Seeing the Real Self

November 19, 1998

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Matthew

These were so integrated in our meeting this week that we'll summarize them together.

Our basic standpoint for discussion was the central Truth in Science that man is already perfect, not getting better or worse, not lurking behind or above some symbol — although perhaps such is the appearance. But even here, since Good is the center and circumference of Being, the so-called appearance needs to be taken out of mortality (duality) and allowed to be divine. We saw the need to exclude the beam of mortality from our vision in order to apprehend the divine selfhood of ourselves and others.

One member read two statements by Mary Baker Eddy quoted in private correspondence with Laura Sargent in John Hargreaves' pamphlet Generic Man:

  • "I am the body which God cherishes as His own immaculate self."
  • "The highest sense of flawless perfection is evidenced by the body of God which I am."
Another member indicated how study and prayer had kept him from reeling after four deaths this week among family and friends. This passage from Science and Health was helpful: "The admission to one's self that man is God's own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea. This conviction shuts the door on death, and opens it wide towards immortality." (pg. 90:24-27)  Other insights into the belief of death came forth — e.g., believing someone either "dead" or "alive" is a human opinion. The Life that is God lives man, whatever the opinion.

A member related how he prayed about the Iraq-UN confrontation over this last weekend. His thought was primed by the work he had done on jury duty two weeks before (See Topic Politics for a description of the insights and healing associated therewith). He quickly saw that he could not add to the healing prayer of the world while holding in thought the image of evil people, or by taking sides, or by figuring out who should do what to whom—he could leave all that to mortal belief and see/be the facts that man is complete, harmonious, infinite—that includes everyone. A few days later he was talking to a Christian Science practitioner about the work she's doing on human rights, including Gay rights and they agreed that in any such work there can be no taking of sides, no oppressor nor victim—only man, the image of God, having it all. He found this line of reasoning helpful in evaluating an illness in his family(none of whom are Scientists)—no need to dither over what materia medica is involved, or whether the person deserves healing and so on—just the requirement to see the divine facts and stick to them.

We discussed psychosomatic illnesses as being material attempts to assuage a problem. One member told of his ears being stopped up when he was in turmoil over several relationships. He could then withdraw from the relationships and "recover". Fortunately, he saw the Science of the situation — as infinite idea including all right ideas he didn't need to run away; indeed as infinite idea such a retreat would not be possible. His ears opened up and he's proceeding with the give and take of these relationships.

We spent some time wondering why Mrs. Eddy thought it necessary to require that no one knowingly malpractice her or her household. (See The Manual of The Mother Church, Article VIII, Sec. 8). Most of us just dismissed the whole thing as a bit of paranoia or character flaw left to be dropped by future generations of Scientists. In no way did we feel this detracted from the Science she discovered and established any more than the mistakes of Einstein detract from his contribution. But one member did remind us of the immense pressure she was under at the time and another stated firmly that we all malpractice ourselves and others every time we see mortals.

There was an uncomfortable outburst of raw unhealed animosity between two members during the meeting but this gave the rest of us an opportunity to use all the tools of divine seeing that we'd been discussing. They did seem to be getting along better later.

One member had occasion during the week to discuss with a Christian Science   practitioner whether he'd have to be "healed" of being Gay before he could have other healings. The practitioner was very clear in saying the only orientation that counts in Christian Science is the spiritual, not any human designations.

A member brought in the religious article from the November 5th issue of the Christian Science Monitor, entitled "Why Am I Eating?" and read it substituting the words "Why Am I Having Sex?" The article makes the point that we must not undertake a human activity as though it's going to deliver satisfaction — but that we can see it as a symbol of the divine fact of God's utter care for His idea, man. As the writer says, "Mealtime can be a time for appreciating ...the refreshment of dining; a grasp of God's love will sustain and satisfy us..."

As we reached the street after the meeting two of our members suddenly found each other rather fetching and proceeded to demonstrate datehood. The rest of us dragged our starving libidos to our usual coffee shop; one member finally cracked all the arched eyebrows with the observation that mainline churches — even Christian Science ones — are, among other things, giant dating machines; so we can be happy that we provide that service too!

Our meeting next week will center around the Thanksgiving lesson in the Christian Science Quarterly and will include testimonies appropriate for the day.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy

We know no more of man as the true divine image and likeness, than we know of God.

Man is not absorbed in Deity, and man cannot lose his individuality, for he reflects eternal Life; nor is he an isolated, solitary idea, for he represents infinite Mind, the sum of all substance.

In divine Science, man is the true image of God. The divine nature was best expressed in Christ Jesus, who threw upon mortals the truer reflection of God and lifted their lives higher than their poor thought-models would allow,—thoughts which presented man as fallen, sick, sinning, and dying. The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea,—perfect God and perfect man,—as the basis of thought and demonstration.

God creates and governs the universe, including man. The universe is filled with spiritual ideas, which He evolves, and they are obedient to the Mind that makes them.

Man is spiritual and perfect; and because he is spiritual and perfect, he must be so understood in Christian Science. Man is idea, the image, of Love; he is not physique. He is the compound idea of God, including all right ideas; the generic term for all that reflects God's image and likeness; the conscious identity of being as found in Science, in which man is the reflection of God, or Mind, and therefore is eternal; that which has no separate mind from God; that which has not a single quality underived from Deity; that which possesses no life, intelligence, nor creative power of his own, but reflects spiritually all that belongs to his Maker.

Truth and Love reign in the real man, showing that man in God's image is unfallen and eternal. Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy.

MAN. The compound idea of infinite Spirit; the spiritual image and likeness of God; the full representation of Mind.

Miscellaneous Writings, by Mary Baker Eddy

^What sins?^

According to the Word, man is the image and likeness of God. Does God's essential likeness sin, or dangle at the end of a rope? If not, what does? A culprit, a sinner, —anything but a man! Then, what is a sinner? A mortal; but man is immortal.

Again: mortals are the embodiments (or bodies, if you please) of error, not of Truth; of sickness, sin, and death. Naming these His embodiment, can neither make them so nor overthrow the logic that man is God's likeness. Mortals seem very material; man in the likeness of Spirit is spiritual. Holding the right idea of man in my mind, I can improve my own, and other people's individuality, health, and morals; whereas, the opposite image of man, a sinner, kept constantly in mind, can no more improve health or morals, than holding in thought the form of a boa-constrictor can aid an artist in painting a landscape.

God is individual Mind. This one Mind and His individuality comprise the elements of all forms and individualities, and prophesy the nature and stature of Christ, the ideal man.

Mortals will lose their sense of mortality—disease, sickness, sin, and death—in the proportion that they gain the sense of man's spiritual preexistence as God's child; as the offspring of good, and not of God's opposite,—evil, or a fallen man.

Through divine Science man gains the power to become the son of God, to recognize his perfect and eternal estate.

The spiritualization of our sense of man opens the gates of paradise that the so-called material senses would close, and reveals man infinitely blessed, upright, pure, and free;

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