Be wise about what you read

May 22, 2023 | 26 comments

Be discerning about what you read in the news and welcome into thought! It’s a wise instruction for those who wish to stay healthy.

Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “The press unwittingly sends forth many sorrows and diseases among the human family. It does this by giving names to diseases and by printing long descriptions which mirror images of disease distinctly in thought. A new name for an ailment affects people like a Parisian name for a novel garment. Every one hastens to get it. A minutely described disease costs many a man his earthly days of comfort. What a price for human knowledge!” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 196).

To stay healthy, keep all images of disease out of thought. Welcome spiritual truth into your mental home, but never a description of disease.

26 thoughts on “Be wise about what you read”

  1. We read and see and hear many things each day from many sources. Let’s be wise and remember to identify the source of the information being presented. Does it line up with God, the true Source of information about us? Or with a material, limited point of view that cannot see us as we truly are. Someone commented here recently that “all there is to us is God in Self-expression.” If what we read conflicts with that truth, it is nothing more than false belief and we have the divine right to reject it.

    Love and good new week to everyone.

  2. Thank you Evan and Rose. We are told here to be wise about what we read. In Science and Health page 458:25-28 The Christian Scientist wisely shapes his course, and is honest and consistent in following the leadings of divine Mind.
    The other day I was called by someone who read something that brought great fear on her. She thought she might have died a long time ago and did not know. A few statements healed the person’s fears.
    I said, You know ghosts do not exists. You know Life is without beginning and without end. You know Sin, disease and death does not exist. You cannot communicate with anyone in this realm if the belief of death had overcome you. You are alive.
    Be careful about what you read. Follow the leadings of divine Mind.

  3. I guess in MBE time and in all time there is the endless suggestion we are material and subject to it. My family notices how we are constantly seeing commercials for drugs for disease and which are the current favorite. I turn the sound off but it is still hard to ignore it completely. I usually have to pray
    My family does not practice CS or metaphysics but I notice they feel watching these commercials that they are being conned

    1. I am grateful that my husband is in the same place as me on this, and we watch no television or news. I feel as though my mind should only be fed with Truth.

      I must say that I find this matter of conversations about illnesses and diseases very, very challenging with friends, none of whom is into CS or even understands metaphysics. It seems that people who, years ago, might have been careful about what they say or think or read are now “all in” with talking about illnesses, and tests they need, and so on. I call it “The Organ Recital.” I have tried saying “I don’t get into conversations about illnesses and names of diseases,” but it doesn’t get heard, and I don’t want to be strident, which would put too much attention on the whole thing.

  4. The news, as with mortal mind, can try to “create” the news
    in a way that it wants it to be, by only reporting on what it
    wishes to put into it’s reader’s or viewer’s mind. But is it the
    [T]ruth? Is is what makes the world a Better place? Or does
    it divide us with fabricated or embellished so-called ‘facts’
    that are really un[T]rue. Who is funding its presentations? Is
    it biased? We need to be so careful as in “standing porter at
    our door of thought” and let in only what brings us and the
    world … harmony, peace, good thoughts, and most of all,
    Love. Love for the Truth and living it in our own lives,
    expresses God’s being and dispels any inharmony, disease,
    war, hatred, or anything that would be unlike God/Good …
    or anything presented to us that would interfere with actually
    Knowing what is really going on, so it can be healed.

    A great topic, Evan, Thank you.

    1. Regarding Truth, in doing my climate work, I learned on TV news that the Nile River was drying up. A photo of the depleting Nile was shown and a sad story told about a farmer who killed himself because he could not water his crops. Immediately, my support team and I prayed for the water of Grace to fill the Nile, just as Mary Baker Eddy filled the farmer’s well with Love. When the farmer got home, his well was full, “If only he knew, Love filled that well,” said Mrs. Eddy. Like Mrs. Eddy, we worked with absolute certainty and continued working for 3 months, until when I expressed my confusion over why the Nile was not yet full at a conference, the woman sitting next to me said, “What do you mean? The Nile River is full. I speak to my husband’s relatives in Egypt every week and if the Nile was not full of water, I would have heard about it.” Obviously, MSNBC took the time to show us the bad news, but did not bother to give us metrics and tell us when Love filled that river. Perhaps they, too, were confused by the immediate reversal, LOVE conquers all.

