As one does his best before God to sweep gracefully about life's crowded dance floor, he is sorry to tread painfully, now and then, upon the tender toes of fellow dancers. It is not intentional, but he must, as Thoreau wrote: ". . . step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
Some comments on the previous entry have vindicated and validated one overriding theme of several recent, and even earlier, entries that extremely insidious and malignant aggressive mental suggestion or malicious animal magnetism has stealthily and subtly invaded, pervaded, stupefied, and stultified many Christian Scientists over the past few, if not many, decades.
It is surely no secret that some churches have been limping and slouching along dispiritedly for years. Could anyone reasonably contend that vibrancy and vitality characterize the present overall state of things? Dogged and dejected hanging on and resentful defensiveness are not Christian Science, nor is tacitly accepting a gloomy material picture any justification for doing one's duty poorly.
Mrs. Eddy states emphatically: "It is Christian Science to do right, and nothing short of right-doing has any claim to the name." (S&H 448: 28-30) She also alludes to the unacceptability of "work badly done or left undone" (S&H 6: 6-10), calling it an "offence". To point this out, as the previous entry attempted to do, is hardly malpractice.
Intead of trying to justify stumbling along blindly in old ruts and indulging numbing mediocrity, one might do well, instead, to strive to bring Christliness, freshness, inspiration, spontaneity, and love to his every thought and action. This is not only possible, but the duty of any genuine Christian Scientist. "The talents He gives we must improve." (S&H 6: 6-7) We should quit letting matter's dolorous and discouraging music mesmerize us into a catatonic acquiescence to mortal mind's claims.
If saying this is someone's idea of malpractice, so be it. To say what is needful is still needful.
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18 comments:
This just may be one of your very best! Bravo for answering that unfortunate commenter so well, who I might add, isn't up to your talent at incisive thinking---not to mention expressing it in your wonderful style. (Are you an attorney somewhere?)
This "unfortunate commenter" only has this point to make from Mary Baker Eddy. "BELOVED Christian Scientists, keep your minds so filled with Truth and Love, that sin, disease, and death cannot enter them. It is plain that nothing can be added to the mind already full. There is no door through which evil can enter, and no space for evil to fill in a mind filled with goodness." Instead of seeing so much WRONG with the Church, why not heed the words of Mary Baker Eddy? Isn't a blog like this just a "door through which evil can enter"?
I love your latest offering! Very well done, my friend who loves the Cause so much. Thank you for bringing out the things that are so far from what the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science left us.
You are doing a grand job!
I am lovin' this! Worth stopping by for this evening.
Nashville, Tennessee
I think people need to study this entry for its excellent writing, if not for edification.
Really, really good!
Have to respond to something some commenter said, that this blog is opening door to error. No in the least! As Jesus says, nothing is hid that shall not be revealed. And we know in Christian Science, that Truth uncovers whatever is wrong. It isn't a question of one person putting ideas out there that another person objects to. It is Christ, Truth at work bringing to light those things are not in line with divine Principle, so that we may be informed and work about what is wrong in our Cause. I, as one among many, say to the writer of this blog, full steam ahead!
(A friend of yours in Fountain City, Tennessee)
Please explain then, how it is different than looking at an oozing sore I am trying to heal and continually discussing the symptoms? Is this ugly physical picture that is alarming to say the least something that I should post on the internet and discuss at length? Would it be beneficial to post it on a daily blog for all to gawk at and discuss. How is it different?
Call it what ever you want, but MAM is still MAM. And this is MAM
Ooh, I think I know whose paying the salary of the commenter who keeps trying to defend what this wide awake blogger calls "numbing mediocrity"!
Patrick G.
Well put, commenter ahead of me. They need to fire that person who keeps harping on the same thing, and get someone who's up to the job. Running out of gas fast.
They say it takes many months, even years, for one's blog to catch fire, and just look at yours!
(New Hampshire)
Whose payroll are they on?
This is my first visit to your site, so I haven't read all of your blog entries or the comments to them, but based on the little I have read, I think perhaps the reason some people object to your comments about what is wrong in the Christian Science churches is because you are talking about Christian Science without practicing it. You said:
"Mrs. Eddy states emphatically: 'It is Christian Science to do right, and nothing short of right-doing has any claim to the name.' (S&H 448: 28-30) "
You failed to mention, however, that in the very next sentence she says "To talk the right and live the wrong is foolish deceit, doing one's self the most harm [...] With your own wrists manacled, it is hard to break another's chains" (448-49).
Constantly harping on what you see that is wrong without bringing to the table some prayer-based solutions seems to me to be attempting to break our collective chains while your own hands are manacled by an overwhelming belief in the flawed nature of humanity. Seriously, what you are doing now is just playing into the hands of mortal mind which is always looking for ways to promote divisiveness and dissension among honest seekers for Truth. But you could do our Cause some real good if you would pray first, and write about what God reveals to you as a result. Offer us ways to proactively work for and recognize progressive and positive change instead of simply criticizing, and I bet you will find that not only will you be able to make a real difference (which you genuinely seem to want to do), but you will also be a whole lot happier.
A very wise Christian Scientist said that until something is recognized as a mistake it can't be healed.
I do know there is a great deal more prayer before writing on the blogger's part than some of the commenters.
Previous poster,
I am glad to hear that and, as I said before, I feel certain this blogger has only good intentions. I also understand what you are saying about recognizing mistakes in order to heal them. But recognizing mistakes is not the same as sounding an alarm that says, "Hey, look at this awful reality!" My understanding of Christian Science is that any mistaken perception of reality, whether it presents itself to me as my own thought or someone else's, can always be healed in my own thought (as a wise CS practitioner once told me, Christian Science treatment is always an inside job!). Rather than pointing out what other people seem to be doing wrong, then, (and thereby promoting the mistakes as if they were realities with the power to threaten the good we are trying to accomplish) it seems to me we should attack every view expressed that seems to us to be mistaken and every step taken, by church officers and fellow members alike, that seems misguided by praying to see more clearly how God is actually operating through us all in a way that is perfectly right. Isn't accepting a view of our church officials and fellow congregants as misinformed and misguided the beam that we need to cast out of our own eye in order to clearly see how to cast the mote out of our brother's? I can't help but believe, when that becomes the priority, then what our friend here has to share will be, on the whole, much more positive and uplifting.
Let me send a bouquet of roses to the person doing this blog, who it is clear to all, has the deepest devotion to Christian Science. And is a deep thinker and gifted writer to boot.
God continue prospering what you are doing, my friend!
(Australia)
Boy, you know you're on fire in cyberspace when you're getting preached at! Thank goodness you're not spouting all that mind/body/spirit watered-down CS junk.
Keep it up. As Mrs. Eddy says in her wonderful book, "The time for thinkers has come." I would say, it's way past due.
Is this an Amway convention?
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