After reading your first post, I thought perhaps we ought to wright Tom Black directly; he's a teacher.  I wonder what his response to all of these posts would be.    Re attributing consciousness or intent to evil isn't what I meant.  I think you could say IF evil were real, it wouldn't want to be destroyed.  (At least that's the way it has always been presented to me....)  I have always tried to focus entirely on the ALLNESS of God, Mind, and the NOTHINGNESS of anything unlike God.  If Truth does the correcting and the end result is healing, why then do we not always have an immediate healing?  There appears to be a resistance or belief in resistance if you will....and that needs to be dealt with and eliminated.  --- On Sat, 6/26/10, marge <marlou@cox.net> wrote: From: marge <marlou@cox.net> Subject: Re: Fwd: lesson discussion "malicious mental elements" To: "CSBibleStudy Subscriber" <joanieg_oh@yahoo.com> Date: Saturday, June 26, 2010, 1:16 PM  In my view, erroneous thinking is not "out there" but always in our own consciousness.  Is there only one Mind or not?  Where is the belief in other minds? There is no "spread of erroneous thinking"  if we absolutely know the Truth ourselves and are demonstrating it and Love.  Somehow to focus on what may "be hidden" certainly is not focusing on the fact that God is all. ----- Original Message ----- From: Farida Grewal To: CSBibleStudy Subscriber Sent: Friday, June 25, 2010 3:32 PM Subject: Re: Fwd: lesson discussion "malicious mental elements" Dear Joan, What a wonderfully thoughtful and thought-provoking response to Marge's email, which got me thinking more deeply about what is our individual role in uncovering 'hidden evil'.  I live in the Middle East and it has been very hard at times to see the error, but not openly declare it for what it is.  Islam today is more prolific (and blatant) in the way it attacks the Christ, and the man who lived it better than any other, than any other denomination in mankind's history.  We have to go higher in thought to counter this spread of erroneous thinking whether it comes from denominations, pharmaceuticals, material sciences, or even the political arena where spiritual healing is being sidelined.  I thank you all for the deep and clear thoughts that you are sharing.  It is truly an oasis in the desert.  I feel refreshed with every email I read.  What joyful fellowship we share.   Much love, Farida From: Joan Greig <joanieg_oh@yahoo.com> To: CSBibleStudy Subscriber <fgrewal@yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Fri, 25 June, 2010 23:52:53 Subject: Re: Fwd: lesson discussion "malicious mental elements" Hi Marge, It took me 3 days to read the article you are referring to – or at least to get the gist of it. I’ve always been puzzled about this question of hidden evil, but have been daily reading  “Ways that are vain” in Miscy. P. 210 – 213.  Mrs. Eddy speaks of being alert to the claims of evil.   I think the term “world’s hatred of the Truth” refers not to human beings but materialism itself….because Truth destroys what is untrue, i.e. material beliefs.  And materialism doesn’t want to be destroyed.  It wants to dominate!  The idea of “organized” evil makes me think of what was behind Jesus’ crucifixion.  The collective fear of the Pharisees (and Sadduccees) that their whole way of life, their relationship with Rome, etc. was being upset by the preacher from Galilee and the great following he was amassing.  Granted Jesus consented to go through the ordeal, but on his own terms, but what lay behind the whole thing might be thought of as “organized evil”.

The medical establishment is another organized group generally opposed to what CS teaches because if everyone embraced CS, the doctors, hospitals and drug companies would go out of business.  TV ads are hypnotic and are designed to infiltrate human thought so as to get one to think disease is real, is in matter, needs material treatment, is life-threatening if not treated by their methods….etc. etc. etc.  This is designed to undermine everything we as CS stand for.  It is not so hidden, but needs to be addressed in thought constantly.

The R.C. church teachings constitute “organization” opposed to what CS teaches, i.e. Truth.  If every individual has his own direct relationship with God, then so much of orthodoxy would be obsolete and useless.   

These are perhaps what Tom Black is referring to in his article, and he wants us to be aware of the “claims” of these so-called influences so we don’t naively dismiss what they are trying to do, but contrariwise, KNOW that nothing can interfere with the Truth and its demonstration.

Voodoo, for instance, is sheer superstition, but people who believe in it are affected by its curses and claims

I think the important thing is not to become afraid of any so-called evil power, but to be alert to what it claims to be able to do.   As far as our church attendance and Reading Rooms are concerned, perhaps our prayers should be directed to knowing that no one who is searching for God (good) can be misled or diverted from finding it – that they cannot be mesmerized by worldliness or lies. 

No question that better and quicker healing needs to be demonstrated, and not only that, non-CS people need to see it happening. 

 

Joan

--- On Fri, 6/25/10, mark mohlenbrock <subscriptions@csdirectory.com> wrote:

From: mark mohlenbrock <subscriptions@csdirectory.com>
Subject: Fwd: lesson discussion "malicious mental elements"
To: "CSBibleStudy Subscriber" <joanieg_oh@yahoo.com>
Date: Friday, June 25, 2010, 2:18 PM

A message from group member Marge Thornton forwarded on her behalf.

Begin forwarded message:

 

 

The lesson this week is so clear concerning the essential teaching of Christian Science,which is in accord with the Bible, that "Infinite Mind creates and governs all from the mental molecule to infinity."

Can someone please explain to me "the seeming presence and action of malicious mental elements" that is described  in this month's June Journal?  I have been studying Christian Science for 50 years and have never had to deal with "malicious mental elements" that are "hidden."  I always know what the problem is if I have evil in my experience. The problem is that in some way I am breaking the first commandment and believing in a power apart from God.  The article in the Journal goes on to say "To condemn ourselves or others for the false beliefs is, in many cases, to cover over the real culprit which is organized hatred of truth."   Isn't blaming "organized hatred" making oneself a victim and expanding the belief of evil?  Isn't believing there IS a culprit that is organized hatred of truth actually breaking the first commandment?  Isn't it like saying that if I believe that 2 plus 2 equals 5 may not be my false belief, but it could be the organized hatred of the truth.  Is this in any way reasonable?

 

To believe Christian Science is pretty counter-intuitive to present prevasive health theories.  The only way in my view to overcome this is for us to heal more.  I cannot believe there is hatred of Truth; however, In present world systems absolute Truth is difficult to believe. When someone does not enter a reading room, is it "the worlde's hatred of truth" or is it that someone thinks our beliefs are pretty fair out to believe we do not need doctors.  To quote  S 109:4 in this weeks lesson: "Christian Science reveals incontrovertibly that Mind is All in all, that the only realities are the divine Mind and idea.  This great fact is not, however, seen to be supported by sensible evidence, until its divine Principle is demonstrated by healing the sick and thus proved absolute and divine.  This proof once seen, no other conclusion can be reached." (underlining mine)

 

Comments? 

 

Marge

 

 

 

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