“God has endowed man with inalienable rights, among which are self-government, reason, and conscience.”
~ Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 106
Self-government under God’s government, reason and conscience are inalienable divine rights granted to you by God, and there isn’t any situation, condition, circumstance, disease, person, government, or ruler that can ever take them away from you.
Be sure to exercise them liberally and abundantly!
Declaration of Independence:
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/3j96tidqhu?s=e
Thank you Angie for this poignant article!
I read the attached article, and the sentence,
Jesus entire life was a Declaration of
Independence, stood out
I love the thought that we can/should declare
our independence from all that wants to make
us believe there could be something other than
the Allness of God going on.
And we have our church supporting us from
that lofty standpoint. Love it!
Thanks Evan and Angie
“Self Government under God’s Government!” When we rise up out of the human level of understanding to the spiritual (the only reality of Truth) level of understanding we start to realize that none of our rights can be taken from us. God doesn’t lose rights or anything else, God is all-power! As God’s good reflection we too cannot lose anything. It’s interesting how initially letting go of a human sense of power, reason, ego can feel like you are bowing down, or being weak. And to the human, mortal mind it is, for it always wants “to do something” on a human level to rectify things. This kind of action will forever be stuck and limited, always having to fight it out with limited results. But it’s just the opposite when we side with God’s Government we gain all-power, joy, freedom, order, peace, strength, fearlessness, etc. What we have in Christian Science is literally AWE-some. I’m so grateful.
Thank you Trista, That was so well said. Just lovely.
Trista I agree very much with what you said about letting go of a sense of human power. I’ve heard that in the 12 step recovery programs they talk about surrendering a sense of human will and doer-ship, becoming powerless (in the mortal sense) and thereby gaining all the power that God provides to us as His beloved child. Humility is key. Very freeing to let go of that stressful way of living. God good guides guards and governs, that’s the true government.
Also in Evan’s post above the word ‘conscience’ jumped out at me. One definition is “an inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one’s behavior.” If conscience is a divine right granted to us by God, this tells me that we are ALL impelled and naturally led by God towards goodness and right action. It is our right to see this manifesting in ourselves and in everyone around us (near and far). Thank you everyone, love to all!
Trista, also wanted to thank you for your heartfelt comments from a few days ago on the Feb. 26 SpiritView where you discussed fear and not judging others for being fearful, but having compassion and and being humble and looking to see where we ourselves still have some fears to confront and work through spiritually. Was very helpful and really resonated with me.
In this weeks lesson on “Man” we have from Jeremiah (citation 10) the temptation to drink wine as “the house of Rechabites” refused to drink wine as was commanded by Jonadab the son of Rechab not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters.” What an example to refuse to take in anything that is not bringing a blessing to us. To be free from mortal temptations is to follow in our masters footsteps and refuse to see or engage in anything that draws us away from our heritage as the children of God. Denying entrance to any thing that comes to thought that is not from divine Mind blesses us and seeing everyone else as not being tempted to indulge in anything that is un Godlike strengthens us to meet the challenges of the day. Thank you Evan for todays blog and Angie for the article. Blessings to all.
Thank you , Evan, Sue and Trista! Very helpful
Thank you Evan for today’s SpiritView!
I love that passage by MBEDDY specially when you ad the following passage which to my understanding belongs to the passage Evan gave us today to ponder .
That further passage on p.106 is as follows: “Man is properly selfgoverned only when he is guided rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love.” So I feel directly governed by God and that does so good.
Thank you all for the lively and inspired commentations!♡
Thank you Evan. Ypu explanation confirms my thoughts.
Know, then, that you possess sovereign power to think and act rightly, and that nothing can dispossess you of this heritage and trespass on Love. If you maintain this position, who or what can cause you to sin or suffer? Our surety is in our confidence that we are indeed dwellers in Truth and Love, man’s eternal mansion.
(Pulpit and Press, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 3:7–12)
Thank you Carolyne, I’ve always loved this quote; it is comforting to know that nothing can dispossess us (deprive or cast us out from) of the God-given power built into us to think and act rightly.
