What can you do that is helpful when you see another person doing evil things that are destructive and harmful?
One metaphysical step you can take, is to strip that person of any claim to evil power and see God’s dominion at work in his place.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Evil has no reality. It is neither person, place, nor thing, but is simply a belief, an illusion of material sense” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 71).
To the material senses evil seems very real at times, but as Eddy points out, what mortal mind claims to be real and powerful in matter, is not real or powerful in the omnipotence and omnipresence of God. This is what Jesus Christ knew and proved. He faced evil fearlessly and triumphed over every attempt of evil to destroy him. He proved evil powerless. We can do the same!
When we perceive evil to be acting through another person, we can help improve the situation by undoing every claim of evil presented.
For instance, to see clearly that one person cannot control another person. That one person cannot mesmerize other people and cause them to act in an evil way. That evil does not have a mind to influence, coerce, manipulate, or hypnotize people’s attention. Also, that all of God’s children reflect the Mind of God that thinks for itself, acts according to God’s will, is influenced only by spiritual truth, and desires to do what blesses one and all.
In our prayers for peace, we can stay clear that evil is not a mind. It is not a power. It is not an influence. It is not a person. It is not to be feared, but to be unseen with spiritual truth.
God is the one Mind over all, and has the final say on all critical issues. In the omnipotence of God, there is no space for evil to parade as a dangerous person in control. God alone is in control!
Thank you, Evan, for your wonderful inspiration today. A thought that comes to mind from Science and Health page 544 is: “All is under the control of the one Mind, even God”. Thank you and everyone who contributes so much inspiration and ideas to this blog.
What a powerful message you have given us today Evan and so needed with all that is going on around the world at the moment. The picture of the flowers inside the hand grenade is so evocative. I was reminded of hymn 267 which starts:
Our God is All-in-all,
His children cannot fear;
See baseless evil fall,
And know that God is here.
‘evil impersonal’:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/1ca0jrhmvva?s=e
The picture with the rainbow made me
check if rainbow colors are always in the
same order. That are because of the way
the facets of light hit the water droplets.
Yesterday I looked up sunrise and sunset
because a friend said they were caused
by pollution.
I found pure light gives them the most
beauty, not pollution.
The words, light particles dancing came
to thought.
No polluted thinking.
I thought of divine light being
present in everyone, and for us
to recognize in everyone.
I have a couple friends that love
sunrises and sunsets as much as
I do. We find it amazing some
people don’t notice them. Do we
notice good in everyone.
We can nave divine light dancing in
consciousness to remove polluted
thought, and recognize everyone’s
divine identity.
Every day should be a divine
light dancing day.
Thanks Evan.
I just sent a comment and it
disappeared.
I checked if rainbow colors
were always in the same order.
They are because of the way light
particles hit water droplets.
Yesterday I looked up sunrise and
sunset because a friend said they
see caused by pollution
Pure light causes the particles
to shine most beautifully.
The thought came, light particles
dancing.
Divine light in everyone.
Friend and I are amazed
some people don’t see these
heavenly displays.
Do we see divine light in everyone
and everything?
Each day should be a divine
light dancing day.
No pollution in consciousness.
Thanks M. You got me curiously learn more about pollution and sunsets. I found this in an article called ‘The Science Behind Those Picture-Perfect Sunsets,’ on the website of a nature preserve:
“You may have heard that air pollution, dust and even smoke from wildfires far afield can make our sunsets more vivid, but it’s actually the opposite that is true, according to National Geographic. Large particles in the air — be it dust, smoke or pollutants — absorb more light than nitrogen and oxygen, the two most abundant gases in the atmosphere, and they scatter the wavelengths of light mostly equally, which MUTES the color of a sunset.” (reconnectwithnature.org)
Glad to know that beautiful sunsets, which make us feel in awe of God’s universe are not caused by anything toxic (evil). Like you said, “no pollution in consciousness.”
Sorry, meant, curious to learn*, not curiously learn.
Hi M. You can use the acronym “ROY G BIV” to remember the order of colors in a rainbow.
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet
🙂
Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Revelation 19:6)
On page 261 of S and H, Mrs Eddy says…’ Hold thought STEADFASTLY to the enduring , the good and the true etc..’
