The Freedom of Failure

Failure can be disappointing, but only because we have the blinders of human life on and can’t see the bigger picture. When I was a member of a religious organization, I truly wanted to share the love of God and spiritual understanding with others, and believed it was best done through the ranking set up within the church institution. So, I applied, twice, to become a teacher of Christian Science, but was not approved of. I looked like a failure. Astonishingly, I didn’t break down and cry. In fact, there was an inner confidence that I was supposed to learn something through the experience. But it took me years to see freedom instead of failure.

When the public demand for a revision of Mary Baker Eddy’s book, Science and Health was admitted as valid, I did some preliminary research and discovered people who I believed to be qualified to do the revision work, were either opposed or averse to the idea. The leaders of the religious institution that outwardly backs Science and Health exhibited the hard lined attitude similar to a Greek fable about a hound that refuses to let an ox eat a bale of hay, even though the dog can’t eat it himself with the attitude that “If I do not do it, then let no one do it.”

But, I revised Science and Health out of appreciation for the ideas in the book and necessity. Language changes.

During the revision process I naturally noted many ideas in Science and Health pronouncing the importance of sharing spirituality, not in order to promote a religious organization, but to advance the science of Love and Truth. “A special privilege is commissioned in the ministry. How will it be used? The privilege should be used sacredly in the interests of humanity, not of sect.”

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures was not revised because of human disapproval or approval. The work was done from the heart, in gratitude for Mind healing as taught by Mary Baker Eddy.  I read in Science and Health, “Love of spirituality, rather than love of popularity, should stimulate work and progress.” More progress is yet to be made and the hard work will continue, but in this case, I see how failure could be seen as a freedom to move forward without the blinders of one sect’s ideology.

Updated November 2021

Click here for sixth edition of 21st Century Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: A modern version of Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health

21st Century Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

Reason and Spiritual Revelation

Divine Science is a metaphysical system of spiritual healing, the concurrence of reason and revelation. Logical reasoning supersedes the reactions of emotions and superstitions. Revelation interplays by releasing the human reasoning from sense and flux and advancing consciousness to a level of reality connected to ongoing wellbeing, both mental and physical.

Although language is not equipped to deal with a reality that lay beyond human concepts and reason, concepts and reason are not denied, but used scientifically to prepare the mind to receive a revelation, such as the revelation that health is a state of mind, not matter.

A spiritual revelation is not to be confused with a human revelation. A disclosed tidbit of interesting history, or piece of gossip, is not a spiritual revelation, but human knowledge remembered.

A spiritual revelation stays connected to reason. For example, the paradigm shift that causes us to seek health in consciousness, rather than in matter, is effective only as decisions are based on common sense. We will be savvy. Savvy, as to proper food and exercise, has a presence. Even the ascetic 4^th century monk, St. Onuphrius, who lived on one date and spring water every day, for 70 years, used common sense. He wasn’t out digging ditches during the day.

The consciousness of harmony is reached as reason and revelation agree.

Rabbi says God is a Verb

I am reading the book, God is a Verb, by Rabbi David A. Cooper, and was struck when he asked whether or not we are listening to the inner voice that asks, Is this real? Or, what are my priorities in life? Cooper’s thoughts include:

“The nervousness and breathlessness that accompany our constant need for more time have fed an illness of epidemic proportion during the last half of the twentieth century. Not many people yet realize the severity of this affliction. I used to refer to it as the “time demon,” but now the world has become infected with what I call TDS, pronounced “tedious,” which stands for Time Deficiency Syndrome.

“A major symptom of this disease is a distorted sense of priority. Whenever work encroaches upon personal relationships and the relationships take a backseat, this is TDS. Tens of millions of marriages and family relations suffer because so many people have their priorities confused.

“Another symptom is the dependency on the “quick fix.” Pharmaceutical companies have become rich because we seek instant relief for aching bodies and depressed minds. It is far simpler to take a painkiller than to work with the stress causing the disease.

“One of the more important secrets of mystical teaching is hidden in our desire to connect with the Divine…But the urge to be with the Divine is not sufficient.”

Rabbi Cooper proceeded to clarify the need to involve ourselves in activities that heal, that minimize self-destructive activities and re-prioritize our life.

Cooper’s book holds some interesting ideas. Although it seems to go off on tangents every now and then, I’ll keep reading it. In the meantime, my new book is out Marriage: Sink or Swim, click below on the book cover for availability.

Marriage: Sink or Swim, now available

Free Download of 4th Edition Chapter from Science and Health

The 4th edition of 21st Century Science and Health is in the works. You can download and check out the chapter titled: Some Misconceptions Debunked by clicking below. Have a great week!

Some Misconceptions Debunked, 4th edition

Religion and Science Evolve in Excellence

Religion had a way, often unscrupulously, of dominating over science until the 19^th century, when the general populace had a mental growth spurt, no longer fitting into the automatic acceptance of canon handed down by a church coterie. People adapted to the idea of thinking for themselves, of research and discovery. Coincidentally, research and discovery expanded the human ability to develop refined ideas and put them into practice through the sciences. Paradoxically, the sciences became a domineering force in the 20^th century, but not without generating the same problems religion generated. Basically, neither religion nor science can tout supremacy because they both are in constant flux and inextricably bound to the evolution process.

Granted, the evolution process involves extinction, however, neither religion nor science will become extinct before the false convictions they propagate are extinguished; number one falsity being that religion or science is the source of truth, they aren’t. Religion and science are venues in search of truth.

Religion and science play a role in developing public opinion, but when the core value of evolving in excellence is neglected, temptations set in. Both are guilty of interpreting data to confirm presuppositions and biases, of stockpiling knowledge that has no practical application, and of spawning new complex moral, ethical, and scientific problems for every answer they come up with. Even though they both can claim past successes, religion and science need to live in the now and deal with today’s issues. Religion and science are not responsible “for” humanity, but are to be responsible “to” humanity.

As excellence in religion and science evolves, these venues will be found to be mutually reinforcing. Whether it is a leap in faith, or an educated leap in faith, that leads to the discovery of new ideas, the commitment to the core value of excellence in research, intent, healthy skepticism, and ongoing inquiry will ensure those ideas are implemented to benefit humanity.