Spirit Versus Matter — 1961 Association Address

by Herbert E. Rieke




Table of Contents





Spirit Versus Matter

Christian Science teaches that God as Spirit is All-in-all, and that matter is therefore unreal. The physical scientists are rapidly approaching this absolute Truth.

Our Leader tells us that people see what they believe, as well as believe what they see. The physicist sees in the atom the thoughts of the people in regard to reality.

Several years ago, I mentioned that as philosophy and religion are inspired by the teachings of Christian Science, the physicist will see more of Truth, until eventually he sees in the phenomena of creation a manifestation of the seven basic qualities of God. I did not realize this was already happening. In a book just published entitled “Music of the Spheres” by Guy Murchie, we read: “Since you have probably forgotten most of them (kinds of Music Of The Spheres) may I briefly review some of the principal kinds of music of the spheres touched upon in this book? First, the harmonic intervals of the 7 notes of the scale explored by Pythagoras, which have certain correspondences to the intervals of the 7 planets of antiquity, and perhaps to the 7 shells of the modern atom, not to mention the 7 octaves of the piano keyboard and the 7 octaves of the Periodic Table of elements . . .” (p. 593)

The physicist has observed 7 orbits in which the electrons revolve about the center nucleus. You will remember how when we discussed the seven synonymous terms for God we spoke of the different aspects or areas of thought of God’s being. The physicist is beginning to see this symbolized in the atom. Hear this interesting passage (p. 338): “If you should wonder how a hydrogen atom with only one electron can have so many shells, it is because any electron may jump from one shell to another and will do so (on the average) as soon as it has the required energy. Moreover, when a shell is not occupied, it is still there in abstract truth, as is shown by the fact that an electron can always find it.” He says further that these invisible orbits or terraces are “built of nothing but abstract law.” The physicist insists that the particles of the atom are not dust or matter particles. Hear this passage, p. 488: “In other words, the electron may well be born out of nowhere, physically speaking — yet because of the demands of symmetry, it leaves something behind it — something it came ‘from’ — a sort of a hole in nothing that can move about like an invisible bubble. If it sounds crazy to say this, remember that there are no words yet in existence (in any known language, even mathematics) that can adequately express basic physical truth. So as near as we can say or think it, a hole in nothing is something — And again and again out of the depths it keeps asserting itself. A hole in nothing is something.” The physicist has found matter to be a hole in nothing, but they’re trying to think of it as something. Our Leader tells us that the nothingness of nothing is plain. Matter is just the supposition that God, Spirit, is not All-in-all.

The physicist is beginning to see that matter is not reality. Hear this statement: “For all we know, the so-called particles, (protons, neutrons, mesons) inside the nucleus all merge together like drops of milk in a spoon, or are they really more like puffs of smoke in a bag — or thoughts in a mind.” (p. 335) That Mind is All-in-all is indicated by the following passage: “If we are here edging into a realm of thought that has more of metaphysical than physics in it, never mind — for physicists are coming to realize that, if they throw metaphysics out into the fire, their own subject will soon smolder also . . .” The absurdity of matter is here illustrated: “Physicists no longer marvel when an electron (framed in the mirror of symmetry) is discovered ‘meeting itself coming back from a place it hasn’t been to yet.’” (p. 495)

Murchie brings out matter is just a “casual series of events.” (p. 496) He says further, “Another way to express it is that there is no inherent ‘realness’ in matter.” Continuing, “We do not know what makes electrons or protons or photons do whatever they do. We only know their effects. To us the effects are the electrons and protons and photons: the matter. In other words, as a particle or wave acts, so it is.” (p. 497) You see, matter is never a cause — just an effect. Matter, so-called, including heat and cold, germs and accidents, etc., are never the cause of anything — God, Mind, Spirit, is the only cause. Murchie says, “Abstraction is reality, matter is manifest behavior. And this may be the prime clue as to what the apostle Paul meant when he said, ‘The world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen is made out of things that do not appear.’”

For people who say you can’t find perfection here and now, listen to this (p. 358): “Come to think about it, what do we mean by perfection anyhow? — Could total perfection be already here unbeknownst — its immeasurable virtue throbbing in the atom, its axes but willingly spinning out of their little quanta of warmth and love, the very compound of goodness?” Perfection is right here, if we’ll just open our eyes to see it.

When you’re giving your anti-mortality treatment every day think of this one (p. 588): “But just as identity may never have been born inside the time-free atom, so it may die almost anywhere else” but certainly not in the atom. Your true identity was never born into matter, and therefore cannot die out of matter.

Hear this (p. 589): “I sometimes wonder whether humanity has missed the real point in raising the issue of mortality and immortality — whether perhaps the seemingly limited time span of an earthly life is actually unlimited and eternal — in other words, whether mortality itself may be a finite illusion, being actually immortality and, even though constructed of just a few ‘years,’ that those few years are all the time there really is, so that, in fact, they can never cease.” The physicist is beginning to see that any sense of beginning or end is an illusion. You will remember Mrs. Eddy says, “Life is real, and death is the illusion.”

Speaking further about immortality, Murchie says (p. 595), “In this sense, you exist before conception and, by the same reasoning, you still exist after decomposition. You ARE, therefore — regardless of time-space. You ARE, I might venture, perhaps partly in the way Jesus meant when he said, ‘Before Abraham was, I AM.’” Man, the image and likeness of God, has nothing to do with a finite sense of time and space. Showing the mental nature of space, Murchie says (p. 536), “Where, after all, can any place be if it is not where someone thinks it to be?”

There is an interesting discussion on the subject of anti-matter. The physicists have discovered that each particle of the atom has an anti-particle, having the exact opposite characteristics. When an anti-matter particle meets a particle of matter, they cancel out each other. Some physicists feel that there are some galaxies or super-galaxies that are composed entirely of anti-matter particles. One theory about the anti-matter particle is this — that the anti-electron is really the hole from which an electron is dug — or is it the other way around, that the electron is the hole from which an anti-electron or positron has been dug.

The discussion about anti-matter is a symbol of the recognition that there is something opposite to matter called Spirit, which is the true substance of the universe.

What has all this to do with Christian Science? Basically this — matter is just the ignorant belief that God, Spirit, is not All-in-all. Intelligent people do not believe in the reality of matter any more than they believe in the reality of a physical Santa Claus, witches or ghosts. The devil is the supposition that God is not All-in-all. Evil, the supposition that goodness is not infinite. Hatred, the supposition that there is something besides Love. Error, the supposition that something exists besides Truth. Discord, the belief that something has reality outside the government of divine Principle. Death is the supposition that Life might have a beginning and an end. A material sense of things is the supposition that the beautiful, harmonious, buoyant, spiritual sense of things is not All-in-all. Matter is just the belief that a hole in nothing is something.

Right where you are, all that’s present is Spirit, making itself manifest in perfect spiritual being. There is no matter present. This is true whether you have accepted it or not. The substance of you is pure, untainted, unadulterated, spiritual being. This spiritual substance cannot be sick, because it is in and of God. If someone believes he is sick, he is accepting the ignorant superstition that there is some substance besides Spirit. How can a hole in nothingness be sick?

If you believe you are unattractive, you are showing your ignorance — for the substance of Spirit is always beautiful, symmetrical, colorful. How beautiful upon the mountain of exalted thinking is the body of him who lets the glad tidings of Spirit’s allness be expressed through him. This spiritual body is perfect in form, outline, and color. It has no imperfections.