Thank you Evan for the reminder. You are spot on with what is relevant, for sure! It’s easy to feel we are being suppressed by the material powers that be. But not so! Again, thank you. And. . .thank you everyone for your powerful words.
Thank you all. I like the thought of being directly governed by God. The phrase “top-down” comes to mind as I think of my company’s powerpoint organization chart. It shows that I direct-report to my manager alone and am not subordinate to anyone else. So it is that we all “direct-report” only to God and there is no insubordination.
Thanks for all good thoughts! I am dealing with a belief to be healed.
Spiritual Truth and joy are unassailable! Thank you Evan for giving us the direction today to establish our focus on our Divine right…blessings to the SV family…always adding more perspective to my daily
study and knowledge of my spiritual status. I am so grateful for Mrs Eddy’s teaching❣️
Thank you, Evan, and all commenters. This is a wonderful spiritual family that I rely on daily. I had been very conflicted about getting the COVID vaccine. I was totally opposed to getting it, but my daughter, who is not a CSist, was so upset when I told her I would not get it. She was very fearful for me. So I prayed about it and realized that I needed more humility and to express Love for her by changing my mind and assuring her that I would get the vaccine so that she wouldn’t worry. I got the first one yesterday, all the while knowing that it could not harm me OR help me in any way, because God is my Source of health. She is so happy, and that makes me happy too.
Theodora, I too did the same as you to rest my daughters fear. I knew it wouldn’t harm me as God is all. I didn’t feel anything when administered and nothing after. She is relieved and happy. God governs all. .
God, Love is supreme and Infinite. When we make any decision based on love for God and our fellow man we are on the right path. Thankyou Evan and all commenters. I love this Blog and it is part of my daily study. Love to all.
Dear Theodora and Jane,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and actions. I, too, got the vaccine to put my sons and good friends at ease.
And thank you to Evan, as always, for your spot-on treatments and for all the wonder-full commenters on true Independence. May my life, and every life be a Declaration of Independence–independence from peer pressure, fear, lies, sin, disease and death (belief in the absence of Good).!!! As former commenters said, humility is key.
Re: John’s comment, the citation of
Ezek 34:16 in our Responsive Reading came to thought which says, I will seek the lost … and will bind up what was broken, and will strengthen those who are sick. It reminds me of the beloved children’s book, “The Runaway Bunny”. To me, the momma bunny who ALWAYS finds the little runaway bunny, represents Momma Love, who always loves, cherishes and protects her child (that’s us!) no matter where we go or even how disobedient we are. She/Momma Love, always finds us and keeps us safe. We can relax and be at peace in Her ever-loving embrace.
The Mary Baker Eddy Library Newsletter recently contained this very helpful article entitled:
Vaccination: what did Eddy say?
https://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/research/what-did-eddy-say-about-vaccination/
I found it very helpful and instructive, and it gave me the direction I needed regarding the vaccination.
Evan, thank you so much for your thoughts today on our rights. This situation with the push of our government to get the vaccine into us is certainly a need to work this out with God. Knowing that other Christian Scientists are getting these shots certainly does not influence me to do so. We each have to be clear what is going on here and make our own choice with God’s direction. I have read the MBE Library writing about this a number of times and I wonder if Mrs. Eddy were living at this time and seeing the atmosphere of thought and the imposition going on, if she wouldn’t think differently today. We must know and claim our God-given rights, for everyone, and be clear about them and feel God’s love and support and power.
Thank you Maryjane❣️
Thank you very much, Evan, (and all commenters) for such a helpful spot-on blog!. I also appreciated greatly Verlee’s link to the Mary Baker Eddy Library newsletter containing the article “Vaccination: What did Eddy say”. It nailed it for me too regarding vaccination. Thank you all.
Mrs. Eddy’s statement was “if the law demands”. There is no law that we have this.
Thank you for the super charged direction for my day! I love where Mrs. Eddy says (page 327:29) “Reason is the most active human faculty”.. Although I know how to use the word faculty, I decided to look it up in the dictionary. The definition included “talent, sense”. I realize now I can exercise reason within myself just as I would learn a new song on the piano, or a new dance in my Zoom class. It’s like acquiring a fun, new hobby. Thanks again!