MAM: Acronym for Malicious Animal Magnetism. It’s a term used in Christian Science to sum up all the aspects and characteristics of the carnal mind that seek to destroy and prevent good from happening in our lives.
The wise student does not ignore the claims of MAM, for if they are ignored or overlooked they can lead to discouragement, despair, endless frustration, depression, even death. In fact, if faced with any of these symptoms, MAM is likely at work somewhere in thought, entangling its victim in a web of confusion and despondency.
I still have a lot to learn about handling MAM, and am striving to learn the lessons better.
A while back, I had a horrible night of suffering. It rarely happens, but it did. The physical pain, and war waging in my mind for freedom was mighty. I felt like the wrestling Jacob of the Old Testament who refused to give up until he was blessed, and had to keep up the fight until a blessing came.
It seemed so dark for a while, though, like it would never let up.
In the midst of a flurry of prayers and truths rushing and swirling through my mind, I distinctly heard the four words, “Your prayers aren’t working.” It was like driving down the highway and having a man with a red flag jump onto the pavement and start waving frantically to get you to stop. I couldn’t stop, though. I felt desperate, barely holding on. And the words and truths kept rushing through my consciousness. But the four words were so out of character for what I was thinking and entertaining, that I couldn’t help but hold on to them for a while until I figured out where they came from and what they meant.
“Your prayers aren’t working.”
Hmmmm…this is not a verdict I would think up. I believe in the power of prayer and know it from experience.
“Your prayers aren’t going to work. Give up.” The impression continued to clamor for my acceptance.
Suddenly it hit me. “Whoa! I know exactly where that came from,” I said. It was not my thought. It was an implant, an imposter, an alien, a rogue assassin trying to jump into my consciousness, appear as my own conclusion and make me believe it. It was blatant, crass, unequivocal, no-doubt-about-it MAM. It had MAM written all over it!
And then, as if to quickly defend its claim and support its argument, several other similar lies elbowed into my stream of consciousness. Arguments like, “Well, you’ve been praying and praying and you’re still suffering. You know how to pray, so obviously, prayer is not helping. It’s not going to help. The suffering is going to continue. You might as well quit and give up. It’s useless. Christian Science shares glorious and uplifting vision of God’s goodness, but when it comes to practical everyday reality, it doesn’t do you any good. Pain is real. Health is not. Admit it. You know it’s true!”
Well, now I was really digging in my heels and refusing to go where the enemy wanted me to go. This recognition of what was really going on in the background changed everything in my prayer.
Now I knew the trouble was not physical. It was not the sensation of pain that was giving me grief. It wasn’t a disease that I couldn’t figure out. It wasn’t an unknown. It was pure MAM trying to deceive me, trip me up, cause me to lose my faith and give into the devil. And I would have none of it.
From then on, I targeted MAM with my prayers. I took direct and lethal aim to its claims with the unequivocal truth that God is All. God is Good, and there is no evil. MAM is not a power. It cannot kill. It cannot threaten, intimidate or discourage. It can’t even pretend to be something. It is a zero, and a zero can’t add something to anything. It is nothing. It had no influence over me. It could not affect my thinking. It could not make me believe a lie. And I did not believe it!
The MAM claims stopped. The liar shut up. Peace settled into my thought. The physical and mental pain drained away. And I fell blissfully asleep and didn’t rouse until many hours later. Victory!
And another lesson learned on the deceitful tricky ways MAM works.
More tomorrow…
That dirty, buggy windshield in the photo pretty much sums up MAM, doesn’t it?
You may not have thought of this when you wrote this power-of-Spirit-packed healing: It seems like one way you were rewarded for being a “good and faithful servant” — refusing to bend to the implant’s mind-control games — is that God gave you a long, sweet rest afterwards.
In other words, there were no emergency patients or must-attend meetings that interrupted your well-deserved, much-needed respite.
Reminds me of a Shepherd letting His lambs lie down in the pasture for a long stretch, until they have digested their meal (yours consisted of spiritual nourishment) and are ready to get going again.