There is no weakness in Spirit, for Spirit is the very essence of energy, the omnipotence of God expressing Himself. There is no matter to be weak or tired. A hole in nothingness is neither weak nor strong. Walk, work, and play in the strength of Spirit.

Poverty indicates one believes in the reality of matter as substance. A hole in nothingness is a graphic picture of lack. Are you trying to accumulate matter — holes in nothingness? Then you are trying to accumulate lack, the absence of something. An understanding of the allness of Spirit is riches. Paul said (Rom. 11), “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Our Mater was rich because he claimed the knowledge of Spirit. He never thought of matter as real. He lacked neither food, nor clothing, nor money for taxes. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, freedom from any sense of lack or limitation. When an individual thinks of his substance as matter, he is poor. We are told of the man in the Bible who had much goods but was poor. And of the man who had little materiality, but was rich. We must never think that our substance consists of gold, silver, stocks, bonds, and investments. The substance of our being is the divine Spirit. Money is not substance. Paul wrote to Timothy, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (I Tim. 6:10)

Right where you are, all that’s there is the Spirit of God which lacks nothing. We honor God and His spiritual substance as All-in-all. Paul said, “Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:3) We do not use spiritual resources to accomplish material ends. We do not think of God, Spirit, as substance in order to accumulate the material things. We do not use Christian Science to gain a sense of abundance, and then measure our substance by the material things accumulated. We do not do this for we know then we would lose our true sense of substance as Spirit.

Christian Science has the answer for over-weight. It is the acknowledgement that the only substance there is, is Spirit. Someone asked Mrs. Eddy (Mis. p. 47): “How can I believe there is no such things as matter, when I weigh over two hundred pounds and carry about this weight daily?” Mrs. Eddy answered in part, “By learning that matter is but manifest mortal mind. You entertain an adipose belief of yourself as substance; whereas, substance means more than matter: it is the glory and permanence of Spirit — Science reverses evidence of material sense with the spiritual sense that God, Spirit, is the only substance; and that man, His image and likeness, is spiritual, not material.” Since you acknowledge that right where you are, all that’s there is pure spiritual being made manifest, you see there can be no fleshly excess. Since you do not make something of matter, you do not have to carry a lot of matter around. Over-weight is a heavy sense of selfhood, a heavy sense of life, of duties and responsibilities. “Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty”

— freedom from a heavy or weighty sense of things. There is only spiritual buoyancy and gracefulness. Where the spirit of the Lord is there are no earth-weights, no bound feelings, no restrictions or limitations. The spirit of God is synonymous with a light, buoyant sense of things — even the kind of buoyancy that enabled Jesus to walk on the water.

One who lacks companionship, believes that he is a mortal unappreciated and unloved. But the truth is that right where you are all that’s there is the spirit of God manifesting itself in the quality of attractiveness. Our Leader tells us that Spirit is the only attraction. Your fellow-man also expresses this attractiveness of Spirit. And it is the spirit of God that causes spiritual ideas to be attracted toward each other. There is nothing in you that repels you. The one divine spirit relates and associates each spiritual idea according to a wonderful plan. There is no belief of materialism to interfere with this plan.

When a woman thinks of matter as substance, and would like to get a free meal ticket, she pushes possible companionship away from her. But when she recognizes the substance of the spirit of God, and thinks in terms of giving, blessing, and making others happy, encouraging others in such a way as to feel that they are really sons of God, then she is letting the spirit of God demonstrate its attractive qualities.

When a man thinks of matter as substance, and seeks to get a wife who will cook his meals, mend his clothes, rear his children, and look pretty when he entertains his boss, he truly repels the highest type of companionship. But when he recognizes the substance of Spirit, and lets the spirit of God’s qualities be expressed through, when he gives not just material things but of himself, his sincere consideration, his desire to bring comfort to another, his solicitude for the happiness of another, when he finds great joy in giving his courage, his sense of protection, his strength, his true sense of spiritual substance, then he is manifesting the attractiveness of Spirit, which naturally brings him the right kind of companion. When husbands and wives have an eternal contest as to which one can give the most, then marriage is built upon a sure foundation — it is built on the rock of God as Spirit.

Here I would like to talk for a few minutes about an important and much abused and misrepresented subject — sex. Even the word causes some people to shudder and shiver. The dictionary defines sex as “Of or pertaining to the character of being a male or female; a man or woman.” There is certainly nothing dirty, vulgar, or indecent in thinking of an individual as expressing the masculine qualities of strength, courage and dominion. Or of a woman expressing the feminine qualities of love, tenderness and kindness. And there is certainly nothing objectionable about thinking of the reunion of these spiritual qualities.

But when one thinks of man as made up of matter, of flesh, a carnally-minded male animal, and when one thinks of the substance of a woman as flesh and regards her as a sensuous female animal, then the subject of sex, the story of man and woman, is dragged through the mud, and we get the dirty distorted concept of sex as found in sexy stories, jokes, and abnormal sexual living.

In Science and Health, we read that we must resolve things into thoughts, and exchange the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul. This we must do on the subject of sex, whether we’re married or not married — we must give up the mortal, material, sensuous concept of sex for God’s idea of the true nature of man and woman.

If you think of your body or substance as material and mortal flesh, and you think of your husband’s or wife’s body or substance as material, mortal flesh, then your companionship, your marriage, your union, may, according to belief, produce mortal, material, fleshly children, with a sense of body or substance as material. On the other hand, when you spiritually understand that your substance is entirely spiritual, and that the only body there is the true spiritual embodiment of right ideas, and when you rejoice that the substance or body of your husband or wife is completely spiritual, is in and of God, the one divine Spirit, then your companionship, your marriage, your union, may bring forth spiritually-minded children who realize initially and constantly that the substance of their being is spiritual and perfect.

Nothing will do your home, your family, and yourself, more good, than for you to have an uplifted, purified, and clean concept of sex, of the true nature of man and woman. Now in Christian Science we do not call evil good, neither do we attempt to think of fleshliness as spiritual. Instead, we give up the fleshly concept of sex for the true spiritual sense of marriage, as the union of the spiritual idea of man and woman. Speaking of this true marriage our Leader says (Science and Health, p. 57): “Union of the masculine and feminine qualities constitutes completeness.” One of the most important admonitions for our own welfare, and the welfare of the world is this — do not drag your concept of sex, of man and woman, of marriage, of family, of home, and of children, through the mud of materiality, for therein is the dream of mortality.

Our Master said that God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Spirit is the only substance, your substance, my substance. We must worship, we must stand in praiseful, prayerful awe of this substance of spirit. We must have no other gods besides Spirit. This means that we shall never think of matter as substance. Spirit is All-in-all, the very essence of your being.




Communism

In Bremerhaven, West Germany I learned one of the most helpful lessons in Christian Science during the last lecture season. A young theological student, sitting in the first row, took copious notes on everything I said. During the lecture he tried to disturb me, especially with an expression of hatred. This of course had no power, and I am sure I gave one of my best lectures.

