I’ve had people mention to me that they’ve had a hard time understanding everything they read in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. I tell them that not understanding every concept as your read through the pages is a normal experience. In fact, it should be expected.
The ideas in Science and Health take thought into the realm of the infinite, and the human mind that grapples with these ideas has to shed its limited concepts of reality before its ready to comprehend the expansiveness of God. This typically happens in degrees as the human yields to the divine.
Science and Health is a unique type of textbook. It doesn’t start out teaching the first rule for practice in chapter one, in the sense of “learn this chapter,” and then you can advance to chapter two. It teaches one fundamental truth of reality throughout the entire book, that Life is God, and it is Spirit. Life in Spirit is a recurring theme on every page.
The first chapter of the book titled, “Prayer,” gets one started in the direction of how to prepare thought to receive this ultimate truth of Life in Spirit, but catching glimpses of truth in all the chapters to follow contributes to grasping the big picture view of Life with God. The whole book needs to be studied as a whole to understand its contents.
Reading Science and Health is like solving a crossword puzzle. If you’re like me, the answers to a challenging crossword puzzle don’t come all at once. I read through the clues and answer the ones I immediately understand. And often, I skip many I don’t understand. But once I start to fill in a few blanks in the puzzle, I go back and review the clues I skipped and see hints from the ones I’ve already answered that help me figure the ones out that I skipped. One answer helps me discover another.
Reading Science and Health is the same way. I encourage people to read through the book, grab onto what they understand, leave behind what they don’t, and then come back later. As their understanding of the Big Picture theme of the book grows, when they come back, more of it makes sense. The hint of truth one gains with each read through contributes to understanding more truth with review. The vision of Life in Spirit gets clearer as the pieces come together.
So, never get discouraged when reading Science and Health! Its teachings are the most advanced and comprehensive metaphysical concepts ever put onto paper, and require great spiritual growth to fully understand. But the effort is worth the reward.
The ideas are capable of healing the sick, reforming the sinner and raising the dead. What you learn on page 1 will help you understand what you read on page 410. And
What you learn on page 505 will help you understand what you read on page 39. As you study the whole book over and over again, it will make perfect sense.
So perfectly articulated, Evan. And so true to my experience of studying Science & Health over the course of 20+ years. Your crossword puzzle analogy is spot on. We are all so blessed to have your daily insights. Many thanks!
Rob’s comment perfectly expresses how I felt when reading this. Thanks Evan!!! And thank you too Rob!
I find all your articles inspiring Evan, but your insights into Science and Health are so helpful to one who is just longing to understand more – thank you so much!
Thank you Evan. I use the same method for solving crossword puzzles. 🙂
Sharing with Spirit View-ers, what Geith Plimmer, CSB wrote on the subject :
“As one would expect, scientific Christianity has a text book, Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy.
Don’t read it to fight it. Read it with the thought that if there is any good in it for you, you will see it.
There will be lots that you don’t understand at first, but don’t let that upset you. Just accept the little
things that you can understand and agree with, and be grateful for them. The difficult things will explain themselves later.”
May I ask the title of Mr. Plummer’s
lecture?
Thank you
Donna
Yes, I too am MOST GRATEFUL for your clear explanation of how to go about reading
Science and Health! THANK YOU, Evan!
Thank you Evan. This has been my experience as well.
Once again, my day starts out grateful for your insights and all
the shared comments.
This year I am studying Science and Health with particular attention to what the author says about Jesus and the Christ, as I concurrently read/study the four gospels, paying special attention to the healings of Jesus. The Bible becomes clearer and dearer with spiritual inspiration gleaned from Science and Health, and vice versa. I can not imagine my life without these two books. A bit of a relief to find out that I don’t have to understand everything (because I surely don’t….yet!) Thanks, Evan.
Thank you for your lecture last night, your healing thoughts and your presentation, it came at the right time.
Thank you for this. When I am going through very tough times, I begin with the chapter on prayer to get grounded. It is beautiful in its simplicity.
Thank you, Evan, for another helpful and healing post on SpiritView, as well as for the webinar last evening. Each webinar is so enlightening and unique, and the Q&A’s provide fresh and helpful insights. Sincere and abiding gratitude for all your work for Church, blessing all!
