Read Science and Health with an open mind

December 11, 2019 | 46 comments

Pin

A gentleman told me that he was reading Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, but found several statements contradictory. He liked what he read overall but was having a hard time reconciling some of the statements with each other.

To help him get more out of the book, I used an analogy which I felt he would understand.

I said, “Reading Science and Health, and understanding what it has to say, is like listening to your wife, and understanding what she has to say.”

I asked, “Was there ever a time when your wife was trying to explain something to you, but you weren’t getting it? You weren’t discerning what she was saying because your thought was blocked with preconceptions, prejudgments, or opinions of your own that were getting in the way of understanding her message?”

I continued, “Reading Science and Health can be the same way. Its message makes sense when “you hear it,” but to understand the teaching its helpful to drop preconceptions, judgments and opinions. Be open to a new perspective that may be different than you’ve entertained, but still make perfect sense, when understood.

The message of Science and Health is that way. It offers a radical view of reality that sounds foreign to many people. But when understood, it makes sense.

If you are about to read the book, try dropping all preconceptions about what you expect to find, and let it speak to you. Let its voice be heard without prejudgment. It’s powerful and healing message is likely to get through much easier.

46 thoughts on “Read Science and Health with an open mind”

  1. What I find difficult is that mortal mind seems to be the cause of all negativity although it doesn’t exist in the first place. I am open minded but still don ‘t get it?

    1. Once I was in terrible mental turbulence. As I gripped these words on page 469 of Science and Health and let their truth sink in, the turbulence evaporated. I was not only at peace, but a peacefulness filled with wisdom, tenderness and purity:
      “… Mind is God. The exterminator of error [mortal mind] is the great truth that God, good, is the ONLY Mind, and that the supposititious opposite of infinite Mind — called devil or evil [negativity] — is not Mind, is not Truth, but error, without intelligence or reality. There can be but one Mind, because there is but one God; and if mortals claimed no other Mind and accepted no other, sin would be unknown.” If the thought focus is on the shadow negativity its existence will seem to be cause/effect.–i.e. confusion. Let the thought focus be on this truth, and the light of spiritual understanding pours in. See also (SH 346:9–13).

    2. Hi Peter, In the Merriam-Webster online dictionary I found “logic” to be defined as “the science of the formal principles of reasoning”. In logic there is a concept called “negation” that if applied to a true statement results in a false statement. Therefore, no matter what true statement you give me, I can apply negation to it to create a false statement. For example, if you say “fire is hot” I can use negation to say “fire is not hot” (and state that negation in a variety of different ways such as “fire is cold”, etc.). But just because logical negation can be used to generate false statements from truth does not give the false statements “reality”. A negation is just the opposite of truth and therefore describes something that is not true or doesn’t really exist. But that doesn’t keep people from talking about negations as if they are real or believing negations to the extent that they seem to experience a negation as if it is real. All that needs to be done to stop believing a negation is a) realize the negation is not true and b) realize the truth (the opposite of the negation).

      1. Brian — thank you so very much for sharing this approach… was unfamiliar with it and it clarifies so much for me. Excellent!

    3. I became first reader in my church. I used to practice it 10 times before Sunday, and 7-8 before Wednesday. I found that by the time I read it I understood it. And the congregation hears that. So does the reader. Now I understand everything in it. And I found that when I read other things about divine law that I did not know, I then find it in Science and Health. It is an amazing book. I am first reader again, and still learning although now I only practice about 5 times, because I understand it and read it that way.

    4. The wrong answer to a math problem doesn’t exist either. But while we are working to find the correct answer we may stumble through several wrong answers. Trust me!!! I wasn’t the greatest math student!! To me, finding the Truth of being is similar. What is it that causes me to get a non existent answer to a math problem? It’s a mistake!!!!! This is just my simple view of the answer to your question. It is good not to get too tied up with questioning things like that and to spend time learning more about the Truth. It’s like the centipede who started wondering which foot should come first and second and so forth. He got to the place where he was so concerned about which foot should come first as he was walking that he lost his ability to walk. I have found over my 60 years studying Christian Science that it is better to spend time with the truth and don’t get sidetracked by worrying about error’s claims. That’s just me but I hope it helps!!

      When Satan confronted Jesus with questions, Jesus said, get the behind me Satan. He didn’t waste time arguing about theory.

