling was in his hand.” Understanding of Truth. “Hand,” power. “Drew near to the Philistine.” Truth advances on error. To gain eternal life aggressive warfare necessary, until Evil is subdued and its place filled with Truth.
p.321
V. 49: “And David put his hand in his bag,” etc. Divine logic (stone) culled from SCIENCE AND HEALTH impelled with understanding (“sling”) fells to the earth the claim of intelligence (“head”) in matter. Personified expressions of evil drop to the earth, shutting out the identity (“face “) of materialism. Deprive evil of its supposed intelligence, and the giants that loom before us will fall. Although evil encase itself with the armor of deception so that the very elect are seduced, yet the forehead is always exposed.
“senses supernal” were discussed last Roundtable appearing in S&H 298:13. An article “The Five Wise Virgins” (CSJ March 1890 p.587) stated it like this: “SHORTLY after I began work in Christian Science, it came to me that the five wise virgins are the five Spiritual senses : intuition, hope, faith, understanding, and fruition. SCIENCE AND HEALTH, p. 206, 40th edition”
In reading this post once again this morning;”the liberation of Christianity – and Christian Science in particular – from antichrist captivity.” forced me to think how much more diligent I need to be not to stray from Mrs. Eddy’s pure Christian Science as taught here in Plainfield. The theme of the correct “clothes” and the correct “temple” brings to mind more from Zecharia:
Zech. 8:20 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: 21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
Beautiful post thank you very much:)
“The two olive trees (or “witnesses”) in Zechariah’s vision also prefigure the two greatest adversaries of the antichrist in history: Jesus and Mrs. Eddy, understood impersonally.” Explained in Zech. 4:11-14
Beautiful, thanks for sharing:)
Thanks for these posts. I can see why this ‘order’ was turned into a material act of attaching notes of prayer to the body because even when I write myself a note for the day when the going gets tough I forget to pull out the Word of God to get me back on track by “lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul.”
These posts opened my eyes to this in Proverbs that I read this morning which helps me understand better where and how to integrate this into practice:
Pro. 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
“When walking, we are guided by the eye. We look before our feet, and if we are wise, we look beyond a single step in the line of spiritual advancement.” S&H 429:7
Something I learned teaching skiing which I found later applied to all sports was that keeping ones chin and eyes’up’ greatly enhances balance and secondly enables one to see what is going on around oneself to separate the ‘safe’ places from the treacherous ones. Skiing with a mentor once I fell. He asked me if I knew why and I stated I’d crossed my skis. His answer was “you looked at that piece of wood when you went past it instead of keeping your eyes up!” Keeping ones gaze up one can see where ones footsteps are being placed without losing the big picture. So I trained myself if I looked down at an obstacle if needed to as quickly as possible raise my eyes.
I’m trying to apply that now to my spiritual path; keep my eyes on God to keep my balance rather than dwelling in Ps. 91:8 “Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.” It is most helpful once I ‘see’ the error to get my eyes (spiritual and thus mind) back to God quickly. Most grateful for Plainfield’s teaching that has brought this to my attention and the consistent reminders during our classes.
It’s still a work in progress: “We must begin, however, with the more simple demonstrations of control, and the sooner we begin the better. The final demonstration takes time for its accomplishment.” S&H 429:4 Thank you Mary Baker Eddy!!
Thanks for sharing those definitions.
“I appreciate more Christ Jesus’ love for children” “as the innocence of a child.”
I agree completely and have noticed how much Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy refer these attributes to children so have gone to the Glossary in Science and Health to compare ‘sheep’ and ‘lambs.’
590:9 LAMB OF GOD. The spiritual idea of Love; self-immolation; innocence and purity; sacrifice.
I LOVE “The spiritual idea of Love” in particular and need to become more of a lamb:)
Thanks for these posts. It struck me that in this story as in the ‘sentencing’ of Jesus, the highest authority in the land can be tricked into doing the wrong thing, against their own judgement by evil doers operating under mesmeric influences.
I hadn’t noticed in previous reading of this story of Daniel that at least in this case Darius ‘fasted’ all night. Even if he wasn’t able to understand maybe the absolute best way to pray at least he repented over his part in the wrongdoing and though trapped in a law not of God did his best to make amends.
I had noticed in the story of Zachariah when he burned the incense in the temple the whole congregation was outside also praying.
Those are two examples of the power of ‘Unity Watches’ 🙂
The ‘hem of Truth’s garments’ derives from the priests having worn white robes with a ‘hem’ of purple which they touched or grasped while in prayer. Seeing the power of Christ Jesus to heal, many wanted to touch the hem of his garment knowing they would be healed (though not formal priest’s clothing or purple) and did so with great results:)
Mrs. Eddy states we can come to God through Science or suffering. Fortunately what appears to be suffering when we choose Science gives us “the constant pressure of the apostolic command to come out from the material world and be separate.” S&H 451:2
S&H citation 7. 133 : 8-15
In Egypt, it was Mind which saved the Israelites from belief in the plagues. In the wilderness, streams flowed from the rock, and manna fell from the sky. The Israelites looked upon the brazen serpent, and straightway believed that they were healed of the poisonous stings of vipers. In national prosperity, miracles attended the successes of the Hebrews; but when they departed from the true idea, their demoralization began.
