Religion
April 15, 2004
To infinite, ever-present Love, all is Love, and there is no error, no sin, sickness, nor death.
Members were interested in Religion as a topic not only for its deeper meanings but to discover what really moves us. Classically it's seen as mankind's attempt to deal with what's holy, the absolute and the ultimate.
Experts disagree where the word comes from. Is it from religare, "to bind"or relegere, "to re-read"? Both worked for us, for spiritual practice should result in binding us to God and our neighbor, and involves not only re-reading olden tales, myths and scripture but, in Christian Science anyway, translating dull matter into Spirit.
We found most religions have certain common aspects. They promote worship, codes of conduct, belief systems and rituals. Usually there's a founder or leader. Also factions develop: e.g., strict constructionists versus revisionists. A member remarked, "Isn't it heartening that Christian Science fits the mold?"
"But, is Christian Science really a religion?"
"I think Mary Baker Eddy saw it as applicable to all religions, and the sciences and medicine."
"But she ran into rejection on all fronts, except when the desperate were saved from death, and reluctantly set up a church, mostly at the behest of some students."
We spent a moment on movements not ordinarily thought of as religions, such as atheism, communism, fascism, materialism, the physical sciences. A member said, "I'd call them religions because they're effectively where some people put their strongest faith."
Another member asked, "Is it possible our current troubles in Iraq arise from an attempt to impose our own heart-felt democratic value-system on people rooted in strong, even despotic, rule? I feel guilty saying that — so deep is my faith in our system. I don't think Christianity or Islam is at issue. We're talking clashing political theories, or better theologies."
A member asked, "What really moves us in our own lives?"
Most agreed, as students of Christian Science, we are consumed day and night by our spiritual practice. But one added, "Well really, having recovered from obesity, I lean a lot on food management, vitamins and exercise."
Others chipped in nothing on this score, but our after-meeting dinner conversation revolved around medical insurance, exotic diseases and leaking condoms.
Fundamentalism came up. At the extremes there are Al-Qaeda cells and Christian militias. But most religions lend themselves to fanaticism. Why? "Perhaps because their symbols and practices no longer have meaning. Their adherents are beating a dead horse."Jung was quoted to the effect that religions are today empty bags from which the gold has long since vanished.
There were newcomers at the meeting. One of our regulars, fresh from a conversation with a self-styled atheist at his job, asked the same question he'd asked the atheist, "What is God to you?"(The atheist answered, "Nothing, since I don't believe in God,"but later agreed there must be some principle running things). Our new friends replied...
1) "God is everywhere and sees you along the way. He makes sure you get all the wonders that life offers. He has your interests at heart and will welcome you into Heaven."
2) "God is sympathetic, empathetic, loving, encouraging and omnipresent."
A couple of members talked during the week of problems caused by Mercury's retrograde motion. Business and communications were in disarray. They sought refuge in Science and found hope in a statement from Science and Health: "The intercommunication is always from God to His idea, man."(pg. 284:31) The situation stabilized.
One of the members went further. Mercury, as the Roman god of communication (inter alia) could be updated by Mrs. Eddy's observation that sin, sickness and death are today's popular gods (see Science and Health, pg. 347:23-25). This member said, "They're mortal mind's language for the true God. When I get involved in some dualistic state — it happens all the time — my help is at hand. I retreat to the Oneness. It's a great way to practice Science too — it keeps me down to earth while also in Heaven."
That was helpful as we took up discussion of some recent articles in the press.
1) A Gentle Jesus Yields To A Fierce One, by David D. Kirkpatrick in the New York Times Large Type Weekly of April 5-11, 2004. It's a review of Glorious Appearing, a new apocalyptic novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. When Jesus returns, the bodies of non-believers will explode, their eyes will melt and their tongues disintegrate. Believers will proceed nude to Heaven. We sat aghast — but one member did manage, "I'd like to see Islam top that!"
2) Wrestling With God And Men, by Steven Greenberg, a Gay Orthodox Rabbi, reviewed by Steve Weinstein in the New York Blade of April 9, 2004. Rabbi Greenberg carefully argues the case for Gay relationships from a Talmudic standpoint.
3) "Godly Synergy", a New York Times Magazine article by Rob Walker commenting on the hugely popular movement forming around Rick Warren's book, The Purpose-Driven Life. It promotes the idea of dropping pop-culture success motivations, to "abandon your agenda and accept God's agenda."We rather liked this approach, even if it's backed by Evangelical Christians, as long as one truly listens to God and not some human's twisted theological musings.
One of the members who had seen through the Mercury problem with Science felt we could see through any bizarre theologies with Science, "even a nuclear blast."
"You see that as theology?"