Thank you Evan for reminding us that it is OUR thought that must maintain the the right perspective on all error that would intrude if given the opportunity. That error should never take hold of person, place or thing as it is NO-THING…… the picture explains it completely as the threat of the grenade bursts into beauty not devastation.
Feel Gods loving arms around you today and always.❣️
Thank you Evan for your wonderful Spiritual view. This is such a great prayer for our dear world ! I like to declare often “man is not a tool for evil “
“…we can help improve the situation by undoing every claim of evil presented.” Such a powerful reminder of our responsibility as Christian Scientists. Thank you.
I do not understand the idea of “stripping power” from a so-called evil ruler. But, when someone appears to be controlled by evil, they are self-deceived and the only one who seems to not know this is them. Everyone else wishes they would stop being ridiculous. Holding up a mirror to them so they can see how ridiculous the behavior, because they are believing it makes them powerful (a false belief), is how I see one points out the sin so it can be destroyed and that person released from believing the illusion/delusion of evil or sin having any power or pleasure in sinning. The sinner is a slave to the sin. Like a little circus monkey doing an act. There is nothing powerful about that. It is 100 percent delusion. The idea that one must conquer a country to obtain some scrap of self-worth – only to find they need more and more because self-worth eludes them. A nightmare that never brings satisfaction. But how to successfully hold the mirror up to them so they awaken and are freed. That is the question. Truth will certainly free them. Love will make them never want to act that way again.
Thank you Kirsten for your thought provoking comment!
One thing I’m trying to do more and more via prayer and demonstration is to see things from a “spiritual paradigm” versus a “material paradigm”. For example, from a “material paradigm” everything is material, material laws govern everything, etc., etc. The material paradigm insists that communication must take place via the material senses. And in that paradigm, to “hold the mirror up to someone” would require communication of some type via the material senses.
But in a spiritual paradigm, we aren’t limited to communication via the material senses. Communication in a spiritual paradigm can happen in all sorts of ways we have yet to completely comprehend. For example, a friend of mine found Christian Science as an adult. She and her husband were both smokers and drinkers. Once she started studying C.S. she lost all interest in smoking and drinking and wished her husband would also, but he continued in those habits. One day she said she was in a car with him and the topic of stopping drinking/smoking was discussed and he exclaimed rather forcefully “I won’t ever stop!” At that moment she said she just saw so clearly what a lie that was about his true nature. She didn’t say a word or mention it again, but she said from that point forward he never again smoked or drank.
In a spiritual paradigm, an “evil ruler” is really just a false belief that evil can be expressed by God’s manifestation. Replacing that false belief in our thought with the truth results in that truth being reflected in our experience. I’m sure you have had experiences like that and so have I.
Here’s a quote from Mrs. Eddy that I love:
I have a work to do that, in the words of our Master, “ye know not of.” From the interior of Africa to the utmost parts of the earth, the sick and the heavenly homesick or hungry hearts are calling on me for help, and I am helping them.
(The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 147:26–30)
RH,
Thank you for your kind comment. I have had experiences like that but I have also had experiences where when casting your pearls before swine they want to trample them and rend you for it. I wish I could see it work 100 percent but not everyone is receptive to it. Although God is in control, not everyone seems to be listening to God all the time. But, maybe that is just human will – God’s will be done and not mine. Jesus perfectly expressed Truth and Love and he was denied and betrayed by two of his own disciples. It is a bit like throwing light (Love) into a black hole. But as Mary Baker Eddy’s says,
“Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear no ill, since God is good, and loss is gain.”
And, the love expressed, although it may never seem to reach that person, always circles around to bless you. And, to focus on just those that deny and betray is to forget about those who are receptive and bloom. Perhaps one’s focus should be on those that are receptive and bloom. Not every flower blooms at the same time or in the same season.
I love the quote from Mary Baker Eddy that you have shared. True purpose and a constant blessing! Life is expressing Truth and Love!