This citation struck me at how well the Israelites responded to the ‘pressure’ of slavery which forced them to demonstrate God’s All-ness. After God and His appointed prophet Moses graciously led them out of Egypt, it seems like the ‘freedom’ to choose their path led to much complaining and rebellion towards their liberators. The Israelites should have joined them gratefully to “renounce aggression, oppression and the pride of power.” S&H 451:4
Helps me to realize why it is mentioned so often during our classes at Plainfield, to be grateful. This something I need to do better, be grateful for having come this far even if the going appears difficult at times because it sure beats the bondage I was in before Christian Science was introduced to me and there was NO hope of ever escaping!!
That is wonderful. In the past I had researched the significance of the ‘right hand.’ What I learned was that the right hand was considered ‘dominant’ and thus synonymous with power; as used in this case God’s INFINITE POWER. Thanks for pointing out how ‘close’ that is to all of us:)
A beautiful example of what we discussed this weekend about the protection of God vs. ‘protection’ of things material. Isaiah kept his faith in God and Hezekiah kept his faith in God and saved Jerusalem. Sennacherib trusted in his ultimate ‘gated community’ and didn’t even save himself!!
In the past (I hope) I was very hypocritical of Christians who appear very hypocritical. After the number of years here participating at Plainfield and all the classes on how to do things correctly, I’ve come to the point where I realize that rather than “retard (my) their spiritual progress by refusing to take the next step” I’m capable of being grossly ignorant of applying what I’m learning to take the next step. Thus why ‘forgiveness’ is such an important trait because while holding a critical view of my fellow generic man I exhibit those very traits (hypocrisy in this case).
This citation from our Lesson Sermon sums up my mental state as Mrs. Eddy has the ability to always, universally do:
6. 263 : 1-20
Mortals are egotists. They believe themselves to be independent workers, personal authors, and even privileged originators of something which Deity would not or could not create. The creations of mortal mind are material. Immortal spiritual man alone represents the truth of creation.
When mortal man blends his thoughts of existence with the spiritual and works only as God works, he will no longer grope in the dark and cling to earth because he has not tasted heaven. Carnal beliefs defraud us. They make man an involuntary hypocrite, — producing evil when he would create good, forming deformity when he would outline grace and beauty, injuring those whom he would bless. He becomes a general mis-creator, who believes he is a semi-god. His “touch turns hope to dust, the dust we all have trod.” He might say in Bible language: “The good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”
Thankfully with all that is shared here such as the above Journal article is providing me ways of ‘rolling away the stone’ which has seemed to be entombing my thought. Grateful to finally learn which part of the ‘walls of my tomb’ is the stone that needs to be and the only thing that can be rolled away:)
Thank you for this post:)
“This is part of a quote from our Thursday Unity Watch. I believe that the so called action at our southern border is modern day animal magnetism that must be held in check and divine Love is the only real solution. Innocent minds CANNOT be controlled by evil forces to cause chaos and divide our country. WE ARE ONE NATION UNDER GOD!”
This Unity Watch is very powerful as is this post. In prep for the Bible Study I’ve been reading several ‘obscure’ items so I’m not giving the source but I read the following (paraphrase). Since this nation was built on Christian Principle (thus the birthplace of Christian Science which is God’s biblical Word brought to human understanding), our Nation MUST lead all nations in expressing Christian Science to lead into “the healing of the nations” Rev. 22:2. Since we gloriously received Christian Science first I guess we must live and demonstrate it first also so that the whole world becomes one Christian Nation.
I had a memory this morning when I woke up which I haven’t thought of in years. I couldn’t think why until opening up the Forum so maybe it was something I should share: When I had just entered my teens I had to do all the milking of the cows on our farm. Our herd was depleted through mismanagement and my father bought a herd of 15 cows that were to be milked for the first time. The poor animals must have been grossly mistreated because I got kicked thousands of times training them to milk because they were so ‘spooked.’ My sister and I eventually took over sole ownership of the farm and we poured nothing but kindness onto these animals. Ten years later the surviving members of the original 15 would still kick me if I didn’t announce I was going to step next to her and startled her while the first generation and all following offspring were perfectly loving and peaceful. I used the word ‘kindness’ because I have learned in Christian Science that the only thing that could have changed those 15 is divine Love which we knew nothing about.
This lead me to view this saga completely different than I ever have before. Under scientific Principles we would have had our own ‘supply’ and not needed to buy outsiders; my sister and I raised our animals from birth knowing that with proper treatment and training we wouldn’t get kicked all the time two years later when they became milkers!! To this day we have no clue what the cows from that other ‘nation’ suffered through to be as they were but if they had been raised even vaguely with a smidgen of Christian Science they would have been completely different!
Our wonderful Nation’s greatest raw material and greatest export is Christian Science!! It may seem small on paper but I’m so grateful that there is at least one proof of what ‘exporting’ Christian Science can do today: the Plainfield Christian Science Church Independent.
I feel ‘new age’ is a compliment and testament to Mary Baker Eddy. As she states and subsequent discoveries of my own prove correct; over the years various Christian people (Martin Luther) or even denominations (Methodists) believed/had the ability to heal on ‘occasion’ rather than Scientifically as Christ Jesus did as well as Mary Baker Eddy for all of us today. Unfortunately Mrs. Eddy’s work brought out a whole ‘new age’ of counterfeiters who were lead astray by idolatry to splinter away from pure Christian Science (pure Christianity) even as they ‘borrowed light’ from this pure Science thus creating confusion.