"Sure. It's a whole-hearted belief in the power of matter. Now get the mind that was also in the Hebrew boys in the furnace, and you'd survive that."(See Daniel, chapter 3).
A member who could not attend asked another to describe a healing he'd had during the week. The man he'd been dating lost his job. He refused to talk about the situation or his mounting debts with our member, who needs clarity and orderliness in his life. Lacking this, our member was drawn to resuming bad habits and addictions with food, booze and drugs. He knew something had to be done, so he prayed and "re-membered"or "re-linked"to his true identity. Immediately he felt better and knew he must end the romantic involvement, offering his friend emotional support and friendship instead. "Sure it's tough, but a lot easier than dealing with the consequences of emotional craziness and return to addictions."
For next week we'll look at Speaking Up. When and how should we speak up about a human situation, problem or otherwise, and how does prayer in Science enter into the equation?
And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars. And he spread abroad the tent over the tabernacle, and put the covering of the tent above upon it; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above upon the ark: And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, and set up the vail of the covering, and covered the ark of the testimony; as the Lord commanded Moses. And he put the table in the tent of the congregation, upon the side of the tabernacle northward, without the vail. And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord; as the Lord had commanded Moses. And he put the candlestick in the tent of the congregation, over against the table, on the side of the tabernacle southward. And he lighted the lamps before the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.
Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.
Christianity as Jesus taught it was not a creed, nor a system of ceremonies, nor a special gift from a ritualistic Jehovah; but it was the demonstration of divine Love casting out error and healing the sick, not merely in the name of Christ, or Truth, but in demonstration of Truth, as must be the case in the cycles of divine light.
Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing. He taught his followers that his religion had a divine Principle, which would cast out error and heal both the sick and the sinning. He claimed no intelligence, action, nor life separate from God.
The question then as now was, How did Jesus heal the sick? His answer to this question the world rejected. He appealed to his students: "Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?" That is: Who or what is it that is thus identified with casting out evils and healing the sick?
Yearning to be understood, the Master repeated, "But whom say ye that I am?" This renewed inquiry meant: Who or what is it that is able to do the work, so mysterious to the popular mind? In his rejection of the answer already given and his renewal of the question, it is plain that Jesus completely eschewed the narrow opinion implied in their citation of the common report about him.
With his usual impetuosity, Simon replied for his brethren, and his reply set forth a great fact: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God!"
Before this the impetuous disciple had been called only by his common names, Simon Bar-jona, or son of Jona; but now the Master gave him a spiritual name in these words: "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter; and upon this rock [the meaning of the Greek word petros, or stone] I will build my church; and the gates of hell [hades, the under-world, or the grave] shall not prevail against it." In other words, Jesus purposed founding his society, not on the personal Peter as a mortal, but on the God-power which lay behind Peter's confession of the true Messiah.
It was now evident to Peter that divine Life, Truth, and Love, and not a human personality, was the healer of the sick and a rock, a firm foundation in the realm of harmony. On this spiritually scientific basis Jesus explained his cures, which appeared miraculous to outsiders. He showed that diseases were cast out neither by corporeality, by materia medica, nor by hygiene, but by the divine Spirit, casting out the errors of mortal mind. The supremacy of Spirit was the foundation on which Jesus built. His sublime summary points to the religion of Love.
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost mean God, man, and divine Science. God is self-existent, the essence and source of the two latter, and their office is that of eternal, infinite individuality. I see no other way under heaven and among men whereby to have one God, and man in His image and likeness, loving another as himself. This being the divine Science of divine Love, it would enable man to escape from idolatry of every kind, to obey the First Commandment of the Decalogue: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me;" and the command of Christ: "Love thy neighbor as thyself." On this rock Christian Science is built. It may be the rock which the builders reject for a season; but it is the Science of God and His universe, and it will become the head of the corner, the foundation of all systems of religion.
Christian Scientists first and last ask not to be judged on a doctrinal platform, a creed, or a diploma for scientific guessing. But they do ask to be allowed the rights of conscience and the protection of the constitutional laws of their land; they ask to be known by their works, to be judged (if at all) by their works. We admit that they do not kill people with poisonous drugs, with the lance, or with liquor, in order to heal them. Is it for not killing them thus, or is it for healing them through the might and majesty of divine power after the manner taught by Jesus, and which he enjoined his students to teach and practise, that they are maligned? The richest and most positive proof that a religion in this century is just what it was in the first centuries is that the same reviling it received then it receives now, and from the same motives which actuate one sect to persecute another in advance of it.
Christian Scientists are harmless citizens that do not kill people either by their practice or by preventing the early employment of an M.D. Why? Because the effect of prayer, whereby Christendom saves sinners, is quite as salutary in the healing of all manner of diseases. The Bible is our authority for asserting this, in both cases.