Thank you, thank you for this insight on reading the text book. I have started over countless times because I felt I should not move on until I understood and retained what I had read. Now I feel that moving forward is going to be my new study procedure.
Thank you for this daily blessing. I enjoy the responses from your readers also, and find them helpful and inspiring.
Does anyone remember the blog on hands? There was a response that contained some very insightful ideas that I would like to read again.
Thanks again.
Hello Joan,
Your question caught my interest, so I searched my computer in Evan’s Spiritview blogs. That didn’t answer the question “Where is the blog about hands”, so I noticed there is a search window on Evan’s Spiritview blog page. After searching for “hands”, numerous blogs appeared containing the word “hands”. You might just find the blog you are remembering, and want to re-read. cheers.
Thanks for sharing these thoughts. It helps in explaining to others.
I had been studying other things metaphysical for some time. My friend had started to read S&H so I took a copy out from our library. We both had the same reaction: it was like coming home. Since then I have approached this book and other writings of MBE very slowly. Many times it is as if I was reading it for the first time because I saw things so differently. The same experience came when I started to read the Bible from a metaphysical viewpoint. I am grateful I have been led to all of this.
Wonderful that you are addressing this topic of how to understand Science and Health! I remember reading that many years ago a C.S. Practitioner gave her students this tip: “Keep the ribbon or book mark moving through the book.” I’ve also heard that if you’re new to C.S. and get frustrated in parts of S & H, it’s good to stop and read some from Fruitage, in the back, where people tell their own experiences of healing simply by reading the book. I’m just so grateful we have this book which gives us glimpses of Spiritual Reality from which comes Scientific Christian Healing!
Excellent crossword analogy, Evan. Thank you.
I agree with all the comments…
Science and HeLth is a step by step process of spiritual unfoldment, a lifetime adventure, a treasure chest of Love, a life changer…and a solid foundation!
I’m so grateful to be able to connect with this little group of supportive pilgrims every day. I consider it a gift from God.
Thank you Evan for making this possible.
I viewed the webinar last night, and was so grateful for how you shared Jesus’ “perspective”. I have a clearer view now that Jesus really didn’t see materiality at all in anything or anybody! It helped me to get a better handle on how to view myself and others.
Is there a chance to view this webinar again? I tuned in to the lecture you gave on the same subject at TMC already on your website, but there was something so special about this webinar, I would love to see it again.
Yes, there is a replay, and you should have received an email 1 hour after the webinar with a link to the replay in it. If not, you can find the replay on my youtube channel.
Wonderful Evan, I have to remind myself she is writing about Spirit. It’s an infinite subject, and there is no beginning and no ending. Wherever you look in the book, Spirit is there to meet you.
That’s a wonderful message Evan. It’s going to help me lots. Many times I’ve tried to read through this precious book only to close it and to reach for a Sentinel.
Thank you for all the comments—all so encouraging!!!
This is yet ANOTHER “Evan” blog that’s so clear and helpful–not only to those of us who’ve been studying this Science for a long time, but also to the newcomer. I appreciate the absence of “jargon” that can be off-putting. Thanks, too, to the comments of other readers. I especially liked the comment by Shireen from Geith Plimmer about not reading Science and Health “to fight it.”. Approaching any subject with an open mind and an accepting heart has to benefit the student more than starting from a negative standpoint. I’m glad to be reminded of that fact.
You grow with S&H. You can understand a meaning of a certain sentance 1 day & have a completely new understanding of the same sentance the next day. This is what makes the book “INFINITE.” You can never be through with it. It builds thinking, inspiration and God’s knowledge like no other book.
In the past several months I have re-reading about 10 books that I have purchased over the years all about Mary Baker Eddy. Although I have read them before, I really focused in on her life and the many histories that many authors have produced.
What a wonderful experience to bring me closer to Christian Science Healing.
I have gotten that warm experience that I had when I went through class. When I returned to my church, many of the church group commented on the enlighten glow I had.
Almost I can imagine students that MBE had and felt when they completed class instruction.