Have you ever felt guilty when you were not guilty? It’s a tricky way mortal mind works sometimes, to twist around the facts to make an innocent person feel guilty when they haven’t doing anything wrong.
It’s like the abuser husband blaming his wife for his abuse of her saying it’s her fault that he abuses her, and then she feels guilty for discord in the marriage.
The same type of perversion can happen in the workplace, on sports teams, in committees, and with politics, where people are blamed for problems they never caused. Often, the accuser, rather than the accused, is the guilty party.
To prevent this type of fact manipulation from occurring, we need to know our innocence with conviction. We can’t be weak in the face of unfair accusation and let it intimidate us. We can face it fearlessly with truth, and take corrective action that leads to justice.
Jesus Christ faced false accusation frequently from religious and government authorities, but he never backed down in knowing and declaring his innocence. He would reply with truth and love to whatever came at him, and his spiritual position with God enabled him to retain a position of dominion and authority over his accusers. Even when nailed to the cross, he was in the dominant position, for he knew that good would triumph over evil in his experience, and it did. The truth he stood for had the final say.
So, know your innocence when falsely accused. Stick with the truth, claim the truth, side with the truth, and the truth you live and know will support and protect you, and bring you out on top.
“Speak the truth to every form of error” Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, p. 418.
A great reminder – thank you, Evan!
Abusive behavior is never justified. If someone accuses us unfairly, it’s easy to accept their premise and enter a debate about details and facts. But we don’t have to accept someone’s “right” to accuse us in irrational or hostile ways. Abusive accusations don’t reflect on our innocence, but on the other party’s habits of thought.
Most important to know our innocence. I had a very difficult time for a year or so after being falsely accused. It almost destroyed a solid relationship with a friend who was also my boss and who was caught up in the middle of this situation. In the end however, the friendship lasted and false accusation fell to the ground as nothing. But this idea, to me, is so very important because it as as our lesson tells us, the principle of the virtue of Truth, Life and Love help us to realize our spiritual oneness with God. Thank you, Evan for these many wonderful reminders directing us to see the Truth.
Thanks, Josef!
Thank you
Thank you,,Evan, for this reminder! Yes! Our innocence is always intact and it is important to claim it!
Our innocence is our protection, always. Thank you for the helpful reminder
Thank you Evan for this important truth. I am so grateful for all that is shared on this blog. Blessings to all today.
If God doesn’t Say it, it isn’t said.
The more truthfully absolute our mental stand, the
better, huh!
This is such a helpful topic, Evan. Thank you and all for your inspiring insights. At times when we have tried to make things right, to clarify misunderstandings, but have not been given the opportunity or someone refuses to accept our point of view, it is good to know that this is just another way of mortal mind’s attempt to interfere with what is the Truth.
I find it helpful to keep reminding myself, ” love meeting no response, but still remaining love”. (S&H: 586 – 24)
NOT GUILTY! When falsely blamed and knowing no response would help, this is what I claim mentally and then put it out of thought. I refuse to argue.
My only obligation is to God.
Perfect response Lori! I think that’s very important to remember sometimes, to put it out of thought. “I’ve done the spiritual work and I refuse to keep arguing it. Now I trust it to God.”
Thank you for today’s topic. I am prayerfully supporting someone else and defending their innocence is a perfect direction for today. I can defend their innocence from the suggestion of disease and I can defend my innocence from material limits and doubts to know that God is working through me to defend their innocence.
Thanks, Evan……Great Topic. I think you meant to say “…….saying it’s her fault that he abuses her…….” That is definitely one of the ways abusers use to confuse and further abuse their victims. Also, a victim of physical or sexual abuse often takes on the guilt of the abuser – it’s a form of trauma bonding and seems to come with the crime – kind of an inbuilt part of the abuse…..esp. if it’s a child or a woman. It takes a lot of courage and strength to break free from this deep guilt within….but with the power of God and Truth and lots of Love…..it can be done!
Oops. You’re right! “…saying it’s her fault that he abuses her…” is correct. My mind saw the right thought on the page, but my fingers didn’t quite type it right. Thanks for catching that!
This reminds me of a great lecture by Julie Ward called “Not Guilty.” It’s 20 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zva2YyKUdUM&t=11s
Thank you Autumn, for posting this helpful link.
Thank you very much Autumn, for the link to that utmost loving, helpful and healing lecture! In connection speciaĺly with today’s wonderful SpiritView this lecture from Julie Ward is very worth hearing! She present it so clear and joyfully.
Thanks a lot Evan, for the healing spiritual view on today’s topic!!
I was in a relationship with someone who was verbally abusive when I was 19. He would do things like use almost everything I told him as a weapon against me, scream at me for being “arrogant” when he was the one being so, not let me drop the subject when it wasn’t getting anywhere and trying to coerce me into discussing things that I wasn’t comfortable discussing. He basically acted as if he could mold other people to his own liking by his own sheer willpower. Worse, he actually believed that what he was doing was love. From what I’ve realized since then, a lot of them are, unfortunately, convinced of that, too. Some will even try to convince you to doubt your own memories or even what you’re seeing in front of yourself (this is called gaslighting). But NONE of it is even close to representative of the Truth of God!
Today, I live for the Truth of God and not to please or be wanted by other people.
Good For You, Lacy!….and for any other women (Me Too!) …. and men, too, who have realized their Worth from Within and have Taken a Stand to Love and Honor themselves FIRST, instead of Seeking Approval from Others. Your Worth Comes From Your Higher Power!
If we love and honor God first, we begin to see there is no me, you, male, female. There is only God. Don’t go on a witch Hunt. “Mental darkness is senseless error.”
thank you Evan for posting
is.. very helpful ✨
Thanks Evan and all for your insight into this whole thought of abusive behavior, wherever it seems to take place. The “Lion of Judah,” moral courage gives us the strength to take the proper measures to end the abuse, and to erase the memories of it. It also gives us the power to forgive the so-called abuser. As you stated, Evan, Jesus proved it and he said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” That has helped me greatly!
Amen, Trista.
What I just notice is that I have to defend my innocence also against false thoughts which I do not like, and which, as I learned are not from God. I have to defend myself against my own accusation. With false thoughts I feel very guilty. However I know when I stick to Truth and staedily side with God I can only experience Gods protection and Love!
Am grateful for all helpful comments!
Evan, great article; thank you!
For me, this excerpt from the 4th paragraph — “…we need to know our innocence with conviction. We can’t be weak in the face of unfair accusation and let it intimidate us. We can face it fearlessly with truth, and take corrective action that leads to justice.” — can also apply to * any * claim that tries to convince us that we’re less than God’s perfect child. Thus, we must and can be strong and fearless when confronted with claims of sin or sickness or seeing others as anything less than perfect.
thank you Rich for your comments to take a stand against” “any” claim that tries to convince us that we are less than God’s perfect child.” Because the whole time I was reading this thread, I was thinking we also need to apply innocence to the one who seems from a material standpoint to be guilty. I guess that’s a whole other discussion. Mrs Eddy says “the belief in sin is punished only so long as the belief lasts.” (S&H 497:11) Ultimately one has to see his innocence as a child of God whether he seems to be humanly guilty or not.