Mortal mind is a term used in Christian Science to signify all that opposes God. Hate, greed, envy, selfishness, sin, disease, death, and matter are examples of what is meant by the term mortal mind.
In Truth, God is infinite Spirit, all good, eternal Life, and omnipresent Love.
Mortal mind would deny God’s reality and argue for evil, contending that evil is real and powerful, and God is helpless to do anything about it.
But mortal mind is wrong! Mortal mind can never change the eternal spiritual facts of being.
As Jesus Christ proved, the omnipotence of God overcomes and defeats all claims of mortal mind.
So, when you go through your day, be sure to follow divine Mind’s lead, and not mortal mind’s.
Mortal mind argues for suffering and pain, disease, and death.
Divine Mind enforces health, guarantees strength, inspires with heavenly ideas, and fills Life’s measures with joy, peace, and love.
Divine Mind takes you to wonderful places in thought and experience, that mortal mind knows nothing of.
Mortal mind is a dead end, which when reached, requires one to turn around and find his way back to divine Mind.
Stick with divine Mind from the beginning! Be impressed only with spiritual truth coming from divine Mind that inspires thought with heavenly realities that keep your thought and experience in a good place.
Listen to divine Mind and prosper. In divine Mind, there is no mortal mind.
“In a world of sin and sensuality hastening to a greater development of power, it is wise earnestly to consider whether it is the human mind or the divine Mind which is influencing one” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 82).
What a timely blog! Of course, we’ve come to expect nothing less . There is so much going on in this seeming mortal existence, it’s imperative to look beyond – from the unreal to the real and from the human to the divine. One of the statements I remember being given in Sunday School, by a most loved teacher, was the answer to a child’s question, “What is divine?” And she simply said, “Divine is above the human.” Then she went on to explain in the clearest way, we always live in the Divine, never in the human. There was such an absolute conviction in her being, not just her words, I never doubted it, all through those Sunday School years and beyond. We are divine ideas, therefore exempt from the erroneous beliefs that “flesh is heir to”. Listening to divine Mind reminds us constantly of the Truth of our being. Our strength, our purpose, our poise, health, joy, peace and love are therefore established, constant, immutable and eternal. As a divine being, I can only know the Divine Mind as the only Mind I have, anything else is illusion, imaginations and can be cast down.
Thank you dear Evan for always giving us some fresh spiritual cud to chew on. ☺️
Thank you!
Thanks a lot Evan sir for inspiring to follow Divine only as it is above human as shared by Dear Farida n in divine mind there is no human / mortal mind.
‘Which one?’:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/2encm0hyjbq?s=e
Thank you,Evan, for this message this morning. Very helpful.
And thank you, Angie,for this article. I especially like this:
Although mortals claim otherwise, human consciousness need not be impressed by incidents that are going on in a material universe external to it. On the contrary, the phenomenon it sees as the world is occurring only within the seeming human consciousness itself, for it sees its own thoughts.
Consequently one can change what appears as an outward manifestation by changing his thinking. This accounts for Jesus’ dominion, not only over lack, sickness, sin, and death, but also over wind and wave. Reducing all such manifestations to thought, he replaced them with right ideas and in this way expressed man’s God-given dominion over all the earth.
Very useful in our thoughts about the Ukraine. Thanks so much.
Barb,
I am not understanding your comment or are you saying everyone who is fleeing Ukraine as a refuge just needs to see the picture as God as in control to make everything as ok in their own thought? And that Putin is God’s child and then all will be well in their own thought? Certainly if you accept the invasion of Ukraine as God’s plan that might well make everything appear as ok.
I see things differently. Death and destruction is not ok or a part of God’s plan.
I see Putin as under the influence of mortal mind and that influence needs to be seen and self-destroyed. And it will be and can be right now once self-seen. Error in thought is always ripe for destruction.
As I understand it, Kirsten, we are only dealing with our own thoughts, not the thoughts of anyone else. God is giving each one of us our true thoughts, and it is only up to us to keep our thoughts and prayers in line with what we know about God and His perfect idea man. Anything unlike God, good, is unreal, so we need to stay with the real and not believe what the material senses are presenting. Nobody is, in fact, under the influence of mortal mind, because there is no such thing – no Mind but God, and man as the reflection or expression of divine Mind – no matter what appears to be happening. We must let God reveal Himself, and we can pray to be witnesses of what God is revealing to and as His creation, and let Him govern everyone and everything that He has made.
This has opened an important line of spiritual reasoning. It made me remember a comment on a recent SV, March 21 from Linda NJ. She mentioned that Mrs. Eddy….”asked a member of her household if he was doing his work. He replied yes that he was. She continued, so when you see a drunk man, do you understand the drunk thought is your own, and so you work to replace it with the truth that man is spiritual and perfect, etc?”
That comment really struck me – that the false pictures of man and of situations, which appear so objectively real to us, are our own thoughts that need correction by the light of Truth.
Evan, I appreciated, “Divine Mind takes you to wonderful places in thought and experience, that mortal mind knows nothing of. Mortal mind is a dead end, which when reached, requires one to turn around and find his way back to divine Mind.”