After the lecture he came up to me and wanted to argue. His face was red with anger, as he insisted that sin, disease and death are very real. He asked the pat question, “If evil, such as sin, isn’t real, why did Christ Jesus come to save us?” I explained that many people have believed in the reality of evil, of sin, disease and death. Jesus came to awaken people to the reality of God, good, and thus deliver them from the effects of the belief in the reality of evil. Since he kept arguing for the reality of evil, I finally asked him whether he really was a theological student. He said that he was. I told him that he sounded more like an advocate for the devil, his power and reality, than as an advocate for God and His glory. In my lecture I had argued for the presence, power, and glory of God, whereas he was arguing for the presence and power of evil. He continued to argue, and finally I said, “Well, if you want to argue on the reality of evil, sin, disease and death, I cannot stop you, but that’s hell, and I don’t want hell. Therefore, I am going to argue for the reality of God, of Life, Truth and Love, for that brings heaven, the way our Master taught us to find it.” Then I excused myself because others were waiting in line to talk with me. But the local practitioner and other Scientists continued to carry on the discussion with him. He became more and more belligerent.

That night I was suddenly awakened and could not sleep. I knew it was an argument of mental malpractice. I began to rejoice that hateful thoughts had no more power to disturb my rest than to disturb me when I was on the platform. God, the divine Mind, is omnipotent, possessing all power. Then I went further, as I have taught you in class, to realize that mental malpractice also has no presence, no reality, no existence. For as our Leader says on page 496 of the textbook: “. . . this ever-present omnipotent Mind is reflected by man and governs the entire universe.” I began to rejoice that no one could think of me, the lecture, our church, or our religion, except as the one divine Mind gave him to think. I rejoiced that when this young man thought of me and my lecture, there was present in consciousness a host of angels protecting both his thought and mine. I found my peace immediately and was able to sleep well the rest of the night. Early the next morning the local practitioner called and told me that she had been very disturbed by what the young man said to her, and she told me how she had replied. I was finally able to help her to see that she too must rejoice in the great spiritual fact that no one can think about us or our religion except as God gives him to think. She promised to work this way. A half hour later she called again to say that this young man had telephoned her and asked for an appointment. She told him if he wanted to argue about Christian Science she would not be able to see him. But his attitude was completely changed — the belligerency was gone. Subsequently I received a letter from her telling me that she talked with him for two and a half hours. He was most polite, and when he left he had a copy of Science and Health under his arm and promised to read it through and return and talk with her further.

This experience taught me a very valuable lesson, emphasizing the importance of positive and thorough protective work, realizing not only that mental malpractice has no power, but also no presence, no reality, no existence. From that time on we had no more trouble. The people in the congregation, even theological students, appeared to be very receptive and responsive. One Evangelical minister told a local Christian Science practitioner after the lecture, “What we have heard today is the very truth. All other religions, our own religion included, can be put over in the corner, for this is the very truth about God and His universe.” Then he added, “But do the people really understand it?” These experiences caused me to do some real Soul searching. Did I really understand that God and His goodness are All-in-all? Was I consistent in always arguing for the reality of God, good, the reality of Life, Truth and Love?

About that time, we were reading in the local foreign press about the fiasco of the Cuban invasion, and I was quite critical of the American President and his multitudinous advisors. We were reading in many foreign papers that the United States lost more prestige in one day of this fiasco than in the previous eight years. I was quite disturbed and ashamed. Then I awakened to what I was doing — I was arguing for the reality of evil, the presence and power of ignorance, sin and discord, just the way this theological student had been arguing. I said, “Okay Fritz, move over — here comes Herbert Rieke to join you as an advocate for the reality of evil.” It was really a challenging experience, albeit a bit humorous. Since that time, whenever I have been tempted to accept some evidence of evil as real, I exclaim, “Move over Fritz, here I come again, arguing for the existence of evil, and against the allness of God and His goodness.” This has helped me to stay on the straight and narrow path, and to argue only for the existence of good.

Many of you have asked me how to think about world affairs at this time, about Communism, and the threat of a Third World War. A student recently wrote: “Dear Teacher, I’m scared. I just attended a meeting where the speaker spoke of the success of the growth of Communism, and how vulnerable our nation is. What can we do?” Another writes: “I don’t want my two sons to have to go to war. What can we do?” Many are advising great military strength, the accumulation of extensive armaments, and the induction of manpower into great armies. We fought and won World War I to make the world safe for democracy, but we did not win and maintain peace. And so the seeds of World War II were sown. We fought and won World War II to make the world safe for democracy. Again, we failed to win and maintain peace. Now there is much talk of another great military build-up for the third time to make the world safe for democracy. Is military strength enough?

Some people have advocated another material way to win the cold war, to make friends and influence people — they propose large foreign aid programs. It is generally conceded that we have not made many friends for the United States by giving just material things and money to foreign nations.

What is the answer? How can we stop Communism, win the so-called cold war, and avoid a hot war? In II Corinthians 10:4-5, we find the answer:

“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Here we have the great spiritual weapon with which we must pull down the strong holds, casting down atheistic theories, the things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. This weapon is the Christ, spiritual Truth. But we must use this weapon — or better, let this weapon use us with intelligence, courage, and dispatch, in order to find good results. This Christ, as you know, is the true and spiritual idea of all things. We must bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, — not only our thoughts, but the thoughts of all mankind. Through the Christ only we find the permanent remedy for the ills of the world.

The Communists are seeking to win the battle for the mind of mankind through a cold war. They have been using all the subtle tricks of materialistic psychology, and atheistic philosophy, to win this war. Much of this mental activity carried on by the Communists might be summarized under the modern term brain-washing. You know what this means — it is an effort to subvert the thinking and loyalty of men through propaganda, drugs, hypnotism, threats, the big lie, and other means — to subvert the loyalties of men to their country, to their family, and to their God, and in exchange to accept a blind loyalty to the Communist movement. But this is not really brain-washing — it is brain-smearing. It is the attempt to becloud and smear the thinking of mankind. We need to do a job of brain-washing ourselves, cleaning up the thought in regard to mankind. The materialistic thinking of the Roman Catholic church cannot do the job, the atheistic and agnostic intellectualism are not doing anything to stem the tide of Communism and counteract the Communistic brain-smearing. Only the Christ as presented and lived by our Master Jesus, only the Holy Comforter which he promised would lead us into all Truth, can wash away the sins of the world, the wrong and apathetic thoughts that would make a Communistic society possible.

The best spiritual soap, the most effective detergent, is this — “All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all.” Here is the true psychology which is powerful enough to offset the so-called mental influence of false psychology. But it is not enough for us just to declare this theoretically; we must realize with spiritual understanding that this great truth is the basic fact in the heart of every citizen of the universe. This great truth is built right in the consciousness of every American, every Russian, every Chinese. Our Leader tells us that the exterminator of error, yes, the error of Communism, is the great truth that God, good, is the only Mind, and that the supposititious opposite of infinite Mind called devil or evil, is not Mind, is not Truth, but error, without intelligence or reality. We must rejoice with spiritual understanding that the error of Communism is without intelligence to plan or perpetuate itself. It is without reality or existence in the consciousness of man. We must rejoice consistently that that the Christ, the spiritual idea, is washing away the sins, the erroneous concepts in the consciousness of every man, woman, and child in the universe. We must rejoice that the Christ causes all men to love liberty, causes them to see that it is a knowledge of the Truth that makes them free. The Christ is even now causing all men not to tolerate a condition of slavery. The Christ is even now causing all men to work, to fight for freedom. This Christ Truth is our weapon — mighty through God to pulling down strong holds, casting down imaginations and lies, and bringing into captivity the thought of every man, woman, and child, to the obedience of Christ.

