Day 219: Erroneous Statements in the Trial

432:9-434:7

These statements are wrong and should be contradicted with statements of Truth:

• Mortality is the governor of the body.
• A disease’s person can be punished with death.
• A good deed can be punished.
• Laws of nature render disease homicidal.
• We must regard the evidence of Personal Sense.
• Because he has loved his neighbor as himself, Mortal Man has been guilty of benevolence in the first degree. For this crime Mortal Man is sentenced to be tortured until he is dead.

"Delay the execution; the prisoner is not guilty."

2010

Day 218: Trial btwn Divine Mind & Supposed laws of Matter and Hygiene

430:13-432:8

The Trial Participants

The trial is set up as an antagonistic fight between the accused, Mortal Man, and the plaintiff, Personal Sense. This reading calls the following witnesses: health laws, coated tongue, sallow skin, nerve, mortality.

I smiled when I read this. It is funny but it is also true. I check with these very witnesses sometimes when I’m not well and I know I shouldn’t. They aren’t speaking for me.

2010

Day 204: The Christian State

403:14-405:4

You command the situation if you understand that mortal existence is a state of self-deception and not the truth of being. Mortal mind is constantly producing on mortal body the results of false opinions; and it will continue to do so, until mortal error is deprived of its imaginary powers by Truth, which sweeps away the gossamer web of mortal illusion. The most Christian state is one of rectitude and spiritual understanding, and this is best adapted for healing the sick. Never conjure up some new discovery from dark forebodings regarding disease and then acquaint your patient with it.

2010

Day 134: To begin rightly is to end rightly

260:31-262:32

Divine Mind is the only cause or Principle of existence.

Detach sense from the body, or matter, which is only a form of human belief, and you may learn the meaning of God, or good, and the nature of the immutable and immortal. Breaking away from the mutations of time and sense, you will neither lose the solid objects and ends of life nor your own identity. Fixing your gaze on the realities supernal, you will rise to the spiritual consciousness of being

[Man] will then drop the false estimate of life and happiness, of joy and sorrow, and attain the bliss of loving unselfishly, working patiently, and conquering all that is unlike God.

2011

Day 89: The Fundamental Error

170:22 - 172:22

The so-called laws of matter are nothing but false beliefs that intelligence and life are present where Mind is not. These false beliefs are the procuring cause of all sin and disease. The opposite truth, that intelligence and life are spiritual, never material, destroys sin, sickness, and death.

The fundamental error lies in the supposition that man is a material outgrowth and that the cognizance of good or evil, which he has through the bodily senses, constitutes his happiness or misery.

2010

Day 66: Belief

124:3-126:7

Physical science (so-called) is human knowledge,--a law of mortal mind, a blind belief, a Samson shorn of his strength.

In a word, human belief is a blind conclusion from material reasoning. This is a mortal, finite sense of things, which immortal Spirit silences forever.

The elements and functions of the physical body and of the physical world will change as mortal mind changes its beliefs.

Thus matter will finally be proved nothing more than a mortal belief, wholly inadequate to affect a man through its supposed organic action or supposed existence.

…mortality will cease when man beholds himself God's reflection, even as man sees his reflection in a glass.

2010

Day 267: Sorrow, Desire, & Rule

535:6-536:29

Well, now. Adam and Eve get a talking to – don’t they. The 2nd Story God lays down the punishment.

The woman will multiply her sorrow, her only desire to serve her husband, and he (her husband) shall rule over her. God just made man the god of woman. So now there are many gods.

Mary Baker Eddy’s response is right on:

Divine Science deals its chief blow at the supposed material foundations of life and intelligence.

The material foundation are not only how man is created but how man and woman are to live, which in Science is in harmony, with only one god – God.

Then God turns to man and says he can’t eat of that tree anymore, man can eat herb of the field, bread. Ok. so why isn’t this passage (Genesis 3:17-19) taken literally if so many religions want to take Genesis 3:16 literally? Just bread for man. 

Then Mary Baker Eddy sums up what this 2nd Story God did:

The illusion of sin is without hope or God.

Day 222: The Trial (Day 5)

438:18-440:32

This part of the trial focuses on Personal Sense and False Belief. I love how False Belief is the attorney in the case for Personal Sense. Talk about a conflict of interest. At one point, MBE refers to the masked Personal Sense. I thought that idea that the character of Personal Sense as masked or hidden or hiding was interesting. I marked:

Mortal Minds were deceived by your attorney, False Belief, and were influenced to give a verdict delivering Mortal Man to Death.

Day 221: The Trial (day 4)

436:15-438:17

The idea of this reading is that the principal witness, Nerve, perjured his testimony. Here are the ideas that were very interesting to me:

It was Fear [the sheriff] who handcuffed Mortal Man and would now punish him.

Thus the Court of Error construed obedience to the law of divine Love as disobedience to the law of Life.

I proclaim this witness, Nerve, to be destitute of intelligence and truth and to be a false witness.

Day 220: The Trial (day 3)

434:8-436:14

I feel I must apologize for my irregular posts. August is the month where I live and material life (gardening, trips to the beach, house projects) are front and center. Soon the weather will turn and I’ll be more consistent with my posts.

The trial is moved from the Court of Error to the Court of Spirit.

I liked (and will come back to when I need it):

Mortal Man has had no proper counsel in the case. All the testimony has been on the side of Personal Sense

acting within the limits of the divine law, and in obedience thereto. Upon this statute hangs all the law and testimony. Giving a cup of cold water in Christ’s name, is a Christian service. Laying down his life for a good deed, Mortal Man should find it again. Such acts bear their own justification, and are under the protection of the Most High.

Day 218: (Not really) The Trial, Day 1

430:13-432:8

Today’s reading is the trial Mortal Man. It’s an interesting way to visualize the intellectual play that happens in thought. I read it and thought was an illusion it is.

My mind has been elsewhere today. I was looking at something, I can’t even remember what, thinking ‘it’s just an idea.’ I’m just an idea. A flower is an idea. Everything is just a whole bunch of ideas. I’ve also been thinking about purpose lately so I thought if we are all ideas, what of it? I had children (ideas), what is my purpose there? To nurture these ideas. If I have a job, what is my purpose there? To nurture the ideas (people, work, etc) there. I saw everything and everyone as just ideas and our only job to nurture all the other ideas. I’m not sure where I’m going with that but I haven’t been able to let it go.