One such splinter group was Unity whose initiator was healed through Christian Science. The Pentecostal denomination, began about 1900, is an example of a group from what I can see didn’t specifically begin with a straying Scientist but obviously was inspired by the revelation to this age which Mary Baker Eddy gave to mankind. Not only was Mrs. Eddy the first person in 2000 years to say Christ Jesus’ Way was the Word of God attainable to all mankind, but is also prophesied in the Bible as Jesus is.
Jeremy is just a lump of clay as taught in Jeremiah: God reforms us in the correct Way if we allow it which he has proven!
I tried making pottery in an adult course years ago. Though I greatly enjoyed it I didn’t have the immediate skill of the talented ones: my ‘creations’ came out thick walled, heavy, and clunky; well suited for boat anchors!! It was a joy to watch the instructor and others instantly take that same lump of clay up and down as they were inspired, into infinite graceful forms:)
Thanks for this post. “It is such a blessing how each lesson builds on the previous” applies to the Bible also. Reading this lesson daily I didn’t recognize how close the wording in Psalm 1 is to Revelation 22!! In the past I loved these items ‘separately’ but now can see them as the same Truth!!
Rev. 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Acts 5:30-32 King James Version (KJV)
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Deut.28:25,26 Paraphrasing: essentially one is cursed if not buried, left above ground.
Crucifixion was used as a weapon of terror by the Romans to control the people they had conquered and definitely for any threat, real or perceived, to their rule. Not only was it too bring an end to ‘material’opposition but also to prevent the possibility of an ‘afterlife’ so those crucified were to suffer eternal damnation.
Jesus not only proved the reality of eternal Life but also that Life overcomes the most degrading forms of treatment; even more so because not only was he innocent of any crime, but also his life was the highest example of pure Love and good. Small wonder even his disciples were shocked by the proof Jesus gave of eternal Life with his resurrection; even after his examples of raising the deceased. He proved that even the most powerful human government (animal magnetism represented by Rome) can’t overrule God’s Government.
Thank you for the point of why Jesus may have asked the question three times. It expanded my thought to also the three days Jesus spent in the tomb and the three days after Mary Baker Eddy’s fall, declared fatal by the doctors and her clergyman, when she was illumined with Christian Science and rose out of that false state of consciousness.
In the past this passage in the Bible was very confusing to me but I was then introduced to the importance of knowing what the original words in Greek mean, by checking in Strong’s Concordance or Biblehub.com. Peter perceived it as the same question three times. The ‘nuance’ of which form of ‘lovest’ used in Greek gets a little lost in English because Jesus asks the first two times if Peter ‘lovest’ (agape/charity Love) and Peter responds with with “I ‘love’ (phileo; closer to am fond of you and “denoting personal attachment’!!) thee.” The third time Jesus changes his question by using ‘phileo.’
These comments inspired a need for me to better understand ‘feed’ as used in this passage. The word ‘feed’ Jesus used the first and third times Strong’s defines as literally ‘feeding’ and also to ‘keep’ (“retain possession of”). The second time ‘feed’ is translated as “to tend as a shepherd”, “supervise,” “rule.”
From The Healner, The Healing Work of Mary Baker Eddy by David Keyston p.42:
A demonstration from about 1870 of Mrs. Eddy’s recounted by Mrs. Charles Slade. An emaciated, totally crippled man stopped at their door while Mrs. Eddy was there and she “gave him some scrip.” Mrs. Slade later saw the man completely healed. When Mrs. Eddy “asked by her students as to how she healed him, Mrs. Eddy simply said: “When I looked on that man, my heart gushed with unspeakable pity and prayer.””
Very nice post on the Christ Truth and Purity overcoming error. Since the money changers etc. in the Temple were actually working for the High Priest it signifies that Christ Jesus rebuked to nothingness the highest form of evil; “Wickedness in high places”!
For me this speaks of the constant battle between Spiritual sense and material sense. The anti Christ mentality of the Jews would seek to kill the Christ consciousness.
Originally due to the lack of proper teaching of the Bible and Jesus’s life; also ‘seeing’ more of the bad things religion has been used for than ‘knowing’ the Good things of God I didn’t have faith in the Truth. In about 15 years of Christian Science I’ve had a range of different degrees of understandings of God and Jesus based on my mis-understanding of Truth. Now I have no excuses left; I know enough Truth about them through ‘true teaching’ of Mary Baker Eddy and Plainfield to ‘kill’ any material idea that doesn’t add up to ‘God + anything = Perfection.’ As long as I let the material ideas (tares) grow, they kill my Christ-consciousness which Jesus was trying to impart to the listeners.
In S&H 167:3 Mrs. Eddy tells us; “If we rise no higher than blind faith, the Science of healing is not attained, and Soul-existence, in the place of sense-existence, is not comprehended. We apprehend Life in divine Science only as we live above corporeal sense and correct it. Our proportionate admission of the claims of good or of evil determines the harmony of our existence, — our health, our longevity, and our Christianity.
We cannot serve two masters nor perceive divine Science with the material senses.”
Sounds to me that both of you have had trials being “good” (small ‘g’ thus mortal basis) prior to learning at Plainfield. I’ve spent most of my life being on the opposite side of most conventional doctrines based on ‘moral’ principles (please note small’m’). From what you say being ‘good’ is a train wreck and I guarantee you from my own experience that being ‘moral’ is a huge train wreck. The solution is to simply reflect God’s Good and Moral Principles; something I’m still trying to figure out. Any time I start from ‘Moral’ things have a way of working out for good in spite of ‘me’ whereas when I start with ‘moral,’ well, hang on for the big crash:)
Thank you for defining ‘exemplification’ and then having it tied to ‘magnify.’ Thank you for your beautiful insight. Brought to mind an article which gives a beautiful description of ‘prism’ and ‘lens.’