Let us not join that theological student and argue that the evil Communistic propaganda is very powerful, and that the people all over the world are being subverted to Communism through such psycho-political activity. Let us stick to our guns that the divine Mind and its spiritual idea is almighty, loosing every bond of false captivity, and bringing every thought into the obedience to the Christ, the spiritual idea of being. Let us truly argue for the presence, power, and reality of righteousness, and know that the false mental influence of Communism is not only powerless, but absent, nonexistent, impossible, inconceivable, unworkable. Our Leader tells us that if we will see sin, disease and death as nothingness they will disappear. She does not tell us to ignore sin, disease and death — she doesn’t tell us to fight them as something real — she tells us to see them for what they are, understand them as nothingness, and then they will no longer appear in our experience. It is this positive, powerful attitude that you and I must take in order to do our best as soldiers for the Christ.

I have told you on a number of occasions that it’s not enough for us to consider all the claims of error, without giving due consideration to the spiritual truth which destroys the error. Many of the books and articles that I have read about Communism are pointing out the evil of this system and are telling about what the Communists are doing. But they do not give very much in the way of a constructive program with which we can destroy the false influence of Communism. When people read such books and articles, and listen to such speeches, they come away with the frustrated sense of things, and that’s what the false psychology of Communism desires, that we all feel frustrated.

On the other hand, when Christian Scientists just make beautiful abstract statements in regard to Truth, without specifically handling false claims of Communism, they are not doing very much to establish and maintain world peace. Today I am presenting some of the claims of Communism. I am also showing you the specific spiritual truths with which we can nullify the power, presence and existence of Communism. It is this remedy that I would have you accept and make your own.

The Communists would attempt to subvert the world through false propaganda, the big lie. They seek to impugn the motives, acts, and deeds of our country, and of all the countries of the west, attempting to paint us as totally corrupt and evil, while justifying all their own atrocities. They try, for instance, to smear us in the eyes of the world by calling us Imperialists. You know of course what the word “imperial” means — “Of or pertaining to an empire; of or pertaining to a state as sovereign and supreme over colonies.” When we freed Cuba from the domination of Spain we gave her her independence. We also gave independence to the Philippine Islands after we had helped them find stable government. Hawaii and Alaska have voluntarily and joyfully wanted to be one of the fifty United States. Our country is not imperialistic in any sense of the word. We do not have an Empire nor an Emperor. Furthermore, we have helped many people to find their freedom. It is the government of Russia that has been imperialistic — literally enslaving against their will the people of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, and even now by devious methods seeking to bring under the sovereignty of Communism nations in this hemisphere, such as Cuba.

Let us protect our nation with the weapon of the Christ, the true and spiritual idea, by realizing daily not only that such false propaganda that we are imperialists has no power to influence the people around the world; but let us go further and declare with vehemence and understanding that since there is just one Mind, no citizen of the world can think of our nation except the way this one Mind gives him to think. Let us rejoice understandingly that whenever anyone mentions our nation, or thinks of our country, there is present in consciousness a host of angels, revealing the truth to them about our nation — thus protecting both their thought and ours. All men, every Russian and Chinese, is impelled by divine Mind to think lovingly and gratefully toward the United States of America, and the contributions we have made to individual liberty and world progress. Every Cuban, every South American, every Indonesian, every citizen of Japan or of India — they all are impelled normally and naturally to see us the way we are, and to be grateful for the billions we have spent to seek to improve the living conditions of all mankind.

The United States herself was once a colony. We have truly led the march toward freedom for all men and nations. Years ago, we struck out boldly against the concept of Empires and imperialism. The one divine Mind causes every man, woman and child in the world to understand and appreciate this great fact.

Let us not be found arguing for the reality, presence and power of evil. Let us not argue that the people of the world are accepting the Communistic lie. Our Leader tells us that the world is peopled with God’s ideas, reflecting Him in countless spiritual forms. She also tells us that in Truth there is no error, no lie — all is Truth. Since the divine Mind is Almighty, the eternal Truth, it compels everyone to see the United States in its true light — certainly not imperialistic, but a brother nation helping all nations to a greater sense of freedom and dominion. We have contributed something over a hundred billion dollars to help backward countries and nations devastated by World War II to find a better sense of physical environment. Let us not malpractice on our gift by saying that no one appreciates what we have done. This is self-pity, a martyr complex. Let us not join Fritz and argue for the reality of self-pity in our thought, and the lack of appreciation in the thoughts of millions of people throughout the world whom we have helped. Let us take up our weapon and argue that since Love is All-in-all, we in America love all mankind, and all people in all nations love America. The Chinese appreciate what we have done for many decades to help their nation. They appreciate the manner in which we helped them find their freedom from the domination of the Japanese. The Japanese people are full of appreciation for what we have done to bring them a better sense of freedom from the argument of imperialism. The Japanese love us for what we have done to help them recover since the war. Let us rejoice vehemently that since there is just one divine Mind, the people of Germany and Italy appreciate the manner in which we freed them from the Dictatorship of Nazism. They truly love and appreciate us for the manner in which we have helped them to recover after the war. France and England appreciate what we have done in helping them to get back on their feet. We do not just hope it, or wish it were so. Let us know that since there is just one divine Mind, all men are impelled by this Mind to appreciate all good service rendered by America. We would think that way in regard to our individual businesses — let us know the same thing in regard to our nation. Instead of arguing for the reality of the sin of ingratitude, let us deny it and know that we are loved and appreciated by all.

Here is another place where we need to use our secret weapon, the Christ Truth. No one wants war. We in America certainly do not want war. The English, French, Italians, Germans, Japanese, do not want war. For the same basic reason there isn’t a Chinaman or a Russian citizen that wants war. The people of the world want peace. The Russian leaders realize this, and therefore do not dare to start a war or take steps which would precipitate a war. They know their country will suffer greatly if war breaks out. Let us know with spiritual understanding that the ever-present divine Mind causes the leaders of the world to think many times before they precipitate a third World War. They dare not do it, for they know it would be their end. Let’s not join Fritz and argue for the inevitability of war between Russia and the western powers. Let us argue daily for the inevitability of peace in the world — peace never built on softness or surrender to the atheistic concepts of Communism, but peace built on strength, the strength and dignity of all men.

It is said that the Communists are aggressive, that they are rapidly spreading their influence throughout the world. It is said that there is an absolute single-minded loyalty to the state, and almost a fanatical worship of the ideology of Communism. It is also said that the people of the west are divided, that there is confusion in the ranks, that there is no unity of plan or purpose, that even among Christians there is great division in theological concepts, purposes and motives. It is said that we lack aggressiveness, the zeal, the push, to spread the ideals of Christianity and freedom throughout the world. It is said that the people of the west are too much interested in just preserving their own individual way of life, without recognizing that this can be swept away from us unless we extend the ideal of liberty throughout the world. Here is another place where we need to use the Christ Truth in cleaning up such erroneous concepts.

