THE MAIN PURPOSE OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE !

[rv.ros...@gmail.com]

If just half of the input on this Group consisted of exploratory
analysis and examination of the actual word for word content
extrapolated directly from our sacred textbook, "Science and Health
With Key To The Scriptures," by Mary Baker Eddy, rather than the
"hecatombs of gushing theories, stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the
doling of arguments, which are but so many parodies on legitimate
Christian Science, aflame with divine Love." . . . then the need for
reform would pale in significance to the sublime import of the real
and most important question that, today, is most deserving to be
emblazoned with infinite precision before the thought of everyone
claiming to be a Christian Scientist!

Question: What might that question be?

Answer: "Today, what, precisely, is the main purpose of Christian
Science?"

Question: Where is that question answered?

Answer: The answer to that question appears in the textbook on page
150, under the marginal heading, "The main purpose," where we read:
"To-day the healing power of Truth is widely demonstrated as an
immanent, eternal Science, instead of a phenomenal exhibition. Its
appearing is the coming anew of the gospel of "on earth peace,
good-will toward men." This coming, as was promised by the Master, is
for its establishment as a permanent dispensation among men; but the
mission of Christian Science now, as in the time of its earlier
demonstration,is not primarily one of physical healing. Now, as then,
signs and wonders are wrought in the metaphysical healing of physical
disease; but these signs are only to demonstrate its divine origin, .
. . to attest the reality of the higher mission of the Christ-power to
take away the sins of the world."

Let's examine this answer one sentence at a time, and extrapolate from
each unfolding idea the spiritual insight and the attending mental
satisfaction that always anoints one's conscious awareness when it is
aligned perfectly, and thereby, exists at one with, and thus, knows
as Mind!

"Today the healing power of Truth is widely demonstrated as an
immanent, eternal Science, instead of a phenomenal exhibition."
Question: When, if ever, was "the healing power of Truth . . .
demonstrated as . . . a phenomenal exhibition?"

Answer: In its First Advent upon earth, the Christ, Truth, as
demonstrated by our Master, Jesus of Nazareth, provided mankind with a
vast proliferation of "phenomenal exhibition[s]" as evidenced by the
annulling of every then known material law that, in combination, held
humanity in physical bondage to sickness, disease, lack, limitation,
false servitude, generational curse, adverse weather conditions, sin,
and death!

"Its appearing is the coming anew of the gospel of "on earth peace,
good-will toward men."

Question: What is meant by ". . . coming anew . . ."?

Answer: Webster [1913] defines 'anew' thusly:

anew \a*new"\ ([.a]*n[=u]"), adv. [Pref. a- + new.]
Over again; another time; in a new form; afresh; as, to arm anew; to
create anew.

WordNet 2.0 defines 'anew' thusly:

anew : again but in a new or different way; "start afresh"; "wanted
to write the story anew"; "starting life anew in a fresh place" [syn:
afresh]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 gives the following twenty-five
words for anew: ab ovo, afresh, again, another time, as new, bis, da
capo, de novo, ditto, encore, freshly, from scratch, from the
beginning, lately, new, newly, of late, once again, once more, over,
over again, recently, twice over, two times, yet again.

Clearly, with the advent of Christian Science, in 1866, humanity was
presented with the gospel of "on earth peace, good-will toward men" in
an entirely fresh and different way than it had ever before been
known, or made possible of attainment and demonstration, by mankind!

"This coming, as was promised by the Master, is for its establishment
as a permanent dispensation among men; but the mission of Christian
Science now, as in the time of its earlier demonstration, is not
primarily one of physical healing."

Question: Did the Master promise that the Christ, Truth would again
come upon earth and make itself accessible among men?

Answer: Indeed, he did! Before departing earth, Christ Jesus
promised his disciples, saying, . . . "I will pray the Father, and he
shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
[Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth
with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless . .
But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things
to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John

Question: What is meant by the use of the phrase, "a permanent
dispensation?"

Answer: In its First Advent upon earth, the Christ, Truth, manifested
personally, as the human, Jesus, of Nazareth. Jesus' mission on earth
consisted, approximately, of the last three years of his thirty-three
years of human life. Within that short time-span of three years,
Jesus healed the sick; raised the dead; cast out demons; cleansed the
lepers; stilled storms; fed multitudes on the hillside; and robbed his
own grave of victory when, after three days, he resurrected as the
self-same Jesus! However, the constraint of time, at best,
necessitated that Jesus leave the earth with yet much of his work left
undone. He lamented, " I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye
cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will show
you things to come."

When making its Second Advent upon earth, on February 4, 1866, the
Christ, Truth, manifested impersonally, as Christ Science! . . . the
divine Comforter which Christ Jesus promised would come to earth to
complete his work, as he said the Holy Comforter would . . . "teach
you ALL THINGS, and bring ALL THINGS to your remembrance, whatsoever I
have said unto you." John

Because the Christ, Truth manifested, impersonally, in its Second
Advent, it is not constrained by either time, space or circumstances,
and thus, it is here, established upon earth now, and it shall remain
forever as a "permanent dispensation among men."