  5. I’ve been working with this from Science and Health,
    “Let discord of every name and nature be heard no more and let the harmonious and true sense of Life and being take possession of human consciousness.”
    Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 355:11

  6. Long before I took up the practice of Christian Science , I learned from my non-western medical practitioner that pharmaceuticals actually invent diseases to fit the drugs they have manufactured. I heard this many decades ago, and it has proven to be true. We have witnessed this so radically in the last three years with constant Covid alarms sounding. The same thing was happening when Mrs. Eddy first introduced Christian Science to the world. Christian Science was brought here to counter obsession with materiality.
    There have been wonderful statements made by Rose, Grace, Carol, Nadine, Carol and Sally already, to ask ourselves if the information is from God, as Truth, or not; if not, DISMISS it!!
    Thank you Evan for introducing this topic this morning. As Mrs. Eddy would say on rising in the morning, “today my mind is God’s Mind.”
    Love to all

    1. Thank you for pointing out what’s right before us Annie, there’s no hiding the persuasive ads, enticing us to turn to the latest drug, like a fashion item, and to listen as if the human body can report news. I am very aware how the newly invented names are paraded before us as if it were the latest way to shop, parading suggestions of material solutions sort of like a fashion show “here try this on”, “there, try this on”.
      Fake news is blatantly deployed, on as many avenues which will display these new items, using repetition to entice the masses.
      THANK GOD we have ONE MIND, and that being the Truth about Man created in God’s image and likeness, reflecting only good.

  7. Thank you Evan and everyone for your great comments. Lately I’ve been trying to be more wise about how I read the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. For example, in the lesson last week was this citation:

    “Like the great Exemplar, the healer should speak to disease as one having authority over it, leaving Soul to master the false evidences of the corporeal senses and to assert its claims over mortality and disease.”
    (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 395:6–10)

    One way to read that would be to assume Mrs. Eddy meant disease is real but that we have authority heal it when it appears. But another way to read that would be that Mrs. Eddy viewed disease as just a false belief or false accusation/suggestion about God and God’s idea (man and the universe) and therefore we have authority to denounce it as a lie and usher it out of our thinking quickly and decisively. If someone made a false accusation against one of our family members that we knew wasn’t true, we would know we have authority to refute that lie and the liar and defend our loved one. Similarly, we can do the same thing with lies accusing God of creating discord in the form of disease, sickness, sin, etc.

    In the April 30th lesson was this citation which made me sit up and take notice:

    Treat a belief in sickness as you would sin, with sudden dismissal.
    (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 218:24–25)

    When I was maybe 10-11 years old, I went with my mom to the grocery store. While she was shopping I wandered around and noticed a big bin of candy. I looked around to make sure nobody was watching and I took a piece of candy, unwrapped it, and popped it in my mouth. I then walked back to my mom and just as I got to her a store employee walked up to me and confronted me about taking the candy. I felt so ashamed and my mom was very upset with me and since then I have never given in to the temptation to steal something. If that temptation were to come into my thought I dismiss it immediately (suddenly) because I remember the shame I felt at having stolen that candy. When I read the above citation about dismissing suggestions of sickness (or any discord) just like we dismiss suggestions of sin, I thought of this candy stealing incident and thought “hmmm, I can really dismiss suggestions of discord as quickly, easily, and thoroughly as I dismiss suggestions to steal”.

    We can all quickly, easily, and thoroughly dismiss discordant suggestions that we happen to read or hear on the radio or see on TV or our friends tell us about too. We just have to know we have “authority” to do so as God’s expressions. God doesn’t entertain suggestions of discord so as God’s reflection/expression/manifestation we don’t have to entertain discord in our thinking either.

    Here’s an article I enjoyed reading about how we have”authority” to refute discordant suggestions in any way they may come to us.