  2. Ray Pelletier, a top 800 American Speaker gave this analogy when I heard him speaking in 1994 in Kobe, Japan. If you were shopping in a supermarket and your trolley was full of things that you needed, but just as you were going to pay you saw a shelf containing items that were abhorrent to you, would you suddenly just leave the store, leaving everything in the trolley. He said life is about taking the balance of understanding, and moving on from there. It’s like in the Bible, – some of the Old Testament is gruesome, but this should not detract from the beautiful wisdom and inspiration contained therein. Genesis 1 contradicts Genesis 2. We stand back and glean what we are ready to harvest. Be confident for the fields are white already, (see John 4:35) and progress is the law of God (S&H 233:6) .

  3. Peter, it might help to think of it this way:
    A weed cannot grow without sunlight & water.
    Nor can a negative thought become real unless we feed it with our attention.
    When we feed a negative thought with our attention and belief, it becomes our reality. That mortal-mind-thought becomes emboldened and puts on a spectacular show.
    But just like an actor playing a role, if the audience doesn’t show up, the actor takes off his costume and goes home.
    This is how it is with mortal mind.
    Mortal mind is the character being portrayed.
    Wrong thoughts are the lines s/he delivers.
    If we latch on to those words with our attention – like an audience gasping or applauding or booing etc, the play goes on.
    But if, instead, we ignore the performance, it disappears into its native nothingness, just as the portrayed character disappears when the actor goes home.

    1. Not giving the limited thoughts attention does not explain where they come from! I read that I should not take them personally but they appear in my mind which is they only mind there is..? Jesus said in ACourse in Miracles “the thoughts you think you think”. That seems to be the same topic. Clearance would be wonderful.

      1. Dear Peter, what was helpful for me, when these questions came up, was this:
        “The dream has no reality, no intelligence, no mind; therefore the dreamer and the dream are one, for neither is true nor real.” (Science and Health, p. 530: 26-29)
        Maybe, this speaks to you, too?

    2. Thank you, Rob. “When we feed a negative thought with our attention and belief, it becomes our reality. That mortal-mind-thought becomes emboldened and puts on a spectacular show.” So true! and very helpful on many levels.

  4. I learned this as a child. I do not know the author.

    “Last night while standing on the stair,
    I saw a man who wasn’t there.
    He wasn’t there again today,
    My how I wish he’d go away.”

    I’ve shared with friends when things in their experience needed a glimpse of clarity.

    1. I remember that ! And I too have used the idea in prayer. I find that if I am in turmoil or fear, picking up the Bible or Science and Health is very helpful, either looking for something specific or just opening either at random. Someone shared another idea that has also been humbling and helpful. My friend said that when she was struggling with some issue, she picked up any biography of Mrs. Eddy and opened it at random. Mrs. Eddy’s way of the problem her whole approach to the difficulty, was always inspiring. I have also found that to be true.

  5. On page 349 Mrs. Eddy says “the chief difficulty in conveying the teachings of divine Science accurately to human thought lies in this, that like all other languages, English is inadequate to the expression of spiritual conceptions and propositions, because one is obliged to use materials terms in dealing with spiritual ideas.
    I find that statement helpful and trust that it’s God that is doing the doing. Our understanding comes straight from Him.

  6. All these comments are so helpful to me this morning. Thank you all ! Sometimes I’ve been reading by rote words over and over and then all of a sudden, it just clicks what the true meaning is…. an Aha!! moment, if you will…where I Believed, but it just never really made as much sense and with true clarity.

  7. I think sometimes when I read the textbook, I get the letter. But when I read the Christian Science Hymnal, our prayer book, I get the spirit. Then the letter becomes more real to me as my thought is calmer, and more relaxed to hear God speaking to me.

  8. Here’s what Mrs. Eddy has to say about it:
    It is sometimes said, in criticising Christian Science,
    that the mind which contradicts itself neither knows
    12 itself nor what it is saying. It is indeed no Contradictions
    small matter to know one’s self; but in this not found
    volume of mine there are no contradictory
    15 statements, — at least none which are apparent to those
    who understand its propositions well enough to pass
    judgment upon them. One who understands Christian
    18 Science can heal the sick on the divine Principle of Chris-
    tian Science, and this practical proof is the only feasible
    evidence that one does understand this Science.

  9. I so appreciate all the thoughts and helpful comments to Evan’s inspiring post. I also find great comfort in the beautiful hymns and poems by MBE. Susan, I enjoy the Hymnstream.com website almost daily. (Here is a link in case you have not yet discovered this wonderful resource… It is free, though there is a link where you can donate to keep it going.) Thank you all again for the great insights on every topic. You are such blessings all year through.
    https://www.hymnstream.com/

    1. Thank you so much Liza for this utmost lovely hymnstream. I enjoyed it very much indeed! And I will listen to it often in this pre Christmastime.