“The truths of divine science are not interpolations of the scriptures, but redolent with love, they bring health and holiness to the whole human race; it only needs the prism of science to divide their rays, to bring out the entire hues of Deity, which scholastic theology has absorbed. The lens of spiritual truth magnifies the divine power to human sight and seeing, we then see the supremacy of Spirit, and the nothingness of matter to heal.” by Mary Baker Eddy, Bible Lessons, CSJ June 1885
Helped me to ‘see’ what it means to magnify the Lord.
“Remove mountains” Matthew Henry talks about that as removing mountains of guilt! A necessary thing to get to remove and beautiful to do so.
As I was looking at the forum, the heading “Lacking Fruit” jumped out at me with a rather startling thought; thank you very much!! The thought was that this tree wasn’t ‘sharing’ it’s fruits with those in need and that’s what Christ Jesus had against the religion of the day; they didn’t share the fruits of God and thus dried up and withered spiritually. Thanks for sharing!
John 20 :15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
Having read this who knows how many times, today it struck me how one word “Mary” uttered by Christ Jesus with the correct Spirit completely changed her perception of who she was talking to. Up until that point Mary being focused on other things didn’t recognize who she was talking to.
I need to ‘follow’ “Shepherd show me how to go” (by Mrs. Eddy) by ‘knowing’ the Christ from ‘strangers.’; John 10:4 “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”
In Strong’s Concordance the word pneuma, Greek translation, comes up when the word ‘spirit’ is used, all but 2 times in the New Testament. Some of the definition is: spirit, rational soul, divine principle, an angel, God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy Spirit, mind. So quoting Mrs. Eddy S&H 598:10-16 is the perfect illustration of that. Thank you very much!!
THANKS FOR THIS POST:) The first time I read this from Proverbs, “Her price is far above rubies,” even though not understanding the Bible very well I thought; “This represents Mary Baker Eddy.” This post just makes me feel that sentiment more strongly!!
Virtue also appears in conjunction with major healings by Christ Jesus so I looked up the definition in Strong’s KJV Concordance:
virtue dunamis: (miraculous) power, might, strength
Definition: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works.
From Strong’s KJV Bible Concordance
Zephaniah 3:13 remnant 3499 (From 3498) an overhanging, an excess, superiority, remainder
3498 to jut over or exceed, by implication to excel, to remain or be left, cause to abound, preserve
1 Kings 18:22 “even I only remain a prophet”
this usage remain is the same as remnant 3498 !!
I was wondering who would be considered a member of the remnant. Checking into the definitions from Strong’s Concordance it appears that there is a very high standard. As related above honesty is an important part of it so anyone who partakes in their efforts without that attribute evidently wouldn’t be a part of the ‘remnant.’
Reading “Love is the Liberator” January edition and the article “Christian Science, A Practical Religion” by C. W. Chadwick makes me realize I have to be positive that as part of being receptive I see Mary Baker Eddy positively correct!!
Quoted from the article: “you have not accepted Christian Science as the revealed Truth, but almost unconsciously are clinging to the belief that you really had an understanding of Truth before Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures was given to the world, and this is the very thought that admits a failure to understand the Scientific Statement of Being. This thought can only see Mrs. Eddy as a good woman personally, rather than in her true light as the inspired author of Science and Health, consequently you fail to discern the new idea, not having made room for it to come in.”
Be interesting to see if consciously paying attention to this shows that I unconsciously haven’t been ‘seeing’ Mary Baker Eddy, Christ Jesus, and God to a lower degree than I thought!
Paragraph #2 P.S. The whole article is very enlightening but a bit too long for this format. mpupko
Many times there are members of our family, or of our church, or people in our neighborhood, who are so satisfied with their present condition that the wisest thing we can do is to protect our own consciousness and allow the error to find its own self-destruction, while we calmly abide in the consciousness that nothing real, nothing good, can be destroyed or lost. When error has sufficiently destroyed itself in the consciousness of others through suffering, the time will come when they will be ready for the help which we can give them. It is well for us occasionally to utter a word of peace, a thought of Science; but if their behavior does not indicate that this thought of Science finds a place in their consciousness where it can rest without stirring up violent manifestations of error, the thing for us to do is to continue to dwell quietly in the ark of our consciousness of Truth. If, in our efforts to help them, we ourselves are dragged forth from the ark into the sea of error, much is lost to us and to them. While the prodigal chose to remain in the far country, “no man ministered unto him.” By these words Jesus seems to intimate quite clearly that to let them alone is the most effective treatment for those who are headstrong in error.
Thank you for the added illumination!
“The patient needs to be reached.” While I had enough powerful demonstrations once I learned of Christian Science; the biggest of which completely healed me (at least intellectually) of being an atheist. Despite my new found belief in God; the obvious place that Christ Jesus holds in the Bible, and gratefully enough intuition to know that Mary Baker Eddy also had a very high calling; somehow most of their Spirituality was still out of my reach.
I’m not alone because many other members of this Plainfield Christian Science Church Independent relate how they couldn’t accomplish much through Christian Science until coming to this church. Bliss Knapp and others relate how important it is to adhere to the Manual of the Mother Church which no one adheres to as closely as this church.
