As we continue to pray for world peace and unity we may find the following passages from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy helpful and the attached article by Paul Stark Seeley, from 1945 applicable to today’s need as well, entitled: GOD RULES THE CONFERENCE OF NATIONS……..: Question.—What are the demands of the Science of Soul? Answer.—The first demand of this Science is, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” This me is Spirit. Therefore the command means this: Thou shalt have no intelligence, no life, no substance, no truth, no love, but that which is spiritual. The second is like unto it, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true brother‐hood of man will be established. Having no other gods, turning to no other but the one perfect Mind to guide him, man is the likeness of God, pure and eternal, having that Mind which was also in Christ. “ [Science and Health pg. 467] From Retrospection and Introspection pg. 57 -- Foundation-stones: The following ideas of Deity, antagonized by finite theories, doctrines, and hypotheses, I found to be demonstrable rules in Christian Science, and that we must abide by them. Whatever diverges from the one divine Mind, or God, — or divides Mind into minds, Spirit into spirits, Soul into souls, and Being into beings, — is a misstatement of the unerring divine Principle of Science, which interrupts the meaning of the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of Spirit, and is of human instead of divine origin. WAR IS WAGED BETWEEN THE EVIDENCES OF SPIRIT AND THE EVIDENCES OF THE FIVE PHYSICAL SENSES; AND THIS CONTEST MUST GO ON UNTIL PEACE BE DECLARED BY THE FINAL TRIUMPH OF SPIRIT IN IMMUTABLE HARMONY. DIVINE SCIENCE DISCLAIMS SIN, SICKNESS, AND DEATH, ON THE BASIS OF THE OMNIPOTENCE AND OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD, OR DIVINE GOOD. ALL CONSCIOUSNESS IS MIND, AND MIND IS GOD. HENCE THERE IS BUT ONE MIND; AND THAT ONE IS THE INFINITE GOOD, SUPPLYING ALL MIND BY THE REFLECTION, NOT THE SUBDIVISION, OF GOD. WHATEVER ELSE CLAIMS TO BE MIND, OR CONSCIOUSNESS, IS UNTRUE. The sun sends forth light, but not suns; so God reflects Himself, or Mind, but does not subdivide Mind, or good, into minds, good and evil. Divine Science demands mighty wrestlings with mortal beliefs, as we sail into the eternal haven over the unfathomable 3sea of possibilities. Neither ancient nor modern philosophy furnishes a scientific basis for the Science of Mind-healing. Plato believed he had a soul, which must be doctored in order to heal his body. This would be like correcting the principle of music for the purpose of destroying discord. Principle is right; it is practice that is wrong. Soul is right; it is the flesh that is evil. Soul is the synonym of Spirit, God; hence there is but one Soul, and that one is infinite. If that pagan philosopher had known that physical sense, not Soul, causes all bodily ailments, his philosophy would have yielded to Science. Man shines by borrowed light. He reflects God as his Mind, and this reflection is substance, — the substance of good. Matter is substance in error, Spirit is substance in Truth. Evil, or error, is not Mind; but infinite Mind is sufficient to supply all manifestations of intelligence. The notion of more than one Mind, or Life, is as unsatisfying as it is unscientific. All must be of God, and not our own, separated from Him. Human systems of philosophy and religion are departures from Christian Science. Mistaking divine Principle for corporeal personality, ingrafting upon one First Cause such opposite effects as good and evil, health and sickness, life and death; making mortality the status and rule of divinity, — such methods can never reach the perfection and demonstration of metaphysical, or Christian Science. Stating the divine Principle, omnipotence (omnis potens), and then departing from this statement and taking the rule of finite matter, with which to work out the problem of infinity or Spirit, — all this is like trying to compensate for the absence of omnipotence by a physical, false, and 6finite substitute. With our Master, life was not merely a sense of existence, but an accompanying sense of power that subdued matter and brought to light immortality, insomuch that the people “were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Life, as defined by Jesus, had no beginning; it was not the result of organization, or infused into matter; it was Spirit. “ GOD RULES THE CONFERENCE OF NATIONS! By Paul Stark Seeley From the April 21, 1945 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel Greater than all the nations is infinite Mind, the only God, by whom and in whom all men really exist. Human governments are drawing together to honor and to be responsive to the peace-producing Mind that is the Lord of the whole earth. The scientific fact that divine, omnipresent intelligence is the governor among the nations becomes increasingly apparent. The Atlantic Charter, Teheran, Dumbarton Oaks, the Crimean Conference, and now the meeting together in San Francisco of representatives of the United Nations, constituting a large majority of the people on this planet, give evidence that the forces of God are unifying the nations, intent on discovering the human footsteps toward lasting peace