Maggie,
I understand we are seeing our own perspective of events, if you will. But, Mary Baker Eddy has made it clear we have a duty to perform. It does not just perform itself automatically; (if I am understanding correctly)
Alertness to Duty
It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. By his works he shall be judged, — and justified or condemned.
Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 6
As I see it, “By his works he shall be judged, — and justified or condemned,” means that if you are not standing porter at the door of thought, you may be tempted to listen to vanity, hate, jealousy, and all the etcetera’s that follow. Or, you may see another person or country as a threat and attack them if you will. Anyone listening to Truth and Love would never do such a thing or even be tempted to do such a thing as hurt their neighbor. Mary Baker Eddy says “Beloved Christian Scientists, keep your minds so filled with Truth and Love, that sin, disease, and death cannot enter them. It is plain that nothing can be added to the mind already full. There is no door through which evil can enter, and no space for evil to fill in a mind filled with goodness. Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort. And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited.” Misc Works Pg 210
She goes on to say;
A Rule for Motives and Acts
Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church. In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness. The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously.
Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 1
She is saying we have work to do to be delivered from evil if I am understanding correctly.
Further, we are to pray;
Daily Prayer
It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to pray each day: “Thy kingdom come;” let the reign of divine Truth, Life, and Love be established in me, and rule out of me all sin; and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!
Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 4
By filling consciousness with divine Truth, Life and Love we rule out a desire to sin. So it has no power over us. But, she asks us to do these things. What about people who are not daily defending thought? I guess I believe if you are allowing sin to enter thought as something that could be fun, give you power or security, that those thoughts need to be destroyed. It is not the destruction that is relevant but the freedom from the sin that is relevant until you learn to defend thought and only listen to God. I guess I see Putin as needing to learn to defend his thought from thinking power and/or security comes from taking over other countries to all power belongs to God, Love. And that is what I am praying about. That he can see a duty to serve Love and reveal Truth. And that “Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment (to a country) should impel the motives or acts…” of anyone. He is capable of seeing this.
Rose,
You bring up a good point. Does this mean Putin is simply a suggestion of a power opposed to God? That’s all. And we just need to defend thought by knowing the First Commandment – knowing no other gods other than God as omnipotent.
We should not focus on a war or war crimes any more than Daniel would have focused on a lion or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego on a fiery furnace? Their thought was only on God’s supremacy?
Dear Kirsten,
Perhaps you are not seeing the BIG picture. Mary Baker Eddy has stated that “ALL is infinite Mind, and its Infinite manifestation.” Then how and where can there be a mortal mind(s)? Because ALL is infinite Mind, there is no mortal mind that can mesmerize, be mesmerized, or hypnotized into believing in anything unlike Good. There is no mortal mind that can be under any influence other than Omnipotent GOOD. God, Life, Truth, and Love, only knows the beautiful unfoldment of good, with NO suggestion of chaos, destruction, limitation, or conflict that could harm anyone. Above all, there is no mortal mind to fear, hate, worry, tempt, envy, connive, lie, misrepresent, etc. Since there is no such thing as a mortal mind, all the unlovely, destructive forces connected with a material universe and mortal history are completely wiped out, revealed as absolutely non-existent, with the immortal Truth that All is Infinite Mind, where matter has no place.
Jacki,
If the work has already been done, why are we asked to defend thought? I can understand that all is good, God. It is because Truth is absolute to everyone who does not believe a lie, Lies are revealed and Truth is always the winner (even when someone believes a lie is true. It is just their perspective of believing a lie that makes one believe Truth is not absolute).
I find it helpful in being specific with affirmations and denials of Truth when the evidence of destruction is so graphic. For instance, I specifically pray to know that because there is one Mind, Putin does not have a mind of his own to plot, plan and execute evil. I pray to strip all seeming power away from a despot, and give it back to God for the purposes of accomplishing good, rather than evil. As humanity does this more and more, there will be fewer despots.
Evan,
So Putin does not need to defend thought because he does not have a mortal mind that can be influenced?
But in the Bible, Jesus was tempted by the devil to not serve God. But Jesus was wise enough to defend thought from those temptations and finally said “get behind me, Satan.”
Or, an evil Putin is a temptation of our thought to believe in evil or an evil force opposing God? To see if we break the First Commandment and believe in a power other than God? Or are tempted to bow down to Putin and serve/fear him – (like Daniel and the Lion’s Den or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego)? They had to stand up to the idea that anything could be more powerful than God, even a king or a king’s belief in a false god? And then it was proved by surviving a suggested material condition like a scary lion or a fiery furnace? That we need to stand up to the idea that a mortal leader could be stronger than God to survive a material condition like a war? Am I understanding you correctly?
Kirsten,
Correct, part of an effective prayer is to take all power away from a mortal personality claiming to be a power, and give that power back to God, where it rightfully belongs.
Thank you Evan! 🙂
Thank you Angie. Excellent article, just what I needed to hear today.
What an excellent treatment for the situation in Ukraine. It’s what I can do. And just think what all CSists CAN accomplish for the healing of our world. Thank you, Angie. And as always, thank you Evan.
