Day 249: Today’s Questions

495:25-497:27

How can I progress most rapidly in the understanding of Christian Science? answer

Study thoroughly the letter and imbibe the spirit. Adhere to the divine Principle of Christian Science and follow the behests of God, abiding steadfastly in wisdom, Truth, and Love.

You will learn that in Christian Science the first duty is to obey God, to have one Mind, and to love another as yourself.

Ask yourself: Am I living the life that approaches the  supreme good? Am I demonstrating the healing power of Truth and Love? If so, then the way will grow brighter "unto the perfect day."

Have Christian Scientists any religious creed? answer

The tenets of Christian Science:

1. As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life.
2. We acknowledge and adore one supreme and infinite God. We acknowledge His Son, one Christ; the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter; and man in God's image and likeness.
3. We acknowledge God's forgiveness of sin in the destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that casts out evil as unreal. But the belief in sin is punished so long as the belief lasts.
4. We acknowledge Jesus' atonement as the evidence of divine, efficacious Love, unfolding man's unity with God through Christ Jesus the Way-shower; and we acknowledge that man is saved through Christ, through Truth, Life, and Love as demonstrated by the Galilean Prophet in healing the sick and overcoming sin and death.
5. We acknowledge that the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection served to uplift faith to understand eternal Life, even the allness of Soul, Spirit, and the nothingness of matter.
6. And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.

2010

Day 251:

503:6-505:3

The thought came to me today that while reading this chapter, I need to remember the first tenet, the inspired word. It is all to easy to get very literal and what-if the text when that isn’t what I’m reading it for.

Mary Baker Eddy writes the same thing several different ways in this reading but I underlined them all:

No supposition of error enters there.

God creates neither [1] erring thought, [2] mortal life, [3] mutable truth, nor [4] variable love.

Immortal Mind makes its own record, but [1] mortal mind, [2] sleep, [3] dreams, [4] sin, [5] disease, and [5] death have no record in the first chapter of Genesis.

This is a great support for the beginning/only idea of yesterday.

Day 249: Million Dollar Question

495:25-497:27

Two questions are in this reading and I’ll handle both of them. The first is the one I have been racing after this year: How can I progress most rapidly in the understanding of Christian Science?

The one element of her answer, and there is a lot to it, that was new to me was:

error cannot destroy error

That seems obvious and straightforward. I shouldn’t even have to try to remember this – it is such an obvious point. However, – and this is a big however, the thought came to me as I read this that a snarky retort to someone’s less-than-loving comment was the error that doesn’t destroy error. Then my mind raced around to all the aggressive or meanly defensive things I tend to do. Oh, you probably wouldn’t think me a mean person but I’m not always kind either. So the idea of error, even in its more commonly accepted form, should be replaced.

My Answer: I would like to add my own answer to the above question. I was raised in Christian Science, although I would call that a spotty job done. I went to Prin and I took class instruction from a previous CS Church Board Member. Outwardly, I took the appropriate steps. Inwardly, I trudged along. I’ve read the book front to back maybe six times. But until this journal, where I knew I only had 5 minutes worth of reading but wanted to get enough out of it to 1) progress and 2) write about it – I focused. Not well all the time, but generally I focused. I focused through a bit of marital turbulence, and a bit of static with my son. And now I want to do it again next year. I have gotten SO MUCH out of this journal that I don’t understand why more people don’t do it. Or talk about it. I think every person who wants to take class instruction should take it only after reading this journal. Or, and this won’t happen but it’s nice to think about, do away with a two-week class, and make the whole thing based on this journal. Make each student work for a year processing Recapitulation by reading the entire book.

The second question asks about a creed. I wanted to boil these tenets down to very short thoughts for myself:

1. Inspired word of the Bible (not the literal word)
2. one supreme and infinite God
3. God’s forgiveness of sin
4. man is saved through Truth, Life, and Love
5. crucifixion and resurrection served to understand nothingness of matter
6. for that Mind to be in us which was in Christ Jesus