I now see to become receptive I had to first completely drop my incorrect view of God and Christianity. Now I believe I have to abandon all false ideas I had learned about Christian Science previously to move beyond the intellectual level, ‘the letter’. Thus take this glorious Truth, through divine Love, to consciousness and heart to be able to share this through it’s Spiritual basis.
Thank you for the additional info!! It caused me to look at the seraphim once again (have prayed and pondered about them quite a bit through reading this week’s Lesson:). This is the only place this word appears in the Bible.
Isaiah 6:3 “And one cried unto another,”
I was curious because to me ‘another’ is singular. Checking in Strong’s Concordance ‘another’ is 2088 (Hebrew translation) which is a rarer usage (in the Old Testament) of this word. This specific word is masculine but also derived from/associated with a feminine usage. It refers to a like/similar yet specific entity.
2088 is used also in Ps. 75:7 “But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”
There are a number of places where ‘two messengers’ appear in the Bible; always seems to me to be very ‘special’ messengers rather than exotic, mythical creatures just like Mrs. Eddy strikes down angels as merely, feathered winged beings. One example is two cherubim in the inner sanctum of the tabernacle Moses was directed to build Ex. 25:18 on either side of the ‘mercy seat.’
The covering of their faces and feet with their wings reminds me of Psalm 91:4 “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
Thanks for sharing!!
A couple of random items also from Matthew Henry’s explanation of Habakkuk;
When things look bad we are apt to aggravate them and make them worse.
When all is gone God is still here.
When we are full we enjoy God in all, when emptied and impoverished we can enjoy all in God.
Romans 1:18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Hmmm. Since I don’t hold to God’s Truth and righteousness 24/7; in those moments I’m not I’m obviously incurring God’s wrath from being disobedient and can blame only myself when things go bad! (exactly what most of the other posts are saying also)
Romans 1:20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
No excuses because I’m being taught at Plainfield to discern through motives. To ‘see’ things ‘spiritually’ through Christ consciousness, to divide ( divide as used in Gen. 1 means to COMPLETELY SEPARATE) the real, God’s creation, from everything that isn’t. Ok, I know more and more readily which is Truth of God so now I just have to stop believing (instead of pretending) in the un-real.
Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
So instead of blaming those around me I have to stay righteous because it will be a negative effect not only to those around me, but to the “children unto the third and fourth generation.” This week’s Lesson for me (thank you writer!!:) says as long as I wallow in the ‘old man’ I’m adding to the problem. This isn’t news to me because Plainfield practitioners and study sessions have pointed this out repeatedly. Writing this out has been helpful to me… if I don’t start practicing it better maybe I’ll have to write this out a hundred times or whatever it takes to do so!!
Thanks and gratitude to all who are so patiently helping me to grow into the ‘new man’ !
After reading this beautiful Lesson a couple of days I realized that the Angel in Rev.10 says to take the ‘little book’ and then do exactly what Mrs. Eddy did for three years as outlined above.
Thank you very much for these posts:)
Thank you also to the teaching here at Plainfield because in the past it seemed like all my studies and reading was with unseeing eyes. Once in a while I got enough of a glimpse to keep me going but now can better understand and apply Christian Science.
Too bad I didn’t have this level of consciousness when I did keep ‘aloof’ from the ‘other’ Christian Science and did a lot of reading on my own. But I’m grateful even for that because it shows how important ‘sharing’ God and Christian Science is; I couldn’t do it with understanding in a vacuum. Also reading the Bible and Mrs. Eddy’s writings with the correct desire is much and never a waste of time:)
When farming in New York state my family was ‘blessed’ with poor land and a short growing season. As we became more established and we joined an organization that came in and measured each cow’s production officially to help us manage our herd more efficiently, it was of interesting note that a large percentage of the top herds in two counties came from this ‘marginal’ (by material viewpoint) region. I always attributed this to the need for greater diligence needed to survive there. Now I realize that attention to detail is an attribute to become more at-one with God and that I have to develop this in my thinking far beyond what I did on the farm because my whole being depends upon God and nothing else:)
I am so grateful for this lesson and all the citations that God and Christ’s offspring come from all nations, all sects, all sexes, all religions, as long as they are righteous in reflecting God’s true attributes as discerned by Mary Baker Eddy and given to us in Christian Science! I’m grateful Mrs. Eddy could see Christ Jesus’ true teaching and that we have Plainfield Christian Science Church Independent in this day to show us all the ‘golden nuggets’ in the Bible and how to apply them to our daily lives:)
S&H 578:10 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for [LOVE] is with me; [LOVE’S]
rod and [LOVE’S] staff they comfort me.
When I posted the first, previous statement I had only studied Mary Baker Eddy’s interpretation of Psalm 23 which in her words “In the following Psalm one word shows, though faintly,the light which Christian Science throws on the Scriptures by substituting for the corporeal sense, the incorporeal or spiritual sense of Deity: — PSALM XXIII” because I felt there can be no better explanation of it. Afterwards I spent quite a bit of time looking for additional ideas in commentaries etc. and found only rather dark comments on this verse which once again proves that Mary Baker Eddy and Christ Jesus are to be the final authorities when it comes to interpreting the Bible!
God’s Truth truly annihilates false beliefs thus gives comfort:)
Thanks for clarifying the application of ‘anger’ and ‘disapproval.’ These nuances when not understood can seem like large contradictions and in the past when questioning about some of these instances never got satisfactory answers. How did I know they weren’t satisfactory? They didn’t ‘feel’ right which at the time I didn’t understand was actually ‘Spiritual intuition’ which I didn’t realize existed; had been taught forever out of the idea there IS God and He DOES communicate with us.