Hi Kirsten – I too have wondered about why, even though Jesus expressed Truth and Love perfectly (as you so eloquently put it), his expression didn’t always result in a “change” of behavior in others. At least as it appeared to the “external observer” (e.g. the people that wrote the gospels and us reading the gospels). Like the examples you mention of his own disciples denying and betraying him. I also once thought “What good does prayer for others do? Jesus expressed Truth and Love perfectly, but that didn’t result in all of the disciples, Pharisees, Romans…all humanity…changing their behavior to also express Truth and Love perfectly like he did.” But after thinking more about that I concluded that prayer for others did help Jesus to see the “perfect man” in the disciples, Pharisees, Romans…all humanity…and when he was able to do that, a) sometimes that changed the other person so that everyone could see that change for the better (i.e. perhaps when the other person was willing to change), but b) it ALWAYS changed things from Jesus’ perspective. Like the time the mob wanted to throw him off the hill and he was able to pass right through them unharmed. Or like after the disciples failed to watch with him he was finally able to say “Sleep on now, and take your rest:” (Matt 26:45).
Mrs. Eddy explains in S&H that atonement is an individual responsibility:
He [Jesus] did life’s work aright not only in justice to himself, but in mercy to mortals, — to show them how to do theirs, but not to do it for them nor to relieve them of a single responsibility.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 18:6–9)
I’m still thinking about these topics and don’t by any means feel I have everything figured out, but I just thought I’d share these additional thoughts with you in case it is helpful to you. And thank you for your comment, as it was helpful to me. But I totally agree with you that even though no outward change may appear in the other person, our prayers to see the other person in their true light does bless us. And that’s a comforting thought, eh? 🙂
RH,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am enjoying the exchange. I don’t have it all figured out either. 😉 Yes, it is comforting. It is the living in an atmosphere of Love.
As you pointed out, Jesus could have healed being denied and betrayed and he could have escaped crucifixion (he knew all these things were going to happen ahead of time). He had escaped from these kinds of circumstances before. So I wonder what the purpose was in allowing the denial, betrayal and crucifixion. Being obedient to God and discovering that what material sense tells you could be fatal is not? (Demonstrating the unreality of death)
Forgiveness? Demonstrating Love is so loving it can forgive the worst of sins because they are not true about God’s children (once sin is seen and forsaken)? (“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34). Isn’t that a perfect demonstration of the unreality of evil? No evil in God and no evil in man (once seen and forsaken). (“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John3:17) Perfect Love. And, if those he demonstrated this to understood, then wouldn’t the Truth set them free from all the material beliefs and labels that mortals so readily apply to one another? Isn’t the cure for humanity to understand just how much God loves them? And to awaken and be freed from sin. And, if they are freed from sin then isn’t that the unreality of evil demonstrated?
John 3:16-21
“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
Evidently when the comments get nested too deeply, there is no longer a “Reply” link for the last comment. So I’m responding to my last comment since that’s the last one I can comment on.
LOL LOL LOL When I read your (Kristen’s) last comment I thought “Geez, I’ve been thinking about EXACTLY this same stuff lately!!! Just like I thought when I read Josef’s comment below. I’d love it of others could weigh in with their thoughts too because I too am enjoying this exchange.
So just last week I wondered “Why did Jesus have to experience such an agonizing experience as the crucifixion? Why couldn’t he have just stayed around forever, healing and preaching. Wouldn’t that have had a more beneficial effect to humanity than the crucifixion. But after thinking more about it, I came to the same conclusions you did (i.e. Jesus example proved to humanity that ANY condition, no matter how severe, can be overcome (can be realized as not true) because not caused by an all good and loving God). And that example is worth way more than him staying around continuing to heal and preach. Plus, for his sake, his personal atonement had to be completed via the ascension.
I remember being struck by reading the Bible and noticing the transformation of the disciples after the resurrection. These disciples that were just “so so” committed to the truth Jesus was demonstrating before the resurrection all of a sudden after Jesus resurrection became TOTALLY committed. I’ve read where most of the disciples human lives ended in horrific ways and I’ve also wondered whether that PROVED for everyone and for all time the truth Jesus preached and demonstrated. In other words, I’ve thought the disciples probably could have escaped the horrific ends they met by simply going into hiding or “again” denying that they were followers of Christ, Truth, but they chose to face the worst scenarios humanly imaginable rather than do that because the resurrection and ascension was so impactful to them…just like it should be to us.
