Healing Our Concept of Man

In the definition of Adam in the Glossary of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the author states in part that Adam is a “material belief”.

What is the material belief here? The belief that man (used here as defining all mankind) has ever been separated from God; that man has ever been anything but God’s spiritual, perfect creation, His image and likeness.

So often it is these two concepts that need healing – our concept of who or what God is and what man is.

I’ve helped to see through a couple healings recently by using the definition of man on page 475 of the book previously mentioned. This definition starts out by saying what man is not and proceeds to say what is. The definition proceeds in this denial and affirming method.

We must realize that there never has been an imperfect man. Therefore we can not accept any lie that is whispered into our thought by error or the carnal mind as the Bible calls it about our imperfection, inability, or limitation. We can see ourselves and know ourselves only as God sees and knows us since He created us.

And then we take it another step and see and know everyone around us as that perfect man. My teacher once told me that if we are seeing or accepting something imperfect about someone else we are automatically accepted it for ourselves. Because that person is God’s creation just as we are.

Further in this definition of man it is stated:

Jesus beheld in Science the per‐
fect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal
man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour
saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man
healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom
of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy.
Man is not a material habitation for Soul; he is himself
spiritual. Soul, being Spirit, is seen in nothing imperfect
nor material.

So therefore we have to look up and see that perfect man all around us everywhere and that automatically frees us right up from any limitation. We can’t see ourselves or others in anyway than what God sees us and we don’t have to accept any suggestions coming to us either mentally, verbally, subtly, or aggressively that we are anything but God’s perfect reflection, forever one with God and forever like God.

This can be challenging at times but it is cause for great spiritual growth by which comes our freedom from challenge or limitation.

As a side note, great freedom has also come from reading that definition from the feminine perspective and substituting the word woman for man. Healing has resulted from this true, spiritual, and perfect view of woman.

How do we achieve world peace?

Everyone prays for world peace. But peace isn’t an attainment. Peace is within us and we just have to live it. We don’t have to wait for peace to happen or to come around; it starts with each individual. Every individual can decide to live a peaceful life. We can decide and start to be peaceful with our neighbors, our sisters, our family, our co-workers, our friends. Peace starts with each individual deciding to live a peaceful life. Imagine the ripple effect. You can’t get into a fight with peace; you can’t be at war with peace. Peace doesn’t react; peace stands still and doesn’t get fazed. Peace doesn’t get ruffled feathers or bent out of shape. But peace isn’t passive, or passive aggressive. Peace is active, it is action; it is a conscious decision or choice. And it is the most active thing we can do. It is an activity that blesses the whole world including our brother who we are being peaceful towards. It protects us and keeps us safe. It keeps us from regret, dismay, guilt or fear. And it keeps us from shame.

When we lead a peaceful life, we live a righteous life and we can feel confident, good and strong about that. We gain a good reputation; people know you and respect you. And that reputation will assist you. People know what you’re about and can’t accept any lie about you.

Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Jesus Christ are people who preached, lived, and led others to live peaceful lives. They showed us the peaceful way. So as we pray and yearn for the world to be at peace; to stop the violence, the war, the killing, the defiance, the resistance; let’s start with our own lives and make peace right where we are. Let’s not accept that we have to live with a lack of peace or unrest forever. Let us not accept that that is just the way the world is. Instead let us accept that right now, today, peace starts with us. Make a choice and an action that firmly establishes peace.

My vision of God's kingdom

The kingdom of God is a mental and spiritual place made of spiritual substance, Mind’s ideas. It is not physical. For no physicality could ever embody the limitless ideas of infinite Mind that knows no space or time or distance – the beauty of Spirit, the enrapture of creation radiant with divine Love. There is no time, space, nor distance between man, woman, child, nature, animal – all is God’s infinite creation revolving in a system and network of complete harmony. They all shine by borrowed, radiant light from the one infinite source. There is no person or personality for there is but on Ego, and all is the manifestation of the One. No competition, no personal sense of things – just the One’s infinite sense of infinity – infinite good, life, creation, activity. All is beautiful because all is Mind and this all is here and now. It is a state of mind, a state of thought following Jesus’ saying “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21) and St John’s vision “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” (Rev 21:1) This place is here and now, it exists hidden from the world but always present and actual. There is no birth, no death for there is no time. There simply is being here, now, forever, always. We will not die because we were not born. Existence is the Only. Infinity isn’t a really long time but rather the absence of time. There is no distance to separate us from other ideas for we all co-exist in the same space at the same time. God’s rainforests, beaches, coasts, skies, mountains are all ideas which are reflected in all of our being. We are all part of the One. There is no sickness, no discord, no disease because there is no matter. There never was. This enlightened state of consciousness raises the thinker up into this place and away from physicality. The ultimate demonstration of this was achieved by Enoch, Elijah and Jesus.

All ideas exist in friendship, companionship, and joy. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” (Isa 11:6) All of God’s ideas exist in friendship and peace with one another. They are all spiritual, therefore they are all peaceful, valuable, and needed. Each is a manifestation of the infinite Mind which wouldn’t be complete without it’s entire manifestation. We all have one Life, one Mind, one Source, one being. There is not temple or body within. The nature of the one Life and Mind, the one Soul is constant being, activity, expression, movement, light, harmony. Always moving, acting, expressing. Nothing is stagnate or standing still. “Creation is ever appearing and must ever continue to appear from the nature of it’s inexhaustible source.” (Science and Health pg. 507) God is the Principle of being – the Principle of al creation, existence, life. “With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17) Daniel proved lions not to be harmful, Paul proved the viper not to be poisonous, and the 3 Jewish boys proved the flames of a fire to be harmless because all is Mind’s idea, spiritual, untouchable. And matter is nothing in the equation of creation or being. Spirit, Mind is the only substance and is always perpetuating existence through the contemplation of Her own nature and being. And mankind, nature, and the animal kingdom are the manifestation.

What does this have to do with here and now? Through our spiritual sense, listening, and communing with the one Perfect One we see and know true reality. Our relations with the brotherhood and sisterhood of man improve, we have higher, more intelligent ideas, we are fearless, and there is no aggression or destruction because there is no death. You can not kill man and no man, woman, or child has ever died. God is good and good lasts forever. It never wears out nor becomes dim. And it never dies or is destroyed. All has existed and will exist forever.

We can realize this now and all live in peace and harmony with one another – in appreciation of each other’s divine origin, value, and goodness. We can all live solely dependant on our Source without needs or lack or wants. Simply being, existing, expressing. Limitless ideas. Loving one another. In peace and harmony and order. Supply comes from God and Love is supplying her creation with all we need each moment. And we can not want or desire anything that the one Ego does not want or desire. For all is of one accord. The elephant, the lion, the human can all be friends. We are all family, we are all brethren. Life is beautiful, creation is beautiful and we can all stand still and be in awe of the grandeur and beauty of creation. The constant, ongoing activity of Life, being, and existence. Always spiritual, beautiful, radiant, filled with light – “for there shall be no night there.” (Rev 21:25) And we are all as little children, pure and innocent.

“This state of consciousness is therefore a present possibility”. (Science and Health pg. 573)