Evil is not aggressive. Our Leader says that it can only act, react, and then come to a stop. God, infinite good, is, in a sense, truly aggressive, for good is omni-action. Darkness cannot jump out of dark closets and aggressively destroy the light in a room. But the light aggressively penetrates into the darkened corners of the closer and destroys the darkness. The early Christians so loved the Christ Truth that they went from house to house to share the word of God with everyone. They were aggressive, truly obedient to the Master’s admonition that they should preach the gospel to every creature. Paul was willing and eager, as a prisoner, to go to far off Rome, in order that he might be able to preach the gospel there. No toil was too great for those early Christians. No sacrifice too much. No persecutions too severe to stop them from their onward push to Christianize the whole world. The progress of early Christianity was built upon the zeal of the martyrs of the church. Mrs. Eddy calls them earth luminaries. What was true about the early Christians is also true about us. We have a holy zeal to spread the teachings of practical Christianity, as explained by the Holy Comforter. We are not embarrassed in doing this, neither are we selfish in thinking of just using Christian Science for ourselves. We have a zeal to share the truth. I wish I had time to read many of the letters that I received this year from you, telling how this zeal, this love of Truth, caused you to share many subscriptions of The Monitor with others, how you gave many textbooks, visited people in the prisons and hospitals, and carried the word of God to your neighbors. Our God is a zealous God, and an active God — yes, an aggressive God. And man, His image and likeness, expresses these divine qualities. Let us rejoice that the true zeal is built into the make-up of every Christian Scientist — yes, every Christian. We are all inspired to love God so supremely that we are willing to share His spiritual inspiration with all mankind. Let us not argue that the Communists have all the zeal, and that we in the west have none, or very little. Let us rejoice that all the people of the west are united in a great crusade of sharing the ideals of Christianity and freedom with all the world. Christ is aggressive. It preaches the gospel to every creature. Goodness is growing, spreading. It is extending itself throughout the universe. In Isaiah, we read: “The earth shall be full of the glory of the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea.” The so-called forces of evil are not aggressive. They are powerless, inactive, retreating. The goodness of God is omni-active. This great truth is our weapon. Let us use it daily in our prayers.

Communist propaganda says that the free enterprise system is ineffective in wiping out poverty and slums; and yet the average working man in American receives almost as much as the highest paid official in Russia. The limit of salaries in Russia is about six thousand dollars a year. I was recently talking to a brick layer in America who makes eight thousand a year. Truck drivers on the highway make as much as twelve thousand a year. Think of the millions of new homes that have been built since World War II in the United States. As one flies across the country one is astounded by the acres and acres of new beautiful homes. Our free enterprise system has eliminated slums and poverty better than any Communist nation has ever dreamed of doing. I wish you could all observe the contrast between West Berlin and East Berlin. In West Berlin there are thousands of new buildings, homes, apartments. The scars of war are almost eliminated. On the other hand, in East Berlin, under Communist government, there are still acres and acres of rubble, and very little done to eliminate poverty and slums. In Moscow the most modern of Communist cities, there are still thousands of log cabins.

We should all appreciate the great progress our nation has made in eliminating poverty and slums; and we should certainly renew our efforts to eliminate all such undesirable conditions, so that we can be a true example for the rest of the world. But let us appreciate the progress we have made, and let us do everything we can to help all people to appreciate the advantages of free enterprise.

The false propaganda of Communism says that because of the selfishness of our Capitalists, the masses are ground down in economic slavery. Of course, this is an obvious lie. No people in history ever had greater economic freedom than we in America — freedom to work, to earn, freedom to change jobs, freedom to improve ourselves. Yes, even freedom to own an automobile! Such freedom, such economic freedom, is not found in the Communistic system. Let us use the weapon of Christ Truth, and prove to the world by every effective means that our nation is not made up of selfish Capitalists and down-trodden laboring people. Let us rejoice constantly that the one divine Mind impels everyone — Capitalists and laboring men, to think in terms of service to each other, and service to the nation and the world as a whole. The spirit of God is the spirit of unselfishness, and that is the true spirit of America. Through prayer we can see our country that way, and thus help it to be that way. Because that is the truth about our country. Because of the everywhere presence of the one divine Mind, that’s the way the whole world sees America. Divine Principle impels everyone to see and know the truth.

Recently I was reading a very interesting observation. The psychologist Freud emphasized the observation that many people are sick because of a guilt complex. It may be that the individual has really committed a crime or feels guilty because of a fancied guilt. Through propaganda the Communists have tried to make the United States and other western countries have a sense of guilt, that this might produce economic and political sickness. Of course, if we as a nation do anything wrong, we should correct it. But there is no reason why we should go around with a guilt complex. We have dedicated the energies of our nation to bring a greater sense of freedom and dominion to all people, and to enslave none. If there is any nation that should have a guilt complex, it is certainly Russia. The Communists have been guilty of great atrocities. Until they are ready to allow real freedom to the people of Russia as well as the so-called enslaved satellites, they are truly guilty of crime. Declare with spiritual understanding that we individually, and our nation as a whole, are not guilty, and know the reason why.

Through propaganda the Communists have tried to convince the world that they are far ahead of us in engineering skill, and the development of the sciences. They were a bit ahead of us in rocket development because of our short-sightedness immediately after World War II. But in the last two years we have gained rapidly to such an extent that we have many more satellites orbiting the earth, sending us scientific data, than the Russians have. And if we send a man in orbit this fall, as plans call for, we’ll only be about six months behind the Russians in manned-orbit flight. We have contributed a great deal more to the knowledge of space. In every phase of engineering, education, and research, the United States is not behind. The divine Mind causes the people of all the world to recognize and appreciate this fact. These people appreciate the great contribution that scientific research in America has brought to the world. Let us always argue on the side of Truth.

The entire philosophy of Communism is dialectical materialism. The Communist believes that matter is All-in-all, and that Spirit or God is non-existent. They believe that man has been evolved from non-intelligent matter by chance through natural selection as explained in the Darwinian Theory. They believe that the mind of man is entirely a function of matter or brain.

Many physical scientists and professors in the colleges of America accept this same materialistic, atheistic, or agnostic philosophy of life, and teach it to their students. Our young people therefore need to be thoroughly awake not to be brain-washed with this materialistic philosophy of creation. But some of the foremost physical scientists in America are beginning to awaken to the fact that matter is not All-in-all. Loren Eiseley, chairman of the department of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, writes in an article for the Saturday Evening Post about a young girl in a finishing school, who was taught by her professor (explaining the evolutionary theory) that “The tough minded would survive, but the tender hearted would be wiped out.” Dr. Eiseley writes: “This archaic remark shook me. Man has not really survived by toughness in a major sense. Instead he has survived through tenderness.” Dr. Eiseley brings out that it is the love of parents for their offspring in caring for them that has brought all the progress in evolution about which we know. What he is saying of course is that the principle of the universe is Love. Without Love there would be no progress, no evolution, no creation — only chaos. To stop the growth of materialistic Communism, let us argue on the side of this truth — that it is not tough mindedness that survives, but rather tenderness, the expression of Love. Love is not weakness, it is strength. Tenderness is not the road to extinction, it is the way to immortality. Tough mindedness is weakness — it dies. Brutality brings about its own defeat.

Sometimes students ask me about our Leader’s statement that the only power of error is to destroy itself. They have felt sometimes that it conflicts with another statement of our Leader, that only Truth can destroy error. When we attack error as though it were something, we make something of it. Our Leader saw clearly that all erroneous concepts have within themselves the seeds of their own self-destruction. The slave-producing, atheistic, materialistic philosophy of Communism is certainly error, and you and I have the right and duty to rejoice daily that the only power of this error is to destroy itself. Since Truth is All-in-all, error must reveal itself as nothingness, non-existent.