  10. “As one would expect, scientific Christianity has a text book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. Don’t read it to fight it. Read it with the thought that if there is any good in it for you, you will see it. There will be lots that you don’t understand at first, but don’t let that upset you. Just accept the little things that you can understand and agree with, and be grateful for them. The difficult things will explain themselves later.”
    ~ Geith Plimmer, CSB.

    1. Thank you Shireen for this very helpful quote from Geith Plimmer. I had the pleasure of meeting him when he was speaking at a UK youth conference in the 70s. He was a very inspirational speaker.

  11. A wise Christian Scientist clued me in as to how to approach Science and Health. On pages 115=116 are the translations of immortal Mind and the 3 degrees of mortal mind. To immortal sense mortal mind doesn’t exist, is a lie, Animal Magnetism. To mortal sense, mortal mind and all its so-called manufacturings are real to at least some degree. As we progress in our understanding of Science, we translate from the First Degree to the Second Degree to the Third Degree and finally at some point here, or most certainly hereafter, to immortal Mind in our understanding and demonstrations. Each statement in Science and Health is aimed at the thought associated with one of those degrees. A statement speaking to First Degree thought, for example, will likely seem contradictory compared to a statement speaking to the Third Degree. So a 2-year study of Science and Health from this perspective was commenced using a study edition and some colored highlighters — a separate color for each degree. As I read, I carefully considered to which degree each paragraph or statement was speaking and highlighted it with the color associated with that degree. When I did this, Science and Health started to make sense.

    This was done many years ago and the study opened the door, so to speak, to a flood of ever-increasing understanding of this Science which continues to this day.

  12. Here’s what has helped me understand where the concept of mortal mind came from and that mortal mind is not a thing or person. i was walking my dog and praying deeply about this line from S&H ” Evil has no reality. It is neither person, place, nor thing, but is simply a belief, an illusion of material sense.”(SH 71:2). I was asking God to show me how this could be true since I could think of evil people, and places and things. How can Mrs. Eddy say that evil has no reality? My dog and I passed a farmer’s field that had a ditch by the road…in the ditch someone had thrown a vacuum hose maybe 4″ wide that was shaking a little in the breeze. As we passed, my dog skidded to a halt and refused to go forward. When I looked at her, I started laughing because she thought that the hose was a dangerous snake. I said to her “Come on, it’s nothing, it’s nothing!” We made a semi-circle around the hose and kept walking. Then I saw that God had answered my question. To my dog’s lower sense the evil was real. To my higher sense it was nothing….and came from no where. This has helped me face evil (mortal thought) in my own life…. knowing that when faced with sickness or sinful incidents I need to gain a higher sense of identity and perception . I get that higher sense from divine Love showing me that my real state of being is knowing His love. I believe that God loves each one of us so much, that He is our life. I can gain a higher sense of myself and others by starting with His care and trusting in His goodness., always starting with the glory of infinite Mind, instead of a lower sense of my own false beliefs.

  13. I was talking to someone a few years ago that pointed out how the Bible is contradictory and used the “two stories of creation” in Genesis as an example. It occurred to me that when receiving instruction in anything, be it tennis, cooking, etc., a good instructor will teach both a) what is correct AND b) what is incorrect. For example, a tennis instructor might say a) “grip your racket so that your arm is parallel to the racket like this” [insert demonstration here] and then go on to say b) “don’t grip your racket so that your hand/arm is perpendicular to the racket” [insert demonstration here]. If you weren’t listening closely, however, you might mistakenly assume the instructor just told you two contradictory ways to hold the racket, when in fact they were explaining what is correct and what is incorrect. The two stories of creation in Genesis are the correct and incorrect or the “real” and “unreal”, and Mrs. Eddy uses this same technique in S&H, but we need to be alert when reading to ensure we realize which view of creation is being described.

    The following statement from S&H (pg 252:7-14) was in the last Bible lesson on Unreality:

    “When false human beliefs learn even a little of their own falsity, they begin to disappear. A knowledge of error and of its operations must precede that understanding of Truth which destroys error, until the entire mortal, material error finally disappears, and the eternal verity, man created by and of Spirit, is understood and recognized as the true likeness of his Maker.”

    This statement made me realize how important it is to understand what is believed about the false view of creation (the Adam dream) as it is to understand God and God’s idea. By understanding what is incorrect (unreality) we won’t be tricked into mistakenly accepting the false view of creation as the true idea of creation. And pointing out the false view often helps us get a clearer view of what IS correct (reality).

