Self-Righteousness

May 6, 1999

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

Our topic, born in bombast and posturing last week, nevertheless proved a fruitful enterprise. Even then we felt self-righteousness would be an impediment to Christian Science healing and the building of community. It locks the one practicing it into the realm of human beliefs about Truth and thus encourages dualism: "I know, they don't", "My side is right, theirs wrong," and so on. This may be correct on the human belief level, but that's not where issues are settled in Christian Science treatment, whence a new view can issue forth.

One member thought that if he is unable to access the impersonal facts of being and live out from there, he's living as a metaphor of reality and this necessarily includes eventual self-destruction before the onrushing of newer concepts. Thus the fact of omnipresence may look like a stage coach one day, an automobile the next, and the internet the next. He felt self-righteousness sticks to the surface presentation and does not dig for the underlying divine idea.

This caused another member to wonder why religious people seem so prone to self-righteousness. Some felt it was because we, in particular, become wedded to the forms in which our religions were first presented. Our own movement is going through this now as are Christianity in general and many other world religions. The work seems clear — to find the irreducible realities common to all, and present them in fresh forms.

The Littleton tragedy came up again this week. We all recalled our experiences in High School and they were remarkably similar to those in the current system. So-called education apparently still consists of athletes and prom queens set at the center of concentric circles of worshipping students, teachers, administration and parents with learning and development being a kind of inconvenient sideline while the kids undertake their own education on the outside. The complacent self-righteousness implied in this set-up is now met not just by broken lives but also the fiery self-righteousness of some who haven't the mental stability to join the obligatory ranks. For the Scientist, the task is to slip under these competing walls of indifference and rage and bring healing to this morass. Perhaps the basis would be that the one Mind is already the fully in-place education, safety and loveliness of all.

So we were able to some extent to spot self-righteousness in others; what about ourselves? As expected that was quite difficult but serendipitously one of our members attended a workshop during the week which gave him some new tools to address just this problem. The facilitator was Connie Zweig who taught us some of the techniques set forth in her book Romancing the Shadow. Here are some points our member took away with him:

Whenever one finds himself greatly moved or disturbed by another, be it by say anger, distaste or even something more ecstatic, it's a call from within one's own psyche to understand his unconscious motivations. The Jungians call this a projection. The genius of Ms. Zweig's work is that it not only retires the projection but it then encourages us to derive an inner figure based on the contents coming to consciousness and to dialogue with it. The so-called trigger person — the one originally responsible for the discomfort — fades from consideration and we are left with a greatly expanded appreciation of previously unknown motivations. Our member has already come up with figures embodying feelings like fear, being overburdened, sadness, greed, self-righteousness, guilt, paranoia. All in less than a week! These have been hugely troubling to him over the years and have come only spasmodically to the Light when some symptom pops up and then quickly retreat into their unconscious stronghold. Now they can be addressed directly by Science.

Discussion moved on to the following:

