CoreIssue
02-03-2006, 02:12 PM
From my files. Not my creation.
Christian Science was founded by Mary Baker Eddy, who combined New Age metaphysical beliefs with Biblical beliefs. Her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, is considered to be the central source of doctrine to adherents of Christian Science.
The key belief of Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science is that God is Mind, or the universal principle/reality of Divine Mind. We are all effectively "God" because we are all part of the Divine Mind and have Divine Mind (mind on the spiritual level) that transcends this physical reality, which is an illusion from our mind. And we are to pursue truth, which is beyond this physical illusion, by using our spiritual minds, or Divine Mind.
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V. The Scriptures imply that God is All-in-all. From this it follows that nothing possesses reality nor existence except the divine Mind and His ideas.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, P.331, Lines 11-13.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B331&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B331&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
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Quotations to support and build upon that point:
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It is contrary to Christian Science to suppose that life is either material or organically spiritual.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 83, Lines 21-22.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B83&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B83&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
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XVIII. Spirit, God, has created all in and of Himself. Spirit never created matter.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 335, Lines 7-8.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B335&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B335&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
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XX. Mind is the divine Principle, Love, and can produce nothing unlike the eternal Father-Mother, God. Reality is spiritual, harmonious, immutable, immortal, divine, eternal. Nothing unspiritual can be real, harmonious, or eternal. Sin, sickness, and mortality are the suppositional antipodes of Spirit, and must be contradictions of reality.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 335, Lines 25-31.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B335&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B335&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
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To put down the claim of sin, you must detect it, remove the mask, point out the illusion, and thus get the victory over sin and so prove its unreality. The sick are not healed merely by declaring there is no sickness, but by knowing that there is none.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 447, Lines 24-29.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B447&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B447&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
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I. God is infinite, the only Life, substance, Spirit, or Soul, the only intelligence of the universe, including man.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, P.330, Lines 11-12.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B330&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B330&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
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XXII. Immortal man was and is God's image or idea, even the infinite expression of infinite Mind, and immortal man is coexistent and coeternal with that Mind. He has been forever in the eternal Mind, God; but infinite Mind can never be in man, but is reflected by man. The spiritual man's consciousness and individuality are reflections of God. They are the emanations of Him who is Life, Truth, and Love. Immortal man is not and never was material, but always spiritual and eternal.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 336, Lines 9-18.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B336&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B336&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
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The cause of all so-called disease is mental, a mortal fear, a mistaken belief or conviction of the necessity and power of ill-health; also a fear that Mind is helpless to defend the life of man and incompetent to control it. Without this ignorant human belief, any circumstance is of itself powerless to produce suffering.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 377, Lines 26-31.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B377&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B377&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
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However, the problem of subjectivity arises when one tries to distinguish between illusion and reality.
Questions:
1) How does one know that the beliefs of Christian Science are not part of one's mental illusion(s)?
2) How does one objectively distinguish between illusion and reality?
3) How does one objectively distinguish between personal deception and genuine spiritual accomplishment?
Christian Science was founded by Mary Baker Eddy, who combined New Age metaphysical beliefs with Biblical beliefs. Her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, is considered to be the central source of doctrine to adherents of Christian Science.
The key belief of Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science is that God is Mind, or the universal principle/reality of Divine Mind. We are all effectively "God" because we are all part of the Divine Mind and have Divine Mind (mind on the spiritual level) that transcends this physical reality, which is an illusion from our mind. And we are to pursue truth, which is beyond this physical illusion, by using our spiritual minds, or Divine Mind.
- - - - -
V. The Scriptures imply that God is All-in-all. From this it follows that nothing possesses reality nor existence except the divine Mind and His ideas.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, P.331, Lines 11-13.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B331&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B331&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
- - - - -
Quotations to support and build upon that point:
- - - - -
It is contrary to Christian Science to suppose that life is either material or organically spiritual.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 83, Lines 21-22.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B83&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B83&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
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XVIII. Spirit, God, has created all in and of Himself. Spirit never created matter.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 335, Lines 7-8.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B335&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B335&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
- - - - -
XX. Mind is the divine Principle, Love, and can produce nothing unlike the eternal Father-Mother, God. Reality is spiritual, harmonious, immutable, immortal, divine, eternal. Nothing unspiritual can be real, harmonious, or eternal. Sin, sickness, and mortality are the suppositional antipodes of Spirit, and must be contradictions of reality.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 335, Lines 25-31.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B335&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B335&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
- - - - -
To put down the claim of sin, you must detect it, remove the mask, point out the illusion, and thus get the victory over sin and so prove its unreality. The sick are not healed merely by declaring there is no sickness, but by knowing that there is none.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 447, Lines 24-29.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B447&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B447&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
- - - - -
I. God is infinite, the only Life, substance, Spirit, or Soul, the only intelligence of the universe, including man.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, P.330, Lines 11-12.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B330&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B330&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
- - - - -
XXII. Immortal man was and is God's image or idea, even the infinite expression of infinite Mind, and immortal man is coexistent and coeternal with that Mind. He has been forever in the eternal Mind, God; but infinite Mind can never be in man, but is reflected by man. The spiritual man's consciousness and individuality are reflections of God. They are the emanations of Him who is Life, Truth, and Love. Immortal man is not and never was material, but always spiritual and eternal.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 336, Lines 9-18.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B336&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B336&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
- - - - -
The cause of all so-called disease is mental, a mortal fear, a mistaken belief or conviction of the necessity and power of ill-health; also a fear that Mind is helpless to defend the life of man and incompetent to control it. Without this ignorant human belief, any circumstance is of itself powerless to produce suffering.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Page 377, Lines 26-31.
Source: http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B377&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml (http://www.spirituality.com/dt/book_lookup.jhtml?reference=SH%2B377&marks=false&baseURL=%2Fdt%2Fbook_lookup.jhtml)
- - - - -
However, the problem of subjectivity arises when one tries to distinguish between illusion and reality.
Questions:
1) How does one know that the beliefs of Christian Science are not part of one's mental illusion(s)?
2) How does one objectively distinguish between illusion and reality?
3) How does one objectively distinguish between personal deception and genuine spiritual accomplishment?