Heb. 1:9 “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;” Mrs. Eddy says is about the Christ. I still found it difficult to think it’s good for me to be ‘angry’ or ‘hate’ (since those were such a big part of my consciousness) the right things and I like this lesson on the proper ‘motives’ and ‘acts’ always are the defining point of all we do!!
Thank you once again for sharing your insightful exploration:)! I never thought of it in this specific way so this is great fun!! In the past I’ve tried to correlate specific days to specific Synonyms of God. I have my thoughts on it but conclude at this point they all correlate with each others in their own special ways.
Here is another definition from the Glossary;
DAY. The irradiance of Life; light, the spiritual idea of Truth and Love. “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Genesis i. 5.) The objects of time and sense disappear in the illumination of spiritual understanding, and Mind time according to the good that is unfolded. This unfolding is God’s day, and “there shall be no night there.”
From the 1883, 3rd Edition of S&H p63;
Mrs. Eddy in her explanation of Genesis 1 ‘firmament,’ uses the phrase “Understanding forms line of demonstration whereby to determine the real from the unreal.” in place of “line of demarcation” which appears in the current edition of S&H. Makes so much sense; if one can demonstrate in healing sickness and sin one certainly can tell the difference between the real and the unreal/lie/illusion:)
I agree completely! I’m so grateful for Mary Baker Eddy illuminating the fact that heaven, harmony, is a state of consciousness available here and now. I never could really believe the conventional christian outlook of physically dying into a perfect state. But through Mrs. Eddy’s guidance can see how we can ‘die’ out of material sense into spiritual consciousness, especially as one gains understanding and then not only physical ailments that have been a plague for ones entire (material) life, moral ones also ‘fall’ away through the better understanding of the God’s Word through Christian Science. The lessons taught at this Plainfield Church have been invaluable in this process. And one of the most important keys for me is the shared experiences through testimonies etc. of members who have shared their overcoming trials and ‘near death’ experiences that are way beyond some ‘mere’ personal traits I tried to change for decades with no success. So grateful for all teaching and sharing going on here and my greatest desire is to get it right so I can ‘pass it forward’ because there is so much need for this ultimate and only solution!
Thanks for adding more details. Amazing to see that even his wife, the queen would fall under the death sentence!! Trials surely have a way of getting us to ‘watch better,’ that was how Christian Science was for me, quite sporadic. One of the things I’m gratefully learning at Plainfield is to always keep the Mind of God rather than waiting for a crisis. Grateful to be reducing the time spent in the Adam nightmare and knowing to work for the day those thoughts are completely abolished:)
Here is another excerpt that also helped me understand aligned with what is taught here in the Plainfield church with respect to the All-ness of God and the nothingness of matter that has been difficult to break free from (in my belief only:) I’m grateful for the raised awareness brought out here because before coming to Plainfield I didn’t even know I had to be working on this issue!!:) Thanks to all the ‘services’ provided here and of course the clear, correctness, of all writings of Christian Science were under Mrs. Eddy’s watchful eye!!
The Body of Man by WILLIAM H. JENNINGS CSS June 6, 1903
The mortal body is spoken of in Scripture as a “vision,” “dream,” “shadow;” as “stubble,” “tares,” and a vanishing “vapor.” …….. As to the mortal body and life, Jesus said, “Take no thought for your life, . . . neither for the body,” etc. We understand that mortal bodies are counterfeits, fathered by mortal mind, the carnal mind, the one evil or devil, the adversary of all truth, the denier of all good, and the enemy of all life. Yet by the infinity of God this accursed accuser of the brethren and all its false accusations against God and man, is reduced to nothingness; and God and the spiritual man stand forth forever entirely separate and apart from, the sinning sons of Adam, the tares which never were and never will be wheat, the lies which never will be true. In the eternal and unchanging truth of being, what shall be is true now. Ideals or types that shall be spiritual are already spiritual, and the seeming negations or antitypes of man have no reality, since God is “All-in-all,” and there is no place found in infinite good for even finite evil. Christian Scientists are therefore “of good cheer: the night is far spent, the day dawns; God’s universal kingdom will appear, Love will reign in every heart, and His will be done on earth as in heaven” (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 213).
Without question the most important battle to win is within my own consciousness. All the years prior to coming to Plainfield I knew the goal was to be at-one with God but didn’t put it into practice very quickly so thank you very much for this reminder!
In the story of Daniel one would think that King Nebuchadnezzar would have immediately converted to Daniel’s true God. Then I realized I did that in theory many years ago upon learning what Christian Science stands for but didn’t know how to apply it. No regrets and never was my time wasted in my ‘feeble flutterings’ but so grateful to now have the resources in this church to show how to retrain my thinking to be based in God. Just realizing what this church has to offer was a huge step:)!
Every comment, how ever simple it may seem when based in Science helps tremendously:)
How true it is to let God do the thinking! About once a year I use a trailer on my vehicle which means connecting the wiring for the trailer lights temporarily because I could never figure out the easy solution. This time I approached it with “God will show me the way!” In no time I was shown the simple solution that had escaped me for several years so now it can be quick and functional each time rather than ‘glued’ together with band aids and at risk of falling apart during use:)
Thank you for this. When one realizes how God’s healing Love shared by such great luminaries such as Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy gets rebuffed by family and beneficiaries, who from even a human standpoint should be grateful, it should make the rest of us (me) not to broken up when our ‘feeble flutterings’ in Christian Science get turned away!!
