The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
Early last year I needed to have my reading glasses replaced and this meant having an eye examination for a new script. At the end of the examination the optometrist informed me that I had a cataract forming on my left eye. He said that he wouldn’t recommend any treatment at that point but in a year I should look at having it removed.
At first I was tempted to feel concerned about this situation. I had quite a few friends who had had cataracts surgically removed and although they had all said it was a fairly straight forward procedure, it was not something that I had ever contemplated doing. I have always handled problems, both physical and otherwise, through prayer.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is my textbook for life. In it, Mary Baker Eddy writes: Mind, not matter, is causation. … You embrace your body in your thought, and you should delineate upon it thoughts of health, not of sickness (p208: 25). She goes on to say: The physical affirmation of disease should always be met with the mental negation. Whatever benefit is produced on the body, must be expressed mentally, and thought should be held fast to this ideal (p392: 11). I thought on these ideas and every time my eye situation came into thought I claimed my spiritual perfection and denied the necessity for giving in to this verdict. This brought me a sense of peace and within a short time my eye stopped bothering me and I forgot to think about it anymore.
Recently when I again visited the optometrist for new glasses I was told that my eyes were perfectly healthy and there was no sign of a cataract. Christian Science is teaching me that the body is the representation of my thinking – what I believe about it is what I will experience. By learning to see myself as spiritual, not material, I can overcome beliefs of limitation or ill-health
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
A few months ago I was attempting to pump some oil from a bottle that had a plunger top. The plunger was jammed and I gave it a hard bop to unstop it. This caused a very large glob of oil to shoot straight into my left eye. The pain was instantly intense. I immediately tried to wash it out but the oil was made not to wash off easily in water. For a few moments I struggled with the extreme sensation.
As a student of Christian Science I have studied the Bible and the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy all my life. There are many passages from these texts I turn to in order to bring me calm in times of challenge. Although I didn’t remember the exact words of this passage from Science and Health, I did remember the substance of it. It states:
When an accident happens, you think or exclaim, “I am hurt!” Your thought is more powerful than your words, more powerful than the accident itself, to make the injury real.
Now reverse the process. Declare that you are not hurt and understand the reason why, and you will find the ensuing good effects to be in exact proportion to your disbelief in physics, and your fidelity to divine metaphysics, confidence in God as All, which the Scriptures declare Him to be(p397).
I turned my full attention to this idea and straight away I felt calm and the pain quickly stopped. As the day wore on though, my face began to swell, I lost vision in that eye and it closed over. The next day my face was in an even worse state but there continued to be no pain. I held to the view of myself as a spiritual idea and not simply a mortal body. I continued to pray. It felt as though this situation was some kind of bad dream from which I was waiting to wake up. The following morning I was no better and if I pulled my eye open I could see nothing.
I spent this morning studying the weekly Christian Science Bible Lesson (passages from the Bible and Science and Health). There was one sentence from Science and Health that stood out to me: … the dreamer and dream are one, for neither is true nor real (p530: 27-29). When I read this I realised I had been thinking of myself as a dreamer – someone who was dreaming this bad dream. This passage was telling me there was no dreamer. If there is no dreamer there can be no dream. I loved this idea. I understood it in a way I hadn’t done before. Suddenly I felt joyous and happy, and I forgot to think about my face anymore. I had planned to meet a friend for coffee that afternoon so I kept the appointment and I met up with her. We talked for over an hour. Not once did she mention my face. I looked in the mirror when I got home and I realised that all was normal – even my vision was normal. That night I attended a big family dinner – no one could even tell which eye had been at issue.
I continue to be immensely grateful for what Christian Science is teaching me about my true spiritual nature and of my dominion over the claims of this material world.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
One morning recently one of our cats appeared to be quite unwell. When I checked him I noticed that his face was extremely swollen and he had a deep open cut above one eye. He showed signs of being in pain and was quite distressed. This cat is quite a wild creature; he does not permit us to handle him and taking him to the vet wasn’t really an option.
In our family we are used to solving problems through prayer so I knew that this situation needed clear prayerful thinking. For me prayer is not a matter of asking God for help but of affirming spiritual truths relating to the situation. In this situation I made a point of looking away from the disturbing material picture and I held firmly to the idea that this dear kitty was in truth a spiritual idea, and a spiritual idea cannot be injured. I also reminded myself of the several healings he had experienced previously.