Some of you have asked whether we should build an ark as Noah did, to protect ourselves from the possible destruction to come. Today it would be a bombproof shelter to protect ourselves from atomic fallout, rather than a large boat. Here it would be well for us to read Mrs. Eddy’s definition of ark: “Safety; the idea, or reflection, of Truth, proved to be as immortal as its Principle; the understanding of Spirit, destroying belief in matter. God and man coexistent and eternal; Science showing that the spiritual realties of all things are created by Him and exist forever. The ark indicates temptation overcome and followed by exaltation.” Such an ark is completely spiritual. It is really only in God and His spiritual ideas that we find safety. When during the war the men in my unit were instructed to dig foxholes to protect themselves from the possibility of enemy bombings, I encouraged them to be obedient to the group commander. But I told them always to remember to depend on something higher than material things for their protection. I called their attention to the statement in the 91st Psalm: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God . . .” I emphasized that God is our fortress, and He will always inspire us to be at the right place at the right time for safety. The next morning a young man told me how he had built the deepest and best foxhole in the camp, but when the raid came something told him to get out of his foxhole and run for a gully. This he did, and later he discovered that a bomb had fallen right in the very center of his foxhole and had blown it all to pieces.

Because you and I are doing the right kind of protective work, really going on the offensive, realizing the unreality of error at its source, we’re not going to have to dig holes in which to hide out. A bomb shelter is not the true solution for our problem. The realization of the everywhere presence of God stops the error at its source. Remember that a good spiritual offensive is always the best defensive.

Some of you have asked me about passages in the Bible which tell us about the great conflict to come. Our Master tells us (Matt. 24) of the time when we shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, and he tells us that we should not be troubled. Here is his admonition: “Take heed that no man deceive you. See that ye be not troubled.” Our Master says, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” The Communists say that their doctrine will bring true salvation to the world — freedom from disease, poverty, and evil. They say that Castro wears a beard to make himself look like Christ Jesus, to make the people think he is the Saviour of his people. Remember that the Christ is always the spiritual idea within, and not some person from without. When our Master admonishes us to flee into the mountains, he is encouraging us to maintain an uplifted state of thought. When he says, “Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house” he certainly means that we should be shouting the gospel of truth from the housetops, and not be trying to just protect our possessions.

When he says, “Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” he is certainly not advising people to refrain from having families. But he is admonishing us not to think of our children as material, mortal, destructible creatures.

I have been asked what our Master meant when he said that two men shall be in the field, and one shall be taken and the other left. And two women shall be grinding meal, the one shall be taken and the other left. He is not talking about people, but he is talking about our concept of man and woman.

The false mortal concept of man and woman shall be seen as nothing, and the true spiritual idea shall remain and find security.

Our Master says about these days, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” The Christ comes and knocks at our door every hour, every minute. The challenging question for all of us is this: Are we listening to the Christ? Are we opening the door, and letting the Christ Truth in?

Our Master tells us about the time when men’s hearts shall be failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. Then he adds with this triumphant note: “And when these begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.” Here we have the absolute answer as to what we should do — look up, not down. Look up to God, glorify His presence and power. Our redemption, our salvation, our freedom and dominion, are right here at hand for all of us. In order to be effective in our work for world peace we need to see clearly that matter is not substance. It is not All-in-all. Spirit, God, is real and substantial. During World War II someone asked Joseph Stalin about the spiritual forces of the church. His flippant remark was: “How many divisions of soldiers can they furnish?”

Today there is an awakening realization that there is a non-material element in the world that is very important. This non-material thing is called the thoughts and opinions of the people of the world, the opinions of the American citizens, of the Russian citizens, of the people from the so-called uncommitted or neutral nations.

Some people feel that we should just go ahead and use our military power without consideration for the thoughts and opinions of the people. Others would discount the power of public opinion. Some skeptical individuals would play right into the Russian hands by declaring that the opinions of the people are usually wrong, that they are under the control of Communist propaganda. Here you and I can use our great spiritual weapon. We can rejoice that all is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation. We can rejoice this very second and constantly, that the one ever-present divine Mind is certainly counteracting all false psychology and propaganda, causing every citizen of the world to think constructively in regard to God and His universe, in regard to government, in regard to the people of all nations. Instead of letting a false sense of public opinion influence the thoughts and destinies of men and nations, let us realize in our prayer that the one divine Mind is molding public opinion not only of the citizens of America, but of all the people in the world — molding these opinions according to the ideals of the Christ.

We have emphasized the fact that the Christ or Saviour of the world is Immanuel, God with us. Not just God with me, but God with all of us. It is not enough for you to be right yourself — you must see all men as divinely inspired by God. This is your true weapon, your protection, your Christ. We must think rightly about all the leaders of the world — Khrushchev, Kennedy, and all the rest. They are not mortal, material creatures influenced by false psychology, false philosophy, and false theology. The true substance of each of the leaders of the world consists of the spirit of God in his heart. As we brought out earlier today, there is no matter. Therefore, the substance of man is not in matter nor material thinking. The substance of the leaders of the world is God, Spirit. This is the same substance of every man, woman, and child in the universe. The substance of Russia does not consist of its material resources, its advancement in rockets, missiles and satellites. The substance of Russia consists of the spirit of God, of good will in the hearts of every Russian citizen.

The substance of the United States does not consist of its money to lend or to spend. Its substance does not consist of its resources, its manufacturing plants, its engineering know-how. Our substance does not consist of our schools, our railroads, our airlines, our highways, our atomic bombs, or our defense mechanisms. Our substance consists of the spirit of God, the spirit of Love, in the hearts of our citizens. This spiritual substance is very real. It is never in conflict with the substance of other citizens of the world. Spirit, and its infinite manifestations are always at peace. In these glorious truths we find our spiritual weapon.

The world is not steeped in materialism — neither the materialistic poverty of backward countries, the materialistic atheism of Communism, or the materialistic spirit of getting which is sometimes associated with Capitalism. The one and only true universe, the kingdom of heaven is full of the spirit of God, full of the spirit of Love, of the spirit of the beautiful, good, and true, the spirit of sharing, helping, giving. This spirit is real, the only real.

It is the right thoughts of the people that is the substance of the world. It is these right thoughts that determine the actions of the nations. The one divine Mind is ever present, giving to every citizen the right idea of himself, and everyone else. We have the right, privilege and duty to know that there is no substance in matter; no substance, reality, or existence in materialistic thinking; no substance or reality in hatred, lies, errors, or mistakes; no reality in discord or inharmony. Ignorance is not the reality of being. The earth is full of the knowledge of God and His goodness, as the waters cover the sea.

The Christ is knocking at the door of consciousness of every citizen of the world, and every citizen is opening the door to receive the Christ message. In this truth we find our security, our safety, our peace.




The Five Phases Of Prayer Or Effective Metaphysical Work

The basic desire of every Christian Scientist is to be able to pray more effectively, to do good metaphysical work. In the writings of our Leader, and in the Bible, it seems to me there are five different aspects of prayer. I don’t mean five different prayers, but five ways to approach this subject. Each phase is important, and should be used according to the specific need. Effective prayer may use all five phases. Basically, prayer is communion with God, with reality. Such communion usually implies the thought of a communicator or speaker, and one who listens.




I Prayer Of Petition

The earliest form of prayer is petition, which Webster defines as: “Any formal asking, a solemn request.” In petition the individual is the communicator, and God the listener. Most of the prayers in the Bible are petitions, a solemn request that God do something. Our Master’s prayers are translated as prayers of petition. Now we know that God answered our Master’s prayer. That answer is found mainly in the life of Christ Jesus, but occasionally God’s answer was heard and recorded, as when He said: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” There are many prayers of petition in our Leader’s writings. Most of her hymns are prayers of petition.