    “AS ONE HAVING AUTHORITY”
    https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/2dwes2mesj6?s=e

    1. Thank you very much RH for sharing your experience and the spiritual insights with it! It is very helpful to me !
      And also thanks a lot for the article.
      We can ask us, is that news I read or hear something good from God. I’m working on it, also praying for the right thoughts.
      Thanks a lot dear Evan for letting us ponder and sort out the right thoughts from the wrong ones. Am very grateful for CS♡

  8. Thanks Evan, and all commenters. As Carol mentioned, such a good topic. I don’t mean to inundate, but such good ideas expressed in the articles below, that it’s a “double-header” today. 🙂

    “Bombarded by bad news? Prayer reveals what’s good and true.” by Rocha Mbenza:
    https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/28g3fwhg2f4

    “Finding freedom from mental impositions” by Richard Gates:
    https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/1t69xhmwr0e?s=f

    1. LOL with the articles , J , They are Both great and can see why
      they would be hard to choose between. Thank you, too , RH ,
      for your authoritarian (in a Good way) article, also. Please,
      always keep the articles coming … they are so demonstrable
      in helping to keep thought in line with God’s direction and are
      truly a bonus to Evan’s topic of the day, as are all the comments.
      I love from the one article and so pertinent to keeping in tune with
      today’s news and what to accept into our thinking:

      “Whatsoever things are true,
      Whatsoever things are honest,
      Whatsoever things are just,
      Whatsoever things are pure,
      Whatsoever things are lovely,
      Whatsoever things are of good report;
      if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
      Think on These things.”

      Wonderful timeless words of wisdom!

      1. I agree Carol. Thank you J for sharing the articles each day. I don’t always let you know how much I appreciate you doing that, but please realize each day that I do appreciate it, even if I don’t comment that day to thank you.

        1. So kind of you to say Carol & RH. Very grateful for all the inspiration provided by Spirit View, Christian Publications/Resources, weekly Bible lessons, Sentinel Watch, Daily Lift, JSH-online, church services, etc., All of these resources help keep thought moving upward and onward… 🙂

  9. Someone once told me that the US is one of only two 2countries in the world which allows pharmaceuticals to be directly marked to the public. I never verified that, but it doesn’t surprise me. Just strengthens my resolve not to fall for their advertising pitch , in other words, not to be “influenced erroneously.”

    1. Thanks Mary. I found a Harvard University web site article that has the following:

      “The United States and New Zealand are the only countries where drug makers are allowed to market prescription drugs directly to consumers. The U.S. consumer drug advertising boom on television began in 1997, when the FDA relaxed its guidelines relating to broadcast media.”

      https://www.health.harvard.edu/medications/do-not-get-sold-on-drug-advertising

      If you click on the link above you may get a pop-up asking you to enter your email address. You can just dismiss that pop-up by clicking the X in the upper right corner.

  10. Hi everyone.
    This is a great subject. I have been good about muting ads and even record programs so that I can fast forward through the ads. but it has been so obvious that the ads for pharmacies’ are just that, marketing. I have wondered about this and RH that article was so informative. thank you for sharing it. When I saw the title of this blog, Evan I immediately went to the fact that I belong to two book clubs and read novels and nonfiction that are sometimes full of questionable facts. I enjoy history and even though I know and can dismiss the ??? information I still go to the discussions and have to work not to absorb what is being said about facts presented as part of the human experience. I realize that it’s the socializing that I’m attracted to and that I hesitate to give that up. There are no other CS’s in my area to socialize with and I have always had friends that were not C.S. I subscribe to The Monitor and don’t watch TV news. So after reading this It makes me think am I holding too tightly to matter enjoyments through the entertainment of TV and reading novels?

    1. Hi Jane. In answer to your question, I can totally empathize with you about not
      having CS friends nearby, which is why I love coming here all of the time. So
      much thought, (or lack of) ~ these days, tends to revolve around materialism/
      superficiality/mortal mind/trends, etc. So many tv shows accentuate these
      superficial narratives in attempts to sway thought, also, and I think folks often
      blindly absorb them without even realizing it.
      I find, imho, the less of them I see, the better I feel. Online, one can pick and
      choose what they wish to see, rather than be bombarded by visuals of
      sometimes violence, ads, or anything that is not productive in making this a
      better world. (Hope I don’t sound too goody-two-shoes!)
      I do like to stay aware of the Truth in current events. I have found that
      I have many friends in local businesses I like to patronize where things
      are friendly and cordial, but not bogged down with ailments, etc. that
      so many it seems, like to talk about these days.

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