RH,
Agreed. Would love to hear what others think too. To human sense it seems like what happened to them was really violent and horrible but what if that was what they feared most and that was actually a demonstration of overcoming that fear thought/overcoming the unreality of evil and death? We might not see that they overcame it from where we are standing (or what we are understanding) but for them going through the experience, it proved dominion and the unreality of evil and death. If so, the perspective would change from something horribly violent to something beautifully demonstrated. Would you look back and focus on the material violence? Or move forward with gratitude to see the spiritual lesson of dominion and eternal life?
I just realized I reversed the ‘i’ and ‘r’ in the spelling of your name in my last comment. My apologies Kirsten. I intended to spell it correctly. 🙁
RH,
No worries. That has happened before..lol. 😉
Quotes by others:
– There is no evil, for there is no mind apart from God to conceive it, receive it, or believe it. God is infinite good, the one perfect Mind. (Mildred Gammill)
– Give Mind the glory, honor, dominion, and power everlastingly due its holy name. Looking Spirit-ward enables us to move beyond the darkness to realize we’re actually the children of Light. This isn’t something we have to wait for. We are at this point now!
– In reality every detail of creation is OBEDIENT to Mind, the Creator of all things.
– I AM = denotes unchangeableness in presence & power, with no suggestion of time or circumstance. No duality. God reigns forever as ONE – and “there is none else”. The great “I AM” fills all space and is all-inclusive.
– For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. (I Corth. 14:33)
Mystery, miracle, sin, and death will disappear when it becomes fairly understood that the divine Mind controls man and man has no Mind but God.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 319:17)
thank you, Evan. The thought came to me after reading a portion of this week’s bible lesson that we must allow the spirit to come into our lives to take away the belief in only a material existence which could be independent of a creator whose origin is wholly spiritual and whose authority is divine.
Thank you Evan, great post, as usuel.
Josef, I love this idea of allowing ( even welcoming) the Spirit into our lives, thank you.
Hi Josef…I got that same “thought” reading the lesson this week! I’ve started trying to expand my study of the Bible, when reading the Bible Lesson, by trying to read more of the Bible both before and after a specific citation that is in the lesson. This week Bible citation 18 made me want to read more of Romans 8. So I went to biblegateway.com and read all of Romans 8 in different translations (e.g. KJV, The Message, JB Phillips, etc.). I like the JB Phillips translation (specifically Romans 8:9-11) and below is a link in case others want to read the entire chapter. After reading Romans 8, I read Romans 7 to give me a little more context on what Paul meant by “the law”, so I’d recommend that too. Then I read Romans 9 and 10. 🙂
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208&version=PHILLIPS
Back in college I was approached by an Evangelical Christian who asked me if I wanted to be saved. I asked him “What does that entail?” and he replied that I needed to “accept Jesus into my life as my personal Lord and Savior” or something to that effect. He then asked me if I would like him to perform a born again conversion with me and I said “okay” because I was curious to learn more about his religion. It’s been a long time ago so I don’t remember exactly what he said but after he was done he asked me if I felt different and I’m sure I disappointed him by replying “No, not really.” My grandmother also used to watch Billy Graham on TV and at the end of his sermon he would invite people down to the stage to accept Jesus as their personal savior and be born again. So now these many years later, reading Romans 8 has made me understand why other religions believe in this “born again” conversion. And I hope nobody feels in reading this that I am being critical of these other religions because I am NOT. I deeply respect the right of freedom of religion and feel there is some good in all religions, so I’m in no way intending to be negative/critical by relaying this. In fact it makes me realize the importance of how we, as Josef stated it, “allow the spirit to come into our lives”.
Thank you Matine and RH for your wonderful comments. RH, I didn’t get anything negative about other religions from you comments, I did enjoy reading your attachments.
As we see world leaders and immoral power toppling around the world, we can be unimpressed by any sense of chaos, knowing that mud is stirred up only to be washed away. I love that you addressed this issue, thank you Evan. As all these comments confirm, all is well, and as students of CS, we have an important role to play in knowing this.
In Miscellany Mary Baker Eddy says “This time-world flutters in my thought as an unreal shadow, and I can only solace the sore ills of mankind by a lively battle with “the world, the flesh, and the devil,” in which Love is the liberator and gives man the victory over himself.”