Therefore, never look down on this form of prayer (see No and Yes, p. 38). It is good mental practice to silently and sincerely express our desire to be humble, patient, and receptive. It is good to ask God to help us be obedient, honest, trustworthy, positive, and well. Our Daily Prayer is a prayer of petition. Mrs. Eddy once gave her students this simple prayer of petition: “Divine Love, give me higher, holier, purer desires, more self-abnegation, more love.” Here is another well-known prayer of our Leader’s: “Here am I God, use me. I would be absent from the body and present with Thee in consciousness. Lift me right up above a material sense of self and audience and use me.” Of course, in the prayer of petition we do not ask for material things, but a fuller recognition of the presence and power of spiritual qualities, which are the true substance of being; and which, when possessed and reflected, meet our every need.

When we pray the prayer of petition we need to rejoice that God, the all-hearing Mind, hears our prayer, and He answers our prayer from His storehouse of spiritual abundance. Our Master said: “Believe that ye receive what ye ask for in prayer.” When petitioning God, we must make sure we do not do too much talking. That’s not polite. We must silently listen for God’s answer, with absolute confidence that the right answer is always there. It is often well to begin our prayer with a sincere expression of the desires of our hearts.




II Prayer Listening To The Christ

Now we come to the second mode of prayer which is a process of listening — listening to what the Christ Truth says to us. It is a process of letting the Christ affirm the truth about all things, and deny the error, or destroy every unlovely concept, picture, or image. Mrs. Eddy speaks of such prayer as healing by argument (p. 411 of our textbook). Throughout the inspiring books of the Bible and our Leader’s writings, we find the Christ affirming the truth in regard to God, the universe and man, and denying, rebuking, annihilating and destroying every phase of error. The Christ is defined in our textbook as “The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error.” (p. 583) The impersonal Christ rebukes and destroys the devil, the beast, and the false prophets, literally casting them into the lake of fire and brimstone, that they may be as nothing. When you heal by argument, you must see clearly that it is really not your argument; you are listening to the Christ, pleading the case scientifically for Truth. It is the Christ that heals the sick, reforms the sinner, and raises the dead.

Many individuals have been healed by just reading Science and Health and the Bible, for they are listening for the Christ, affirming the Truth, and denying all erroneous concepts. When you cling steadfastly to some spiritual idea found in the Bible or our textbook, you are truly listening to the Christ. The pages are full of the Christ. That is why successful Christian Science practitioners use these books regularly and extensively. It is never a personal sense of you that casts out error. It is the Christ that does this. Even the Christ that cast out devils in the experience of Jesus. We must listen daily to the words of the Christ.




III Prayer Identification With The Christ

In this third mode of prayer you identify yourself with the Christ Truth. We have just been considering the process of listening to what the Christ says in regard to yourself or your patient. In this third form of metaphysical work we recognize our oneness with the Christ, and speak with the authority of the Christ, as a mouthpiece for the Christ. Under this category comes such statement as this: “Always being your treatment by allaying the fear of patients. Silently reassure them as to their exemption from disease and danger.” Here you’re not listening to the Christ, but letting the Christ affirm itself through you. If you, in a personal way, try to silently reassure your patient as to his exemption from disease and danger, there will be no real healing. But if you realize that it is the Christ with you, in you, and through you that silently reassures the patient, then healing is inevitable.

Another example of such treatment is found on page 220 of Miscellaneous Writings. Please read this paragraph carefully. Our Leader says here we should declare: “You are well, and you know it.” Unless the information in this paragraph is thoroughly understood one might get the impression that Christian Science is a sort of thought-transference. But correctly understood it illustrates the operation of the Christ in consciousness. It is the Christ with you, in you, and through you, that says, “You are well, and you know it.” The Christ says you are well because God makes you that way, because His supreme, perfect being is everywhere present and all-powerful. The Christ says you know these divine facts because you are the reflection of the one divine Mind that knows eternal Truth and nothing else.

The Christ which is affirming the Truth is Immanuel — God with us. Not just God with you as the practitioner — but God with us, with the patient as well. Therefore, you hear the Christ affirming through your patient: “I am well, and I know it.”

Our Master pointed out the importance of identification with the Christ in order to do effective healing work. He said (John 17): “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;” We heal as we recognize our oneness with the Christ.

Now we do not mean by these statements that any of you are a second Christ Jesus — but we do mean that your true being is at-one with the Christ, the Saviour of the world. You need to literally eat of the spiritual body of the Christ, for that is your bread or substance. You need to daily drink of the spiritual blood of the Christ, for the spiritual inspiration of his life work must be your inspiration also. As we speak with the authority of the Christ in our silent and audible treatments, we can demonstrate the non-existence of sin, disease, and death.

Recently a minister said to a Christian Scientist: “Oh, you are the people who believe in helping yourself; people who do not need the Christ.” The Christian Scientist answered vigorously: “That’s not correct. We need and accept the Christ as our Saviour. We realize that all the inspiration, help, and dominion, comes through the Christ. We heal through the Christ. We know we can do all things through the Christ who strengthens us, who gives us the word of authority whereby the devils are cast out, the sick are healed, sinners reformed, and the dead are restored to life. The Christ is Immanuel, a realization that God, good, is with us, in us, and through us, giving us complete dominion.”




IV Prayer Listening To God

During the past year I have asked you all to receive regular communications from the heavenly Father-Mother God. I have asked you to write down what God says to you as His beloved child. I have asked you to listen carefully to what divine Mind says in regard to your patient. I hope you can see the difference between listening to what God says, and listening to the Christ. The Christ is the divine manifestation of God which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error. The Christ affirms the Truth and denies or destroys the error. When you’re listening to the Christ and allowing the Christ to express itself through you, there is affirmation and denial. This is healing by argument. But when you are listening to what God says there is only affirmation. The perfection of the divine consciousness knows no negative error to deny. Of course, the allness of God, good, in a general way denies the possibility of the existence of anything unlike Him, just as the presence of light prohibits the possibility of darkness. But God knows no evil — even as a claim to be denied. Light knows no darkness.

In No and Yes, page 16, Mrs. Eddy says: “If God knows evil even as a false claim, this knowledge would manifest evil in Him and proceeding from Him.” On the next page she says: “If God could know a false claim, false knowledge would be a part of His consciousness.” God knows only His own infinite goodness.

Mrs. Eddy admits that this point is hard for many individuals to understand. I have read a number of your communications during the past year and found that some of you had not yet thoroughly awakened to the fact that God knows no such thing as fear, hatred, animal magnetism, discord and sin. Our Leader says that Truth is affirmative and confers harmony. God affirms the reality of being, and the result is man.

May I read a communication that a member of the new class received: “My dearest child. You are very close to me. I am with you every moment, protecting and encircling you with overflowing love, leading the way which is so full of blessings and opportunities to give. I know that you feel my presence, for you just bubble over with my joy and happiness, my sincere, tender love for all my children. You are completely relaxed and rested in my constant care, just letting all my infinite goodness flood your very being. I am your sight, your clear perception, your broad outgoing vision, your sunshine of Truth. I am your confidence, your certainty, your strength. You are the full manifestation of all my marvelous qualities. All that I have is yours. All my blessings.” Here the perfect God who knows no evil is talking.

We can all receive such communications daily if we are willing to listen. Note how full the Bible is of such statements: “And God said unto Moses. And God spake unto Isaiah saying. And the Lord spake unto Jeremiah,” and to Daniel, to Ezekiel, and to all the prophets and the apostles. The same God is speaking today. The question is this — are we listening, and are we willing to write down what the Lord says?