I am grateful that the person that introduced me to Christian Science quoted this verse in Psalm 139 to me. It was absolutely stunning to my state of mind that the Bible (now I know Word from God Himself) would make such a declaration and no one in Sunday School or elsewhere had ever broadcast that fact. To me it indicated, even in that state of mind, that there can be no hell. I went home opened the Bible (that my friend had given me!) to that verse and ‘behold’ it WAS there. I’m sure this verse verse will always be one of my favorites for the comfort of God within it!
Thanks for explanations, always wonderful to have an expanded understanding!
The following paragraph from the 1886 Edition of Science and Health reads as follows;
“Fettered by sin yourself, it is difficult to free another from the fetters of disease. With your own wrists manacled, it is hard to break another’s chains. But a little leaven ferments the whole mass. A grain of Christian Science does wonders for the sick, so omnipotent is Truth: but more of Science is needed.”
I’m very grateful for all the work and sacrifice and prayer that Mary Baker Eddy put into her ‘child’ Christian Science. I’m grateful for her great wisdom and skill in writing and preserving her work; every tidbit saved by her and loyal students is uplifting to God’s creation!! So wonderful to have this ‘needed’ ‘Science!’
A number of years ago when my local church folded I found an original copy of the Christian Science Journal from the early 1900s. Leafing through I was astounded by the number of practitioners listed in Buffalo, NY so I counted them; somewhere around 60 listed. As I counted I noticed something remarkable so I did a recount; the ratio of women practitioners was 5-6 for every male practitioner!! A few other random cities I checked had the same ratios:) Certainly “Love imparts the clearest idea of Deity.”!
There were ‘two’ Moses. First one was the material (an illusion of God’s real man) and the second was the spiritual reflection of God. As the spiritual reflection of God Moses was absolutely meek; completely obedient and thus made incredible demonstrations of God’s power, the parting of the Red Sea a great enough example. Moses didn’t have the benefit of the whole Bible and Christ Jesus’ example to follow or try to emulate.
The ‘other’ Moses does get lost so I appreciate a reminder of what were harsh deeds. It reminds me of Saul/Paul. What made him so great was his absolute repentance of the wrongs he had committed even when he studied the Bible (parts that were known to that point) and thought (as a material trait) he was doing right. Then he meekly followed the Christ with as much or more determination and zeal, sparing no hardship on himself. Moses was the same.
As a former dairy farmer I directed some of the same ‘persecution’ against animals that Moses and Paul exhibited against people. Cows were my pets, livelihood and, victims. What I did was accepted by society and the farming community and never weighed on my conscience as a farmer because I was above the average (probably very close to the top) in the way I treated the animals. For me, a driving force in trying to be the best Christian Scientist ever (now) is to ‘make up’ for how I treated animals and people in a very un-Godly way in the past from a complete ignorance of our pure and perfect Mother-Father God! I still am not equal to Christ in my treatment of either animal or people but am SO grateful to have all that Plainfield has to offer such as these forum posts to help me learn the right way:)
Thanks to all!!
Very nicely stated thank you very much! In essence it adds up to the ‘resurrection’ (to material sense) but demonstrates in Reality eternal Life!
“What we learn disciplines our thinking which in turn changes our view so that we may realize the present “dawn” perhaps faster than we would otherwise!”
Perfectly stated! In reference to yesterday’s Bible Study discussion of “learning through Science or suffering,” my lack of discipline is corrected by suffering which forces me to discipline myself through Christian Science.
Thank you for this post and thankfully Christ Jesus gives the antidote in Luke 13:20 And again he said, Where unto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was
leavened.
Mary Baker Eddy explains this in Science and Health; 117:29-5 Jesus bade his disciples beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees, which he defined as human doctrines. His parable of the “leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened,” impels the inference that the spiritual leaven signifies the Science of Christ and its spiritual interpretation, — an inference far above the merely ecclesiastical and formal applications of the
illustration.
118:11-25 In their spiritual significance, Science, Theology, and Medicine are means of divine thought, which include spiritual laws emanating from the invisible and infinite power and grace. The parable may import that these spiritual laws, perverted by a perverse material sense of law, are metaphysically presented as three measures of meal, — that is, three modes of mortal thought. In all mortal forms of thought, dust is dignified as the natural status of men and things, and modes of material motion are honored with the name of laws. This continues until the leaven of Spirit changes the whole of mortal thought, as yeast changes the chemical properties of meal.
“as yeast changes the chemical properties of meal.” is a beautiful idea to me because it implies the material is no more and the conversion to the spiritual, prefect, child of God.
How true this is! As a laborer (farmer) it was very easy to see that doing a job alone takes so much more time than in unison with someone else. One would think adding just one more person to the same job would cut the time in half but the efficiency goes way beyond that. And then the bonus is when people help each others there is Christ in our midst. As Mrs. Eddy said “A good deed is the best prayer” (paraphrase) which is of course why the work gets done so quickly!!
Thank you; how true! Last night after the Testimony Meeting I found this on page 358 of Martha Wilcox’s ‘Addresses’; “All things are the spiritual evidence of Mind.” I thought; “That means mankind which includes me.” Reading this post now makes me so grateful for more evidence how this Plainfield Church demonstrates the One, divine Mind in all the infinite gifts that come through all that is done here!