Praise be to God!
Thank you Angie, Evan and All….soo perfect!!
Excellent article!! Thank you so much for sharing, Angie!
Thank you Evan for your clear thoughts with the declarations of truth.
This is so helpful, Evan, and so tremendously inspiring. Aggressive mental suggestion will sometimes try to pull us away from spirituality and into material means, methods and beliefs. I spend a lot of time muting the TV when medical and pharmaceutical commercials come on to keep the error away from my thinking. Above all, it’s important to know that there is no mortal mind to begin with. Divine Mind is infinite and God is supreme.
We should be careful not to argue for the enemy but for the reality of good, thereby serving God as no other. Thank you, Evan for this so valuable reminder.
Thank you much Evan for this helpful advice on keeping our thoughts above the morass below of educational concepts, progressive culture, medical theories, physicality centeredness etc. that surround & constantly bombard us.
Thank you so much. Beautifully expressed.
It helps to understand that the mortal mind is not an entity, not a mind at all, but simply a term that encapsulates the paradigm of error: vacillation between good and bad, all the negatives and positives of mortal beliefs. The mortal mind cannot be compared with the divine Mind which is your only mind. The term “mortal mind” is employed to lift the learner above the false concept of solid matter to the fact that the universe and everything in it, including man, is mental.
The mortal mind’s opposite is Christ. Christ is also not an entity, but simply a term that represents divine realities emanating from Truth, good and pure ideas from divine Mind, the harmonies of divine Love, the zest and vigor from divine Life, your true and good individuality from divine Soul, your everlasting and indestructible substance qualities from divine Spirit, etc. In other words, the true idea of perfect God and perfect Man without a blemish. Christ is the kingdom of heaven within you, the Comforter.
What an amazing and comprehensive series of posts this morning. I am so grateful for all of them. Each contribution gives a different but related perspective on Evan’s main idea from the divine Mind.
I was just about to type your exact words Martha!!
Thank YOU and all❣️
Thank you, Evan and Angie! Exactly what I needed when and how.
Thank you Farida for sharing your Sunday school experience….so simple yet stays with you…believable & enduring. Long reign Sunday school!!!
i found this in Daniel Jensons articles
https://danieljensenassociation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/DLJ-Beginning-Rightly.pdf
Thank you for sharing Paul. 🙂
Excellent! Thank you Paul! 🙂
Posting from a former post last year:
From the Christian Science Journal of 1883” by Mary Baker Eddy:
“Every time you declare you are perfect in God, there goes through the body a health giving power. When you realize this truth of truths, that you are now, and will be, perfect in God (without a single doubt) wonderful changes will come to pass.
But let me urge you, however difficult it may seem, to declare all is right. Deny all physical suffering, declare times without number that you are perfect, joyful, triumphant. Say often “God is my strength, my health, my understanding.” You have dominion in Him over the world, the flesh and the devil. A dominion that is omnipotent. Your life is in Him, no power can bind you. God is the only life, Spirit is the only substance. Life is the only Cause. Harmony is the only Law. Now is the only time.
This is God’s spiritual household. Nothing can enter into it to annoy or destroy. Nothing can enter to manifest sin, sickness or discouragement, for God – Good – fills all the household with perfect love and peace and governs every member in it.
There can be no power, obstinacy nor animal magnetism to darken the atmosphere of my home for God does in every deed dwell in earth with man and governs every event. There is no evil condition of thought that can argue or suggest or make any law to dominate or control me, or bring any evil to pass me, or shut out of my consciousness any good.
There is no law of failure, or want or poverty, lack or limitation. There is no law but Divine Law, which is plenty, abundance, harmony and dominion. No mortal minds good, bad or indifferent, individual, collective or universal, can touch me or anyone within the radius of my thought this day; for God, Good, governs me and every member of this household with perfect love.
Beloved Father-Mother God, give me wisdom to meet the problems that come to be met today, give me the understanding to deny error. Give me the grace to remain silent when not necessary to speak. Oh Love, take me in. Give me one Mind, one Consciousness, enable me to love my neighbor as myself. When I cease to judge, criticize or condemn, I begin to make progress.”
PERFECT GOD…PERFECT MAN
Pray to understand.
Thank you so very much for today”s SpiritView dear Evan, showing us so clearly that God is the omnipresent and omnipotent power that acts and guides us. So let’s listen and let divine Love guide us as Evan states which will lead us to health and into all Truth. Such a loving treat again today; it is so helpful and comforting. Am very grateful for SpiritView!
And thank you , Evan for the wonderful explanation how you pray for the Ukraine situation!
It is a delight to read these so lively and divers commentations today, thanks to all!♡
Love the foto in the beautiful wood!♡
Excellent
From Science and Health page 71 “Evil has no reality. It is neither person, place, nor thing, but is simply a belief, an illusion of material sense.”
Dear Evan and all the dear members of this SpiritView family of seekers of Truth,
I thank you all for this very special SV. It has been like going to my Annual Association and receiving a Spiritual “booster”. I am just so grateful for all of your sharing.