As we open our hearts and minds to divine Love and rise higher in spiritual consciousness, the modes, forms and obnoxious evils that appear to the material senses are seen to be unreal assassins,- delusions without any identity as person, place or thing.
What comes to mind is the account of Mrs. Eddy being led to visit the prison cell of an incarcerated inmate. A few words to him,- one touch of her pure thought, brought tears, repentance and reform to the man.
Thank you Evan for the reminders of how penetrating and world changing our prayers can be.
Oh! Dear brothers and sisters of SpiritView, what an unbelievably marvelous day this is! Evan started us off with the exquisite graphic of a hand grenade exploding into a flowering rainbow, leading us into our conversation about rainbows and light, onward & upward into this wonderful exploration of God~ we are searching, touring & exploring Infinity together!
This is an unspeakably profound conversation
So much thought and wonder and Love
I have had many blessings .& healing thoughts as a result – an earlier feeling of resentment & lack vanished!
Thank you ALL-in-all
This is such a wonderful topic and so important to understand today when evil seems to be very aggressive at times. I found the recent journal article titled Freedom from Human Willpower by Janet Clements really helps address this problem. In the article she brings out the idea that human willpower attempts to persecute, marginalize or dominate others. This is seen in wars and conflict in government and individuals. But all is actually under the divine control of God who is actively embracing all of His creation. Seeing that man is actually under the control of God and that evil is not his mind but a suggestion of a power apart from God, we can refute the lie as no part of any individual. In her article she illustrates this by sharing how a woman stopped a rapist in his tracks by knowing that this mortal willpower was not his thinking or hers as all was under the divine will of God which is good. We don’t have to wait for the other person to wake up and accept the Truth- they already are the pure and sinless child of God. Evil is the lie and liar and we have the tools and power to disarm it by claiming God to be all power and ever- present!
What a fun and awesome exchange of thoughts…love each and every comment, and have learned a lot! Thank you! 🙂
Could anybody please give us the link to the article “Freedom from Human Willpower” by Janet Clements, which CB mentions up here, so that we all can read and enjoy this article.
I would be very grateful for it ! 🙂
Here is the link:
Freedom from human willpower
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/7d6htcmmgq?s
Wow wonderful, thanks very much for the link dear RH !♡
My pleasure dear Uta!
I am so very grateful for Evan`s today`s SpiritView – I have no words to add to all wonderfully inspiring comments from all the SpiritView Friends up here. Dear Evan your SV is so immensely helpful and deepening my understanding, so as all the wonderful comments are doing today, thanks all very much! :=)
See, Everyone: the (aggressive) illusion of evil-trying-to-divide-mankind into warring factions, political sides, social issues, etc etc…is proven just that! There really is just One Mind, and we all reflect that Mind, IN ABSOLUTE ever-present Fact, no matter what seeeems!!! The truth is appearing, ever-appearing, will continue to appear, forever. How grand that we, through the blessing of this divine Science, can witness, and reflect Truth, the truth of being! If glimpses are all we have, at this point, hooray for the glimpses!!!!!!
Thanks for the open, thoughtful sharing, All!
:<))))
RH thanks so much for those translations of Romans. Many years ago, before the existence of the Full Text Quarterly, I used to read the lesson from my books. I had metal markers and used blue chalk to mark the citations. From this I was able to read what preceded or followed an interesting citation.
Lory, I still mark my books with blue chalk and und I too use metal markers. On the one hand I can read more verses to understand it a bit better and on the other hand the Quarterly is cheaper than the full text edition .♡
What a WONDERFUL and inspiring conversation with our SV family – instigated by dear Evan – this really is the “ heart of the matter “- the perception and destruction of the claims of sinful material sense in our own consciousness and therefore in the world . Reading and loving this thread , each time more and more inspired ideas unfolded – I wanted to jump in and comment – only to then find exactly that idea beautifully presented by the next post ! There truly is only one Mind !!!
What a total treatment for the mesmeric FALSE beliefs of mortal mind’s claims of personified evil —
“the personification of evil is the god of this world “ S&H p 103
Thank you dear Evan and thank you fellow SV warriors ❤️