…those who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection. – Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, p. 97
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A friend posted a great cartoon (by David Sippress) on Facebook the other day. It shows a man and woman walking down the street, and the woman is saying: “My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.”
I can really relate to this cartoon.
The desire to be a responsible and contributing citizen means that I want to be aware of, and informed about, the challenges my nation faces. But how does one stay informed about these challenges, without feeling overwhelmed by them? Sometimes the fear and hate that seem to permeate our atmosphere can seem impossible to overcome, and I find myself getting pulled inexorably into the brouhaha. I see inequity and unfairness, hypocrisy and bigotry, and it makes me really angry. And the angrier I get the more real and powerful the inequity and bigotry seem to me, and the less powerful I feel in being able to make anything better.
In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy writes: “We may well be astonished at sin, sickness, and death. We may well be perplexed at human fear; and still more astounded at hatred, which lifts its hydra head, showing its horns in the many inventions of evil. But why should we stand aghast at nothingness?” (p. 563)
I can imagine someone reading this quote by Mary Baker Eddy and shaking his head, wondering how anyone can write off all the hate and fear as “nothing.” And I can imagine someone reading this quote and comparing Christian Scientists to those three monkeys who “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.” But that’s not what Christian Science is about at all.
Eddy writes: “Expose and denounce the claims of evil and disease in all their forms, but realize no reality in them. A sinner is not reformed merely by assuring him that he cannot be a sinner because there is no sin. To put down the claim of sin, you must detect it, remove the mask, point out the illusion, and thus get the victory over sin and so prove its unreality.” (Science and Health, p. 447.)
Note that when Mary Baker Eddy writes about exposing evil and removing its mask, nowhere does she say we do this in a spirit of anger. In fact, earlier in Science and Health, she writes, “The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth through flood-tides of Love.” (Science and Health, p. 201.)
I believe our purpose here is to love – love is what gives meaning to life. And so it doesn’t really make any sense for me to be angry about anger, or to be unkind in the name of kindness, or to feel hate about those who hate – because anger, hate, and unkindness defeat the whole purpose of it all.
I really like the thoughts Kathi Petersen, a spiritually-minded friend from Nova Scotia, sent me earlier this week: “Is there something wrong with wanting to concentrate your mind and energy on positive things? Are we shirking our responsibilities somehow, not being actively embroiled with the downward tendency of our society? Does it somehow help the planet if we spend our days alarmed and shouting about what is going on? I feel so much that the opposite is true … That what the world needs most is people who can spread some Joy … Maybe every village needs its Joy-spreaders, and we should be given some kind of stipend to concentrate on good and happy things …”
Isn’t that a wonderful idea?!
I want to be one of the Joy-spreaders. I want to completely overpower the feelings of gloom and doom, of hopelessness and anger and fear and hate, with joy and good cheer and love.
I started off this blog with a quote by Mary Baker Eddy. The one word that stands out to me, as I reread it, is the word cheerfully. She tells us that Christian Scientists will “aid in the ejection of error” and “cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection.” Isn’t it great that we don’t need to give up our joy to overcome evil? In fact, maybe the only way we can overcome evil is with joy and love.
***
At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good. – Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, p. 571.
The good you do and embody gives you the only power obtainable. – Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, p. 192.
Adventures of the Madcap Christian Scientist 
If only love and joy did overcome the evils on this planet…but they don’t. It’s a great defense mechanism for yourself(any human) but it won’t bring back what is being taken away from us by evil.
Well, you’re right, Brit. We lost a loved one, and in tragic circumstances, and that had a huge impact on all of us. We can’t bring him back to us in his physical form. But maybe we can bring back the essence of him – the rascally, smart, funny essence of him – the idea of him – can’t ever be lost to us. His picture hangs on my wall – four years-old, sitting on my lap, grinning his sweet grin. After the tragedy, I’d look at his little face and start tearing up. Now when I look at his face I find myself smiling. He was precious. He still is precious. That can’t be lost to us. Death can’t win in the end. I won’t let it. That young man is still alive in my thoughts, and I hold his essence in joy, and surround it with love.
And I love you, too, Sweetie.
Great post Karen! I’m flattered to be quoted! I do think that love and joy can overcome the evils of the planet … people see the world in very different ways. I have a huge fascination with people with severe challenges (health, financial) who see the world as positive and full of love. I think it has a lot to do with what we choose for ourselves, minute by minute, every day … We have such an odd ability to be able to absorb more negativity than ever from every corner of the world each morning when we click our computers on with our morning tea. If you think back to earlier times, our circles were much smaller … we didn’t need to absorb all of this shocking stuff every day, bombarded as we are with minute-by-minute global tragedies. Seems like it might have been easier then to find the joy in everyday things …
Thank you, Willow-Kathi. I think you are very wise, my friend.
There’s this movie clip going around on Facebook – it won some award somewhere – it’s called *Gratitude* – and the narrator reminds us that every moment of every day is a gift. He says that the beauty of this moment – the way the clouds form in the sky – is unique and will never be repeated. It’s a gift. He says we should view each day as if it’s our first – I love the idea of that – look at the world with new eyes. And he says we should also view it as if it were our last. Realize the value and worth of the moments and the days. Very profound thoughts, eh? 🙂
Today was full of sunshine peeking through clouds, of interesting people, and wonderful adventures. I know your day was full of cool stuff, too – because you SEE the cool stuff all around you – and that is the trick to finding the joy, isn’t it?
I like your post as it says so much in just a few parragraphs. Fear and sin, which includes hate, are so necessary to unmask and remove before healing can be easily obtained. Once we remove the error from consciousness, then we can certainly abide by the statement, “why stand aghast at nothingness” because then we see that all that is unlike good is nothing, nothingness.
Thank you for your thoughts, scientificthoughtsforlife. I think sometimes people who are unfamiliar with the methods of Christian Science wonder what in the heck we’re DOing when we’re dealing with a “problem” – a lot of the time it must look like we’re doing nothing, really – that we’re just ignoring whatever the problem is and hoping it’ll go away. But overcoming a challenge takes some active consecrated effort, doesn’t it? It involves transformation. It involves a conscious and deliberate change of mentality. It involves aligning our thoughts with Good – with Love and Truth. And, for me, that ain’t always easy. But it IS always worth the effort.
yeah, and certainly Christian Scientists are taught never to ignore a problem, but to handle and what we do is handle it in the most efficient, scientific way possible. It works for me, and for all who apply the simple truths of Christ Jesus as explained by Mary Baker Eddy.
Reblogged this on Adventures of the Madcap Christian Scientist and commented:
“Isn’t it great that we don’t need to give up our joy to overcome evil?”
We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
Your website offered us with valuable info to work on.
You’ve done a formidable job and our entire community will
be grateful to you.
Thank you, Fencing North London – so glad to know we’re part of something positive in the world. 🙂 Wishing you and your group of volunteers blessings galore! And I know your community will be blest by you.