In Christian Science we are taught to hold to the spiritual truths despite the material evidence. If we understand and trust these truths that we are claiming then the physical situation adjusts. Holding on to the spiritual truth about this kitty helped me to stop worrying about him and to trust his care to divine Mind. I thought on these ideas until I felt a sense of peace.
Within the hour he was up and around and behaving normally. All signs of swelling had gone and the cut above his eye was healed to the point that I couldn’t even tell where it had been. He had no further ramifications from this incident.
Students from the Christian Science Sunday School in Canberra share ways they have resolved physical problems through prayer:
Lessons on the Netball Court
I play netball for a local team. During a recent game I was playing down at the defense end. At one point in the game I caught the ball. The opposition player was also running for the ball and she didn’t stop in time. She fell hard into my knee which twisted inwards. It really hurt. However, I kept going because I knew if I went off, we wouldn’t have a replacement for me. I was in quite a bit of pain so I held to the truth, that I had learned in Sunday School, that I was spiritual and therefore couldn’t be hurt. I relaxed when I held to this idea. Quickly the pain left and I played the rest of the game without any problems. This shows how instant God’s love is.
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Stomach Ache Gone
Last weekend I had to play in a soccer game. Part way through the game I got a really bad stomach ache. In Sunday School I’ve learned to watch my thinking, so I thought to myself that there is no such thing as pain because God is by my side forever and always and He made me perfect. So, I just kept playing. The pain went away straight away and I played really well.
After the soccer game I went to my friend’s house and then the pain started again. I thought of reasons why I might have a pain but I knew God didn’t make pain so there was no reason for it. I sat quietly and prayed again. That was the end of the pain.
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Praying for My Baby Sister
I am only 3 years old, so my mum and aunty are helping me to write my story.
I have been Skyping into Sunday School for a few weeks now. My teacher has been teaching me that God is Love and that God always keeps us safe. She is also teaching me some fun songs like the Circle of Love. My favourite game is the one where we say, ‘No’ to bad thoughts and ‘Yes’ to good thoughts. I use this at home now when I am tempted to be naughty.
The other day I was in the car with my little sister and my mum. My sister started to cry really loudly. She had a sore tummy and she wanted Mummy, but Mummy was driving so I leaned over and held her hand. I told her that she was safe because God loved her. My Sunday School teacher taught me that God loves everyone and keeps them safe. Straight away she stopped crying and was happy.
Now I use what my teacher is teaching me whenever my sister is crying. Sometimes I skip around her singing the Circle of Love song and sometimes I hold her hand and sing the Meghan song that my teacher taught me. It goes like this:
Hello Meghan, Hello Meghan
Who are you? Who are you?
You are God’s reflection
Showing His perfection.
God loves you, God loves you.
When I do these things she always stops crying. This is how I know that God loves us. I love learning about God in Sunday School.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy
This book is the textbook of Christian Science. It explains God intelligently, not as anthropomorphic, but as Mind and as Love. By aligning our thought with this divine Mind, peace and wellbeing are experienced. Mary Baker Eddy explains:
Not muscles, nerves, nor bones, but mortal mind makes the whole body “sick, and the whole heart faint;” whereas divine Mind heals.
When this is understood, we shall never affirm concerning the body what we do not wish to have manifested. We shall not call the body weak, if we would have it strong; for the belief in feebleness must obtain in the human mind before it can be made manifest on the body, and the destruction of the belief will be the removal of its effects. (p219: 11-20)
You embrace your body in your thought, and you should delineate upon it thoughts of health, not of sickness. You should banish all thoughts of disease and sin and of other beliefs included in matter. (p208: 29-1)
Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously. When the condition is present which you say induces disease, whether it be air, exercise, heredity, contagion, or accident, then perform your office as porter and shut out these unhealthy thoughts and fears. (p392: 24-30)
Click here to purchase this book or to read it free on-line. It is also available for purchase or loan at the Christian Science Reading Room and bookshop located on the corner of Macquarie and Bligh Streets, Barton, ACT.
… your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (The Bible – I Corinthians 2: 5)
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The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God, — a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love. (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p1: 1-4)
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Every Wednesday at 6.15pm a Testimony Meeting is held at the Christian Science church in Canberra (corner of Macquarie and Bligh Streets, Barton). At these meetings short readings on a particular topic are followed by time for members of the congregation to share how they have been helped and healed through prayer.
Everyone is welcome. If you are in Canberra on any Wednesday, please join us.
This is a recording of the Wednesday readings on the topic: The Faith That Heals.
Christian Science Canberra 