Smiles
That is such a good reminder to us all to keep vigilant and not give up. Thank you
Thank You for your successful seeing of MAM as zero
I like to think of MAM as the non activity of nothing.
Your open sharing of how Truth destroys error is helping many experience
Spiritual progress which MBE states is the Law of God
Your sharing brings healing to each of us and to you.
Such a great reminder for me since I have been struggling and some days think I want to give up but I know C.S. is the Truth and heals so I continue and this really gives me encouragement. Thanks for sharing this. Vicki
This is very very helpful, Evan. How subtle and also blatant the suggestion seems to be that one’s prayers are not effective. I shall stay very close to what is true today, and look forward to further insights. Sandy
Good strong thoughts that you shared with us. Absolute “zero” to m.a.m. Thank you Ann
Please do say more on this subject…restlessness thought, giving up on truth, fear all seem to reinforce the argument that C.S. is great inspiration, but doesn’t work for me—”I don’t get it enough”… etc.
I join the others who have commented with a big “Thank You” for sharing. I, too, have faced these arguments. Seems ‘my’ problem has gone on for a long time-a number of years–and yet I know as I continue to acknowledge and give gratitude that Christian Science treatment DOES heal–nothing is incurable for nothing impossible to God, or there is no error that can ‘outdo’ Truth, improvement slowly happens.
We need to be firm in knowing our prayers are effective, that error is purely mental and must yield to the Christ-not sometimes, but everytime! Not always easy to do when the way seems very dark and threatening, yet holding to Truth is holding to the light that dispels the darkness and fear.
Again, thanks so much for sharing.
Evan, is MAM the same thing as AM — animal magnetism?
Please give us more ammo on how to shoot down MAM, AM, or whatever it’s called. Thanks.
Hi Evan thanks you so much for that terrific post. I am retyping this so I hope you get my comment.
Firstly I really needed to read this today and I cannot tell you how helpful it is to hear that everyone seems to have this to work through.
I have had wonderful proof that prayer works and that God loves me and exists but a few weeks ago I had nagging, discouraging and malicious thoughts that kept on gnawing at my thinking. I would do the lesson and then the thoughts, simular to the ones that attempted to steal your peace and happiness kept coming to my thinking. I started worrying that perhaps there may be no God and that we were all off the rails;that it all must be some conspiracy to make us feel better?
Of course I did not for one second believe this but it was almost like a voice that kept on and on and on. I got really upset and even phoned my Dad in another country and timezone! He and I chatted about this because he had experinced this too. He also told me about a really good article in the December 2011 journal dealing with this kind of problem; I read it. It was helpful. Anyway I did not seem to have any peace and I kept on fighting the suggestions. One morning not long after this the thought”serpant” popped into my thinking. It reminded me of Evein the garden of Eden and what really had tempted her was an eronious thought, which really (as my Dad put it so well was not mine or her own thinking anyway). I had the prompt to look up serpant in Sience and Health in the glossary on page 594. Here is what I read “Serpant (Ophis, in Greek; nacash, in hebrew). Subtlety; a lie; the oppostite of Truth, named error; the first statement of mythology and idolatry; the belief in more than one God;animal magnetisim…” the rest of the deffinition is fantastic but that was all I needed to know. As I closed the book I looked up at my bookshelf on the opposite wall. It is possitivly crawling with books, far too many books! But my eyes fell on just one spine amoungst all that, it read ‘Snakes’ and then as if someone was sitting next to me a voice said “Just snake thoughts!”. I realised that this was my angel message. All that was trying to disrupt me and unsettle me was a snake-like thought, a lie about what is real, not my own thinking. Of course it was MAM. I smiled, got showered and that was that!
Thanks so much 🙂
At the beginning of what would be a long challenge a darling practitioner told me “victory is inevitable”. I held to that promise, never gave up and won. Victory in Christian Science practice is inevitable. Truth always wins the day. Don’t give up or give in to the lie.
Thanks for sharing Kate! I think many people have similar experiences. It’s helpful for us to share with one another because we realize that we’re not the only one dealing with such suggestions! The whole nature of the “serpent” is to be tricky. We must be wiser!