" . . . but the mission of Christian Science now, as in its earlier
demonstration . . ."

Question: What does " . . . as in its earlier demonstration . . . "
mean?

Answer: The answer to this question lies in an understanding of the
meaning of the words, 'demonstration' and 'dispensation'.

Webster [1913] defines 'demonstration' thusly:

Demonstration \Dem`on*stra"tion\, n. [L. demonstratio: cf. F.
d['e]monstration.]

1. The act of demonstrating; an exhibition; proof; especially, proof
beyond the possibility of doubt; indubitable evidence, to the senses
or reason.

Clearly, in its First Advent, the Christ, Truth, was made abundantly
manifest by our Master, Christ Jesus, as evidenced by a literal
cornucopia of "phenomenal exhibition[s]" or DEMONSTRATIONS, of the
universal and divine Principle of Being which Jesus understood and
made visibly evident through his scientific demonstrations of the
immutable laws of divine Principle which are found "underlying,
overlying, and encompassing all true being." S&H 496:18-19.

Through DEMONSTRATION, the Christ, Truth, was initiated upon earth by
Jesus, but despite his spectacularly awesome and grand "phenomenal
exhibition[s]" which he produced in such abundant proliferation, the
"signs following" soon faded out of view, and the "element of healing"
that was so abundant and known to all of Jesus' peers, was soon lost
to the ages, where it patiently awaited its reinstatement at the same
time when the Holy Comforter, which Jesus had promised would come,
did, indeed, make its appearance upon earth, just as Jesus had said it
would.

Webster [1913] defines 'dispensation' thusly:

Dispensation \Dis`pen*sa"tion\, n. [F. dispensation, L. dispensatio.]

1. The act of dispensing or dealing out; distribution; often used of
the distribution of good and evil by God to man, or more generically,
of the acts and modes of his administration.

2. That which is dispensed, dealt out, or appointed; that which is
enjoined or bestowed; especially (Theol.), A system of principles,
promises, and rules ordained and administered; scheme; economy; as,
the Patriarchal, Mosaic, and Christian dispensations.

Simultaneous with the Christ, Truth's Second Advent upon earth in
1866, when the Holy Comforter appeared just as Jesus had promised, a
completely new DISPENSATION, or "system of principles, promises, and
rules ordained and administered" by the Christ, and now known today
amongst all mankind as Christian Science, . . . is known to have also
commenced upon earth, where it has been divinely designed and destined
to remain forever, as a "permanent dispensation"! Today, the divine
Principle of BEING is now Self-revealed in and by Science as being the
incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Love which permeates ALL of
BEING and thereby does it embrace every idea . . . "all" identity and
"all" conscious individuality which is now and forever extant within
the totality, or infinitude, of ALL BEING!

" . . . the mission of Christian Science now . . . is not primarily
one of physical healing."

Question: If, today, the mission of Christian Science isn't primarily
one of physical healing, what then is its "primary" mission?

Answer: The healing of physical disorders and diseases is but the
vestibule that leads the honest seeker for Truth into "an house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Being an "eternal" house,
what is it that has hidden and continues to hide such a perfect and
eternal "house" or embodiment from being discerned, or viewed?
Only sin-stained minds make sin-strained lives, and these, in consort,
produce blinded eyes that are rendered incapable of discerning those
"verities priceless, eternal, and just at hand." Mis. 61:2-3. Thus,
today, the primary mission of Christian Science is that of addressing
the mentality, not the physicality, of humanity! Today, the taking
away of the sins of this world, constitutes now, as it did aforetime,
the primary, or higher mission of the Christ, Truth, in its
ministering to those upon earth who believe, and thus, perceive
themselves as being beset with, and thus, in bondage to, struggling
hearts suffering from maladies many, . . . and hopeless captives to a
myriad of sinful mental impulses and impure material desires!

Thus, the removal of physical disease and sickness from suffering
humanity's physical bodies is, today, one of secondary importance to
that holier, and thus, "higher mission of the Christ-power to take
away the sins of the world." This latter-day mission of the Christ,
Truth, is as exceedingly more complex in its successful execution, or
demonstration, as it is convoluted! Why is this so? Science reveals,
"It is easier to cure the most malignant disease than it is to cure
sin. The author has raised up the dying, partly because they were
willing to be restored, while she has struggled long, and perhaps in
vain, to lift a student out of a chronic sin. Under all modes of
pathological treatment, the sick recover more rapidly from disease
than does the sinner from his sin." S&H 373:5-11.

Today, here before your eyes, is . . . .

"THE MAIN PURPOSE OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE"!

In Unity of Good,

Dave Nolan