  14. I was reading the Lesson on a plane trip recently and when I finished I stuck the Quarterly in the seat-back pocket ahead of me . Maybe half an hour later the lady next to me asked what i’d Been reading. She pointed to the pocket. I explained that it was religious, but told her she was welcome to read it . She gladly agreed, and was quite absorbed in it for some time. I was praying that God was speaking to her in whatever way she needed to hear His message. She asked me if there was a denomination connected with the Quarterly. I replied that it was Christian Science and asked if she had ever heard of it. “Oh yes, “ she said. Her grandparents were 7th Day Adventist missionaries in Mexico. She later asked me about the son born to the Shunemite woman — what was his name , she wanted to know. I didn’t think his name was recorded, but told her about the rest of that story. Still later she pointed out a sentence in Science and Health that had impressed her. It was one I had also circled as meaningful.
    This experience is one of several such conversations i’ve had with strangers in planes. Some of the “millions of unprejudiced minds” MBE describes. I hope it’s a prelude to her discovering more about CS in other contexts. It didn’t seem to be the right time to to vigorously promote Science. I let her ask the questions and just tried to answer them honestly.

  15. I was reading the Lesson on a plane trip recently and when I finished I stuck the Quarterly in the seat-back pocket ahead of me . Maybe half an hour later the lady next to me asked what i’d Been reading. She pointed to the pocket. I explained that it was religious, but told her she was welcome to read it . She gladly agreed, and was quite absorbed in it for some time. I was praying that God was speaking to her in whatever way she needed to hear His message. She asked me if there was a denomination connected with the Quarterly. I replied that it was Christian Science and asked if she had ever heard of it. “Oh yes, “ she said. Her grandparents were 7th Day Adventist missionaries in Mexico. She later asked me about the son born to the Shunemite woman — what was his name , she wanted to know. I didn’t think his name was recorded, but told her about the rest of that story. Still later she pointed out a sentence in Science and Health that had impressed her. It was one I had also circled as meaningful.
    This experience is one of several such conversations i’ve had with strangers in planes. Some of the “millions of unprejudiced minds” MBE describes. I hope it’s a prelude to her discovering more about CS in other contexts. It didn’t seem to be the right time to to vigorously promote Science. I let her ask the questions and just tried to answer them honestly.

  16. Blessings to all of the above contributors, I am profoundly grateful. Last evening, my nephew (who lives across the country from me), considering a move and a possible new relationship, and marriage, called to ask me about relying on Christian Science.
    He grew up observing his grandmother who lived and loved Christian Science, but his own mother had not immersed him in Christian Science.
    Last night he was investigating what he knew from his grandmother, and asked many questions about what course he might take, as he moved house, and pursued marriage.
    The phone call alerted me to seekers who may want to understand Christian Science and this morning SPIRIT VIEW provided new paths of ways to understand “Science and Health.” Joy to all, LIVE TO LOVE!

  17. What an inspiring and informative conversation on Spiritview today! Thanks, Peter, and all for your honest sincere questions and comments, seeking a deeper understanding of God. I find it helpful to consider deeply that there is only one Mind, God. Actually, God thinks me and everyone. I/We don’t think independently of God, Mind. So where does negativity or the concept of a mortal mind fit it? Mortal mind is not a cause, but simply a “suggestion” that there is another mind. When confronted with suggestion, one is forced almost on a moment by moment basis, to question ….”What is the basis of the thought? Is it the divine Mind speaking or is it suggestion?” Isn’t this what all of us are doing on a daily basis! We must have great patience with ourselves as we strive, step by step, to truly understand and love God, feeling His, Her presence guiding each one in our journey.

  18. Mrs Eddy, in her book Science and Health, speaks of a comparison of the dreams we experience when asleep and the waking dream that we accept as our daily lives and asks if there is any more reality in the in the waking dream than in the sleeping dream? She answers the question by stating that there cannot be. This comparison of dreams is important because if we did not have the experience of the sleeping dream what basis would we have to question the apparent reality of our daily lives as material beings, with all its manifestation of evil, sorrow and imperfection, – it would certainly be much more difficult.
    Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God, or Heaven, as being within us, within consciousness.
    When trying to imagine what it would be like to experience the Kingdom of Heaven, it seems to me that an experience without challenges would not be interesting or very rewarding. Work is necessary for human happiness. Although we may not like our present job, everyone naturally knows that the idea of work, bringing order to disorder is rewarding, satisfying and necessary to a healthy sense of ourselves. What if you were led into a concert hall, placed in front of a grand piano and told that the thousands in the audience were ready to hear you play, while you thought that you knew nothing about playing the piano – that would be terrifying, the stuff of nightmares. Or placed in front of a whiteboard at a mathematical conference and asked to lecture on some arcane topic when you thought of yourself as having struggled with Algebra I? Another nightmare.
    However, those that have worked to attain proficiency do not panic when faced with the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery. The same can be stated regarding health or any of the problems of so called daily life. It is our consistent work toward the goal of bringing order and harmony to every aspect of our experience that brings to us the Kingdom of Heaven.