which sovereign Mind shall cause to appear. Christ Jesus came to show all men that peace on earth is Gods will, Gods law. He wanted us to realize that each time we pray, Thy kingdom come, we pray for the appearing on earth of the reign of wisdom, love, and peace. The seeds of Truth he planted in human thought are bringing forth buds of rich promise. We can mightily aid them to come to full bloom in the days now upon us. Whence comes the desire of men for peace, and for implementing their desires in orderly forms of procedure which will help to forestall the evil and facilitate the reign of good in human consciousness to the end that enduring peace may appear on earth? These desires are not made by men. They are given to men by the Mind that is their God. The Mind that originates and gives them will direct them and protect them. The seed, the bud, the blossom are equally of Minds conceiving. There will be representatives of many races, many nations, diverse religions sitting at this historic peace table. We can help forward the high purpose which brings them together by turning away from the human scene of many minds, some with conflicting interests, some perhaps still touched with intrigue, selfish aims, historic prejudices, suspicions, and distrust. Instead of this mortal mind picture, let us know and rejoice in the great and simple fact, emphasized so often in the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, that there is but one Mind, God, and this Mind is every moment supreme in the consciousness of man. With true perception, with unselfed devotion, with clear judgment to see and do what Principle impels, they go forward as representatives of the God who gives them being, and as brothers of the worlds millions who look to God and to them to bring to light the ways and means to banish forever from this earth that pagan thing termed war. Not all the earth wishes the conference to succeed. More men than a few would like to see it fail. In our hands is the sword of the Spirit, the forces of God, good, that effectively fight the forces of evil at every turn, that thwart them in their every attempt to defy and defeat the will of God that men shall live in peace. These omnipotent forces of righteousness accord no place, influence, authority, or identity to covert purpose or evil-mindedness in this conference, or in the organization to preserve peace which it will evolve. Every step God protects and controls. For evils malign intents, let us know every road is blocked, every avenue closed, every effort of the destroyer to destroy, undermine, or contravene is nullified and dissolved by Gods angel legions. These hosts of true thoughts and God-inspired ideas hold sway over all. They illumine the dark places, enlighten the way, serve every right purpose, and defeat every wrong intent. Our God and His Christ are never absent where two or three are gathered together in my name, said the greatest peacemaker in history. What a God-given opportunity every Christian Scientist, every lover of the reign of righteousness on earth, now has placed before him—the opportunity to utilize a fraction of each day for understanding prayer for Gods guidance, protection, and direction of this memorable meeting of the earths peoples, unified in their desire for the realization of the Masters promise that on earth there shall be peace. Millions have had to face the grim horrors of war, not for a day or a month or a year, but for years. They have done so with great courage, self-sacrifice, and fidelity to the right. Now they and we who have not been called to combat with physical forces have the duty and privilege to muster behind our nations, their leaders and representatives, all that we know of the moral and spiritual forces of omnipresent, omniactive Mind, God. With the courage and faithfulness of Michael, with the gentle firmness and assurance of Gabriel, let us follow our Masters command, Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Prayer cannot change the Science of being, but it tends to bring us into harmony with it, says Mrs. Eddy on page 2 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Prayer brings men and nations into harmony with Gods law of peace. Confronting you and me today is this opportunity to do for ourselves and the human race a service unique in all human history. That service is by our devout, daily, understanding prayer to clear away every obstruction of ignorance, divination, fear, selfishness, and hate that would oppose the will of God and the power and might of Truth. Let us know that the Christ-idea is present at this table, and in the conference rooms, to bring to the nations representatives Minds impartations of wisdom, love, and light which will ensure the peace of the world. Let each of us prove himself worthy of the Masters promise, Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. God has given us our role —makers of peace. Deific Mind has equipped us, faithfully to fill this role. Let us fail not. A world at peace is a mighty forward step toward the coming of the kingdom of God. Paul Stark Seeley sentinel.christianscience/issues/1945/4/47-16/god-rules-the-conference-of-nations
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 00:45:22 +0000
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