Mary Baker Eddy wrote this insightful article over 120 years ago on how to metaphysically protect oneself from contagion. Its ideas are as relevant today as ever.
CONTAGION
Whatever man sees, feels, or in any way takes cognizance of, must be caught through mind; inasmuch as perception, sensation, and consciousness belong to mind and not to matter. Floating with the popular current of mortal thought without questioning the reliability of its conclusions, we do what others do, believe what others believe, and say what others say. Common consent is contagious, and it makes disease catching.
People believe in infectious and contagious diseases, and that any one is liable to have them under certain predisposing or exciting causes. This mental state prepares one to have any disease whenever there appear the circumstances which he believes produce it. If he believed as sincerely that health is catching when exposed to contact with healthy people, he would catch their state of feeling quite as surely and with better effect than he does the sick man’s.
If only the people would believe that good is more contagious than evil, since God is omnipresence, how much more certain would be the doctor’s success, and the clergyman’s conversion of sinners. And if only the pulpit would encourage faith in God in this direction, and faith in Mind over all other influences governing the receptivity of the body, theology would teach man as David taught: “Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”
The confidence of mankind in contagious disease would thus become beautifully less; and in the same proportion would faith in the power of God to heal and to save mankind increase, until the whole human race would become healthier, holier, happier, and longer lived. A calm, Christian state of mind is a better preventive of contagion than a drug, or than any other possible sanative method; and the “perfect Love” that “casteth out fear” is a sure defense.
~ Miscellaneous Writings, p. 228
Thank you for this Evan. The Board at my branch church were yesterday giving this out to everyone attending the service. Our soloist yesterday, who is not a CS, was asking questions and happily took a copy. I am grateful to now have it in this format as it is easy for me to have it constantly with me.
Great text and very helpfull. Thanks Evan.
What a wonderful article! Thank you Evan, Mrs. Eddy and God.
This is the “icing on the cake” Evan. All you have shared about this illusion and your guiding of thought has been so very helpful, however I would still find myself looking at the latest newspaper articles as well. Then I would quickly refresh my thinking and come back here to SpiritView. Well, no more for me! Here is where I stay. In the arms of Divine Love is where I see all of humanity. Personally, I stay committed to the importance of doing my part. With so very much gratitude, I thank you for steering the ship and I thank all previous travelers on our ship who come here and share their wise thoughts so freely and generously. I thank God, Mary Baker Eddy, and all who practice this Science knowing it is the TRUTH. God Bless us all❣️
Here, here ! “And peace to all the struggling hearts.” I see this as a time to maintain in clear sight, Truth, and welcome the struggle to maintain focus. With JSh Online we have such a wealth of uplifting resources at hand to meet each and every need ! Never before have I felt such gratitude for the shelter of Church, for this community of Spirit View, and for all silent, invisible, workers in each and every nook and cranny of the field. Shalom
This article is clear and helpful. I will add Mrs. Eddy’s directive from Miscellany, “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.”
In my search this morning, I ran across the Christian Science pamphlet, Daily Defense from September 15, 1951. So many wonderful helpful thoughts to share. “No person can accept anothers belief, except it be with the consent of his own belief.” Miscellaneous
Writings, p. 83″. Also marybakereddylibrary.org/research/treatment. I am working with these now on a daily basis along with my other studies. My search is becoming more joyous and fearless. I thank my Father Mother God for all blessings. Praying for our world!
Also very grateful for all that is shared here by Evan and others. It is easy to get swept into a current of thought about disease with all the emails coming into one’s inbox and the news. Love keeping thought full of Truth and Love with the ideas shared here. 🙂
Thank you Kirsten for reposting Evan’s article on yesterdays post! Appreciate it, Shelley
Thank you, Evan, and all. It came to me this morning to pray for all the workers at TMC who are at their jobs bringing all this inspiration to us. JSH, our weekly lessons, our wonderful news source The Christian Science
Monitor. My gratitude is boundless!
Amen and Amen
Love & Profound Gratitude to God, to our Master, to our Leader, to Evan, and to all who share this perfect blessing… Blessings to every one of God’s children .❤️
393:29-30 “Man is never sick, for Mind is not sick and matter cannot be.”
Simple and absolute Truth. I read this in the morning, wrote it on a postit and stuck it in my pocket. Holding the true concept of man in my thought for the world today.
The problem I see with issues like this pandemic Covid-19 is that the message is so strong for the material view that unless you subjugate your view to prescribed belief of this material view, you will be a designated criminal and seen as working against the needs of your community. We must all commit ourselves to the community health, but as Christian Scientist, we can only do that if we approach this situation from a spiritual perspective. Medical science has achieved much and I applaud their successes, but I do not relinquish my faith that spiritual understanding is null and void during these trials. Instead, I have faith in spirit as capable to guide us through our most trying times.
Dear Josef, I understand so weIl what you mean. I have thought a lot about this. I think it is a question of humility, of love for our neighbour and of respect for our authorities to not go against their instructions in situations like this, in order to not add to the general fear. This does not mean that we have to “subjugate our view to prescribed belief of this material view” (I quote you), and that we cannot pray for ourselves, our country and the world. I even feel that to stay at home, for example, as requested by our authorities, here where I live, gives me a bit like a sanctuary for my prayers. I need not fight mentally against all these beliefs and against what is required of me and can pray trustingly and wholeheartedly that divine Love will guide us all (just as you also say in your comment), also the authorities and all the people ‘on the frontline’. Love dissolves the fear and what is called a virus and the divine Truth will heal our thoughts and lives and those of all mankind, even if not acknowledged. Truth will come to light, as it is always the case, sooner or later.