  19. Many thanks to all for your thoughtful comments. The first few times I read Science and Health through from cover to cover, I had an extremely difficult time getting through the last chapter, “Fruitage.” Sometimes I’d just overlook it as I found it so discouraging. I was a life long Christian Scientist unable to demonstrate the healings I so dearly needed. Then at some point when I reached that chapter I firmly held in thought I would just express gratitude for each and every testimony without making any comparisons. What a dramatic difference that made! I can now sincerely share the joy and gratitude of each testimony in the periodicals, church and personal contacts.

  20. Thank you a lot for your loved SpiritView of today and always. I love our textbook by MBE very much. And I ask my Father-Mother God to give me the right inspired understanding for it. What you said in your last Vlog is so comforting, namely if we ask God aright for spiritual understanding, He loves to give it to us – that is so lovely, thanks Evan!

  21. So much glorious food for thought today and always. Thank you all SV commenters Each and every day for sharing your thoughts and experiences. And thank you Evan for all of the sharing that you do!

  22. In the old testament God seems pretty mean sometimes , science and health does contain contradictive statements, some practitioners will argue that God knows nothing of our life here on Earth , others say he is aware of the smallest details, no one has ever been able to answer this, this has puzzled me for years , can anyone answer this ?

    1. What you find in the old testament is correct, which is why one must always read the Bible with an inspired perspective and understanding of God as Jesus Christ taught God. What you find in the Bible, from beginning to end, is a growing understanding of God as Love. This understanding was lacking in many ways in the “early days,” as described in the old testament. God was still seen in human ways, often, as a god of good and bad. But Jesus Christ came to save humanity from that incorrect view, and teach God as pure Love. His teaching transcends the old testament.

      When one reads Science and Health from through the eyes of Truth, seeing God, Spirit as all, every statement makes sense. If one reads Science and Health in the belief that evil and matter are real, it appears contradictory. It’s the point of view that makes all the difference.

        1. wow what a wonderful, clear and inspired response dear Evan. Thank you, thank you for this magistraly response for the blog that I follow daily.

  23. I think Science and Health is so absolute and advanced that we grasp small portions of it As we truly seek the Truth. Our hearts need to be ready for it. I am a lifelong Christian Scientist and I am learning and growing all the time. I also I’m serving as second reader and find that as I read and ponder the meaning of the lesson I gain new insights and understanding that weren’t visible before. The Bible says “ knock and it shall be opened to you” I think if one is honest in seeking Truth and is willing to listen then the light will come. even Mrs. Eddy was studying and growing in her understanding of Science and Health. “ I also love the statement , “ Truth has a healing effect even when not fully understood”.

  24. Mr. Eddy says that God is only good, that He is what the 7 synonyms say. And there is no error in them.
    So the Bible says that God made man in His image and likeness, and He saw that it is very good what He made. We should see us spiritually, so as God made us – very good – and then you see that man ìs the pure, healthy and joyful expression , in principle also only good. And I understand that God cannot know error because He is the everpresent, all encompassing, almighty Good!
    Bill, hope that helps you a bit.
    With Love

  25. Bill, reason it out: God is omnipresent; omnipotent; omniscient. Therefore, an omniscient God is all knowing. This living God is spiritual, omnipresent – filling all space (in Him we live & move & have our being). As I’ve read in a periodical, we can no more get out of God’s omnipresence than the earth can get out of its atmosphere.
    But what this omnipresent omniscient God is knowing
    Is not anything the 5 senses or the body are indicating, or “details here on earth”
    But rather, starting your prayer with God, Spirit, we must worship him/her in Spirit & in Truth. God is & knows the Truth, the spiritual reality. And we must strive to companion w/this Truth, w/Love & reverence.

Leave a Reply to Linda, Cheshire, UK Cancel reply

Keep the conversation going! Your email address will not be published.

*