“feeling sick and/or depressed it would be easy to think even more about my troubles” Well stated, this really strikes a chord!! Reading the lesson this morning, citation 7 from S&H, “Through false estimates of soul as dwelling in sense and of mind as dwelling in matter, belief strays into a sense of temporary loss or absence of soul, spiritual truth. This state of error is the mortal dream of life and substance as existent in matter, and is directly opposite to the immortal reality of being. So long as we believe that soul can sin or that immortal Soul is in mortal body, we can never understand the Science of being.” struck me as a good focus for today. Combined with the clarity from the above post reaffirmed what I need to accomplish, always using the starting point of ‘perfect man and perfect creation.’ Thank you very much!!
Thanks for the wonderful instruction!!
One attribute of ‘looking’ is to have ones eyes open. When one ‘looks’ in the right direction one must also do so with ‘open’ eyes and an ‘open heart’ or we miss what we are supposed to see. I’m grateful to be learning here how to ‘open’ my eyes to use spiritual sense because otherwise I miss what God is trying to tell me!!
Dummelow’s Commentary gives the following explanation of the ‘unknown gods,’ Acts 17:23; In Athens during a plague, Epimenides let loose black and white sheep and commanded the Athenians (who had many gods) to sacrifice to ‘the proper god’ wherever a sheep lay down. If they couldn’t figure out ‘the proper god,’ (where the ‘stray’ sheep lay down) an alter was raised to ‘the unknown god.’ Amazing that centuries later and with the teachings of Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy in Christian Science leading to so many God given demonstrations of moral and physical healing, people still choose to worship ‘unknown gods.’
Thank you for sharing this; am experiencing exactly what is stated in “show such devotion are often kept from the activity which would benefit everyone far more.” on the taking end which shows me that I need to leave others to be guided by God also, especially when it comes to ‘ones’ (God’s) college aged ‘child.’
It is great to see one source of ‘pure, perfect’ in Mrs. Eddy’s writings as you taught us to use first thing in the morning with the synonyms of God. In the short time I have been doing this I can see the greater ‘power’ I have received while praying with the synonyms daily resulting in greater peace and joy. THANK YOU, Mrs. Singleterry!!
Thank you for the insight!! I also found additional verses in Ephesians 6 very helpful; 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
As with all things motive and demonstration is the key; when the correction is Scientific and results in a better understanding of God and then demonstration becomes ‘normal’ it is easier to accept correction because it is based upon a Principal of God rather than a materialistic fable. I’m so grateful to have received possibly the most important piece of the Holy Ghost; even though I couldn’t Scientifically demonstrate I received such a conviction that what Mary Baker Eddy wrote down was Truth that I didn’t give up on Christian Science through years of no one correcting my lack of understanding. Thanks for your humility in admitting to the path you’ve traveled because it makes others (me) realize that they too can attain this through persistence and correct teaching given at Plainfield!
Beautifully stated. I realized how the word ‘light’ is so beautiful as used in the Bible in reference of drawing us to Spirit, God. I watch plants, growing towards and seeking light. One crazy squash plant was headed into the woods about 20 feet from it’s original seed and made a U-turn and headed back out of the shade to more light! Also so many animals; dogs, cats, chickens, love to find a sunny spot to ‘be still’ and absorb the sun. It has given me inspiration as I seek a better understanding of God to place myself in His Love and absorb it.
Here the inspired record closes its narrative of being that is without beginning or end. All that is made is the work of God, and all is good. We leave this brief, glorious history of spiritual creation (as stated in the first chapter of Genesis) in the hands of God, not of man, in the keeping of Spirit, not matter, — joyfully acknowledging now and forever God’s supremacy, omnipotence, and omnipresence.
The harmony and immortality of man are intact. We should look away from the opposite supposition that man is created materially, and turn our gaze to the spiritual record of creation, to that which should be engraved on the understanding and heart “with the point of a diamond” and the pen of an angel. S&H 521:4
Here is how the second paragraph reads in the 1886, 19th edition of Science and Health page 447;
When I glance at the opposite supposition, that man is created from matter, I only turn my eyes for a moment from the spiritual record of creation; for that record is engraven on my understanding and heart with the point of a diamond and the pen of an angel.
My experience at death’s door, the portal of the unknown,- wherein I found Life instead of death,- dimly shadowed forth the grand verities of the sacred page, causing me thereafter to speak and write more than personal sense can discern.
In this weeks lesson citation 41 ‘And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain’ has significant meaning for me. ‘Compel’ is defined as ‘force to do something.’ According to Dummelows Commentary, in those times when the Roman army was traveling (invading) they ‘compelled’ the native people to move all the provisions etc. that goes with the army through the natives own areas. What an incredible injunction from Jesus to go an extra mile with someone we could easily label as an ‘enemy,’ seeming to be aiding them but holding to and converting them with divine Love!
I opened up the Blue Book to p. 169;
‘The strong soil in human nature is selfish apathy. The wayside soil is transient laughing vain loving-ease character that never can be relied (on) in time of need. The sun struck mind is one that resists the light if this light demand the relinquishment of all that tends to darken life, dim conscience, and demand other gods. The good soil is the active honest heart. Where this exists there is energy, fidelity, success and reward gained by the individual, not a gift of God but the wages of uprightness and hard work, struggle and victory.’ (From article entitled ‘Soldier, Seed, and Soil’.)
That wasn’t so bad!! I allow myself to dislike typing but have to overcome that silly (and destructive error) because what better way to share God’s Word. Mrs. Eddy proved that with the days of study and prayer that she put in to give us God’s perfection.