Thanks to all for their comments.
The truth is true. It can never change. It is as true now as it ever was or will be. There is no lie in Truth. No amount of lying can ever make a lie true.
God is Truth, unchanging, perfect, secure, healthy, whole, unburdened. In this atmosphere of Truth and Love, nothing can enter that “defileth or maketh a lie.” We all are safe in God’s allness – our strong tower, as it says in Psalms.
The whole world is embraced in this strong tower, whether aware of it or not.
No amount of restrictions can stop us from feeling free and joyful in our ever-loving Father-Mother God.
No one can be mesmerized into believing a lie. Thank You, dear Father-Mother Love for wrapping us all up in Your warm and loving embrace, for hiding us away from harmful thoughts, for enabling us to sing our way to You, knowing there is nowhere else to be, because You are All. Nobody can be outside of You – and You are a safe zone, all-inclusive. Thank you, Mary Baker Eddy, for teaching us these healing thoughts and demonstrating them, so that we, in turn, can demonstrate them, too.
Thank you Evan and Everyone that shares their thoughts here. As someone that practices Christian Science I’ve often struggled with the concept of being “humanly practical”. It seems impossible right now to avoid hearing people express fear about coming into contact with an “infected person” and describing “precautions” we should take to avoid becoming infected. So today I spent some time thinking about what it is right for me to do as a practicing Christian Scientist in regard to being humanly practical.
In Matthew 4:5-7 is the story about Jesus being tempted by the devil to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. The devil told Jesus that he would not be harmed because of God’s continuous protection. Jesus refused to purposely put himself in harms way as defined humanly, presumably deciding there was no God impelled “purpose” for doing that.
But in Matthew 8 there is the story of Jesus encountering someone with leprosy. Leprosy was considered extremely contagious and lepers were prevented from interacting with other people. But Jesus reached out and lovingly touched the person with leprosy and healed him. Touching a leper would not have been considered humanly practical due to leprosy being considered so contagious, but Jesus must have decided that he needed to do that to express humanly God’s love to this person in order to break the belief of leprosy (show the person it was not real) and Jesus didn’t let “human practicality” prevent him from fulfilling God’s purpose of sharing Christ.
So what did I conclude from this study? I’ve decided as a practicing Christian Scientist, someone that understands God’s laws, I can feel free to do whatever is necessary to fulfill God’s purpose, even if it puts me “at risk” from the perspective of so-called material laws. For example, the company I work for has decided that only people that must go to the office to fulfill their job duties are allowed to go to the office. Today I went in to the office in order to use some equipment I needed to do my job and when my manager heard that, she expressed a lot of fear and questioned me thoroughly about exactly why it was necessary for me to be in the office. It was hard not to let her fear affect me. But after realizing that there is a law of God that prevents us from being harmed from fulfilling God’s purpose, I was freed from that fear. It is God’s purpose that we continue to help others and be productive and when we understand that God’s law is in operation to ensure we are able to fulfill God’s purpose, no other suggestion to the contrary can affect us.
Thank you Brian, very helpful.
Thank you Brian, yes truely helpful!
God’s messenger of Truth and Love, thanks for reassuring the substance of our studies.
The Truth dwells in our thoughts. How many when are confronted with the fear of this general thought going around in mortal mind stand up against it? Stating what must and is being done daily to arrest this evil thought.
Evil is nothing, no thing. Lovingly comfort all the people whom are concerned with the freedom from fear.
Standing firm in His care, sharing what we are given to know, knowing that it is sufficient to solve the challenge facing society today!
Distributing this immunity and immunizing Truth with all today, only a small part of the infinite and supreme authority from the God idea, Christ. “God with us.”
“Peace and joy and power!”
What a comforting lovely foto! Thank you very much, Evan, for the reminder to this article by Mary Baker Eddy from her book Miscellanious Writings.. It is very good and helpful for clearing ones thinking, to study this wonderful article on “contagion”. The only contagion we actually can catch is health, joy and only good qualyties from God and such we also can give to others including animals.
Dear Evan, I am very very grateful for your uplifting, healing and very helpful article in the Christian Science Sentinel of 16th March, which I received today and immediately studied it. Our good God is always with us and guiding us!
Great post and comments. Thank you all. Wonderful Sentinel article on contagion – thank you Evan.
Also appreciate article in Mar 16 sentinel and am
Thankful. You took up the practise. It is assuring to
know we are all praying together to know God’s
Loving. Control of uni verse including man.
Just wanted now to thank you all dear SpiritView friend’s for your inspired comments! 🙂
Also want to mention one wonderful thought and facts out of Evan’s so inspiring article of today”s Sentinel : “If we have God, we have everything!”
Much Love and Gratitude for it!
Returning to SpiritView after being here bright and early. So very grateful to read the comments❣️ Feel happy to have kept my thought clear and to have not looked at one newspaper today.
Thank you so very much Evan.
May we all continue to share with each other and enjoy the blessings that brings to all.
Thank you Susan, since days i do not watch the news and I steadily read all related articles i can get and listen to online lectures and talks. relating to today”s challenge. That is very freeing and comforting and blessing!
Thank you Uta. Love to you❣️
I have printed this out and posted it in a prominent position in our kitchen:
“Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness…”
Psm. 91, 5-6
This we see as a command from God – not just a suggestion!
This keeps coming to me:
In atmosphere of Love divine,
We live, and move, and breathe;
Though mortal eyes may see it not,
‘Tis sense that would deceive.
Hymn No. 144
Yes, excellently stated, Beatrice. Thank you.