  • One member felt it is incorrect to say that Christian Scientists are not to judge. He felt we are called on to judge righteous judgment. "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals," (Science and Health, p. 476: 32-2). Another felt we should be the Mind that is all, wherein no need to judge exists but harmony just prevails naturally.
  • A member had been studying Science and Health, p. 6: 3-10, and read it to us. The paragraph is packed with seemingly disparate ideas, but we were particularly taken with this sentence: "The talents He gives we must improve." Is this a lapse into old theology or truly Science? "Perhaps it's both, depending on how you read it," said one. For him, it implies the need to live individually the oneness of Being.
  • A non-attending member's testimony was conveyed to the meeting. The dog who achieved serenity last week has started barking again. Despite initial frustration, our member was able to see it as an opportunity to grow in new ways. He called for the assistance of a police officer who arrived on a bike; this idea of pollution-free law enforcement so turned on our friend that he proceeded to get involved with City Hall in promoting pollution abatement. The next day he was still energized from this event and wrote a paper comparing Buddhism with Christian Science. He read it that evening at his local branch church's Wednesday meeting.
  • A member attended a friend's gig in a bar. The smoke and booze were quite disturbing to him. Being aware of our topic for the week, he checked his thought for signs of self-righteousness and found it reigning supreme. What to do? He knew that both tobacco and spirits are sacramental substances in various religious practices; for instance among the Indians, who pass the peace pipe and among various orthodox Christians who see specially activated wine as the blood of Christ. Even those in a bar consuming these products could be seen as acting out archetypal motifs. Thus our member was content to let them worship in their way while he as a student of Christian Science took it to the max by living the Christ as the source of peace and perfection. Things got a lot better.
  • A member had an illuminating discussion during the week with another student of Christian Science on how to meet financial needs with Science. Limiting either the need or its source of supply by human outlining can delay demonstration.
  • A member had a problem about timely receipt of insurance papers and quickly found himself dissolving into negative interpretations of events. A lot of self-righteous indignation and belittlement arose; "What a bunch of bozos!" — that kind of stuff. He was able to stop the downdraft by remembering that insurance is only a human symbol for the fact that he is utterly assured by being God's reflection. This was his real insurance. The papers came through quickly and in very clear formats.
We worked on the following:
  • One member was still guilt ridden over the death of a relative some time ago. Attempts to help the relative were countermanded by others in the family and the person passed on. We noted the tendency in us all to take a self-righteous attitude to our own best efforts and invite suffering. Guilt is an inhabitant of the mortal basis of belief and as we progressively push through to the reality of being, it will not be found.
  • A member has two friends who are said to be dying. There is no way he can present Christian Science to them directly but has worked to clear his thought with his favorite Bible text, "Be still and know that I am God," (Psalms 46: 10). While Science eschews death, it is clearly an activity that many religious people regard as progressive. Some felt we could be supportive of anyone's demonstration by simply sticking to the facts: there is no death in Life; there is no matter to sicken and die in Spirit. Facts are facts, whatever the metaphor. And if the person "goes on", what better undergirding than such knowing.
  • The weather problems in the Plains could be seen as based on orthodox religious views of God's power. Indeed, some fundamentalist prelates have taken to the airwaves to harangue their flock with threats of further pain if they don't shape up. The student of Christian Science will wrest control of the weather — and all else — away from murderous thought patterns and return it to the all beneficent God. Mrs. Eddy expected her students to work on the weather but she reminded us that God alone controls it.
Next week we'll work on Shame.

The Bible

Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.

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

Divine Love corrects and governs man. Men may pardon, but this divine Principle alone reforms the sinner. God is not separate from the wisdom He bestows. The talents He gives we must improve. Calling on Him to forgive our work badly done or left undone, implies the vain supposition that we have nothing to do but to ask pardon, and that afterwards we shall be free to repeat the offence.

Immortal Mind heals what eye hath not seen; but the spiritual capacity to apprehend thought and to heal by the Truth-power, is won only as man is found, not in self-righteousness, but reflecting the divine nature.

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.

The sick, the halt, and the blind look up to Christian Science with blessings, and Truth will not be forever hidden by unjust parody from the quickened sense of the people.

Miscellaneous Writings, by Mary Baker Eddy

Self-ignorance, self-will, self-righteousness, lust, covetousness, envy, revenge, are foes to grace, peace, and progress; they must be met manfully and overcome, or they will uproot all happiness. Be of good cheer; the warfare with one's self is grand; it gives one plenty of employment, and the divine Principle worketh with you,—and obedience crowns persistent effort with everlasting victory. Every attempt of evil to harm good is futile, and ends in the fiery punishment of the evil-doer.

Ritualism and dogma lead to self-righteousness and bigotry, which freeze out the spiritual element. Pharisaism killeth; Spirit giveth Life. The odors of persecution, tobacco, and alcohol are not the sweet-smelling savor of Truth and Love. Feasting the senses, gratification of appetite and passion, have no warrant in the gospel or the Decalogue. Mortals must take up the cross if they would follow Christ, and worship the Father "in spirit and in truth."

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