Some of you have reported marvelous experiences and great progress in your spiritual growth, as the result of disciplining yourself to listen daily to what God says to you. I have seen some of your notebooks, chuck full of precious communications from your Father-Mother God. This program has literally transformed some of you. I recommend that you all continue such a program during the next year, that you might feel even closer to God, and recognize His directing love in all your affairs. During this coming year I am also asking you to study very carefully Unity of Good and No and Yes, that you might gain more of the glorious spiritual understanding that God, the infinite All-in-all of our being, knows no evil.




V Prayer Letting The Perfect God Express Himself

In the four modes of prayer discussed, talking to God, listening to the Christ, being the very voice of Christ, listening to God, we have been dealing with the thought of communication. The fifth form deals not with communication, but with being and acknowledging. In the 46th chapter of Psalms we read: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Be still — no sense of communication — and know that right where you are, and where your patient is, all that’s there is God, infinite good expressing itself, and that you or the patient is the full expression of God’s perfect being. Here Mind isn’t communicating with its idea, as though they were separated. Mind is expressing itself, and the result is the idea. The idea has no existence apart from the Mind expressing it. Mind is made evident by the idea. Mrs. Eddy emphasizes this point when she says that Principle and its idea is one. The Master said, “I and my Father are one.” Jesus knew he had no existence separate or apart from God. This prayer is the acknowledgement of the facts of being. You are acknowledging that right where your patient is, God, divine Life, is present in all its glory, making itself manifest in all-harmonious consciousness and activity. Your patient is the manifestation of this all-harmonious being. Your patient is completely at-one with God, the very evidence of God’s presence.

Perfect Soul is radiating itself in inspired spiritual awareness, in wonderful, feelings, in glorious visions. This is not a cold abstraction; it is the eternal Truth; and your patient is the very evidence of all-harmonious Soul. Soul sees all the beauty of heaven on earth distinctly, in perfect balance, perfect focus. Your patient is the result, the very manifestation of good seeing Soul, good hearing Soul, good feeling Soul. In this prayer we are rejoicing that there is no awareness but the consciousness of infinite good.

Mind is expressing itself. This divine Mind is not talking to your patient — it is expressing itself, and that is your patient. Your patient is the very evidence of supreme intelligence and absolute wisdom. There are only good thoughts, constructive, peaceful, helpful, divine thoughts. Your patient is the concrete evidence of the presence and power of divine Mind.

Love is here, glorifying its presence, power, and activity. Love is doing something — it’s working, radiating, expressing itself in all kindly thoughts, words, and deeds. Your patient is the result, the very essence of Love made manifest. That is why you know with confidence that there is no hatred, dislike, jealousy, envy, or resentment to produce discord and inharmony. Your patient is the living testimony of Love’s presence and power.

When Jesus met the so-called insane man coming out of the tombs, he knew that all that was there was God, intelligence expressing itself. Is it any wonder that the man was immediately clothed and in his right mind? When the Pharisees were about to stone the adulterous woman, our Master was still, and knew that Love alone was present, expressing itself in forgiveness, compassion, and purity. When Jesus stood at the tomb of Lazarus he knew that Life was ever-present, expressing itself in dynamic activity. Is it any wonder that Lazarus came forth as concrete evidence of eternal Life?

Our Master told Pilate, “I am a man who told you the truth.” He saw himself as the very expression of Truth. He said further: “I am the Truth, the Life, and the way.” He knew that right where he was, Truth and Life were expressing themselves, and he was that glorious expression. What is true about our Master is true about you and your patients. You and Truth are one. You are full of the Truth as the waters cover the sea. For this reason, there are no errors, faults, or mistakes — either in you or your patient. In this form of prayer, we are not communicating, we are knowing, rejoicing, acknowledging being the manifestation of Truth that reveals a free man.

Our Master knew through his crucifixion and resurrection, that right where he was eternal Life was expressing itself, and that he was that expression. There was nothing to manifest itself as death. It was inevitable that he should walk forth from the tomb and bring inspiration to his disciples. What is true about the Master is true about you. The only reality with, in you, or through you, is eternal Life. There is no substance to decay, to grow old, to become decrepit. There is nothing to deteriorate, waste away, or die. Life is expressing itself in all its beauty, perfection, and strength, in every spiritual fiber, cell, and atom of your being. You are the very evidence of divine, all-harmonious Life.

Forty days after his resurrection, our Master ascended. In other words, he acknowledged that right where he was, Spirit was expressing itself, and that he was the complete evidence of spiritual being. He realized completely that he had never been born into matter, that he did not live in matter, neither was he governed by its laws, rules and regulations. He knew that he did not have to move out of matter because there was no matter, there was only infinite Spirit making itself manifest. In his resurrection, he knew that every iota of his body or identity was the expression of spiritual being. He did not take a material body with him, nor leave it behind — he acknowledged the great eternal Truth that there is no material body. This was not something that became true when Jesus ascended. The fact is, our Master never had a material body or a mortal sense of identity. That is why he could walk on the water be immediately across the lake, heal the sick, and raise the dead. In all these works he acknowledged that his substance was spiritual and perfect. In the ascension there was the complete acknowledgement that the body or identity of man is the manifestation of pure unadulterated Spirit.

What is true about our Master is true about you. Right where you are, or where your patient is, all that’s there is pure unadulterated Spirit made manifest. There is no matter to misfunction, to feel pain, to be blemished, or unsymmetrical in form or outline. There is no matter to be diseased, to decay, or to deteriorate. The only substance that is present is Spirit, which is incapable of discord or decay. This is not something we wish were true, we hope to make true, or that eventually will be true — it is the fact of your being now. All that’s present is pure, unadulterated Spirit. In this form of prayer there is no communicating — there is only knowing, being. Who’s knowing? Who’s being? Of course it’s God’s knowing. God’s being. You are rejoicing that you and your patient are full of the knowledge and being of the true glory of God as the waters cover the sea. You are rejoicing that your being, and the being of your patient is perfect, because there’s no being except God’s being. I AM that one and only I AM. You are rejoicing that the Lord He is God, and there is none else beside Him. You are rejoicing that perfect being is expressing itself and that both you and the patient are this expression. This phase of prayer is summarized in the last line of the Lord’s Prayer with its spiritual interpretation: “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Here we are rejoicing that all government is in and of God, all power is of God, good, all glory is the glorious manifestation of God in His infinite beauty, harmony and perfection. This is true now and forever, and nothing can change it. “For God is infinite, all-power, all Life, Truth, Love, over all, and all.” God and His infinite qualities are All-in-all; there is none else. There is nothing but God expressing Himself. The result is man — your true and only being, the being of your patient, the being of the universe.

You may begin your prayer with petition: “Our Father which are in heaven . . . Give us this day our daily bread.” But your prayer must end up on the high note of knowing and being.

You may pray the prayer of listening to the Christ affirm the Truth and deny the error. You may let yourself be the very voice of the Christ Truth; but these steps are only human auxiliaries that lead the way and prepare us for the climax of prayer, the climax of knowing, being, acknowledging, rejoicing.

You may pray the prayer of listening to what the heavenly Father-Mother God says to His beloved child. This will help you to see more clearly the true nature of God and man’s closeness to Him. You can keep so busy listening to what God is saying that it is not possible for you to hear any other voice — to hear anything about sin, disease, or death. Such listening to God leads you further to the clear recognition that you are not separated from God one iota, to a recognition of the truth, that God is really not talking to you — He is just talking, expressing Himself, and that you are the result, the very expression of God, the word of God made manifest, the concrete evidence of God’s perfect being. That’s the way it is.

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Love is the liberator.