I ran across this site two weeks ago and was attracted to it as having some explanatory benefit on some things in my life.

Several years ago I was healed of a likely fatal condition by the silent prayer of a Christian Scientist employee.  The condition vanished completely and was replaced with perfect normalcy. 

Since then I have become relatively proficient in using the concepts of Christian Science to address everyday problems.  It really works and is very predictable and reliable.

The basic idea of CS is that we are existing in a dream (the Adam dream) and because mortal existence is only a dream any bad condition we experience can be instantly healed.  We do have a unique identity but this is not it.

The idea that everything is a belief is an important feature of CS as well as the body of afterlife knowledge.

I have had numerous instant healings where obvious physical conditions vanished and were replaced with perfect normalcy, as well as a sense of peace that is truly wonderful.

I just got a Moen book and am about half way through it.  I see no reason to doubt anything being described. 

However,  there is an assumption that this existence actually has some concrete existence, while level 27 seems to be totally controlled by thought.  Since level 27 is very human like, is seems that this existence is necessary to program the intelligences in human beliefs, without which level 27 would have no organization or meaning.

Christian Science bases its demonstrations on the existence of a perfect spiritual being and the unreality of a mortal physical being.  Nothing in CS claims that the perfect spiritual being looks like a human, but instead says that when we see God we will know him because we will be like him.  It teaches that an anthromorphic God is a major problem of human belief systems.

I may see a lot more as I continue reading, and am throwing this out to see what others think of the assumption that this existence has some concrete reality.

I have been strongly attracted to the idea of a Singularity as propounded by Kurzweil.  As a programmer and electronic designer, I like to describe things as parts of organized systems.

Christian Science describes itself as the Comforter described by Jesus, who said he had to leave before the Comforter could come.  The Comforter is the Holy Spirit, which is also Unlimited Love and Diving Mind.

Sort of a rambling post, but it expresses the questions that have occurred to me at this state of my understanding.

I obviously attempt to define everything from the basis of my practice and understanding of Christian Science, since it does allow me to avoid the problems most humans often seem helpless in the face of.

Is CS a pre-technical manifestation of the ideas found here?  It was discovered in 1866 and had explosive growth in the early parts of the last century. 

Where does Christian Science stand on the issue of eternal
torture for nonbelievers?
If it DOESN'T believe in that, if it is Annihilationist (the most
humane possibility in Christianity for the fate of nonbelievers!)
then I'd say you have a pretty benign belief system at least.
So what's the story on this issue???

B-inquiring mind

Fubar

Christian Science does not believe in eternal punishment, and its understanding of this is like the story of Max the psychopathic psychiatrist - people make their own heaven or hell.  CS believes there is a period of probation after death during which people work out things left unresolved in this experience.

CS teaches the need to find the spiritual meaning of the information in the Bible, and specifically teaches avoidance of taking it too literally.

There is no clergy in CS and Sunday services are conducted by Readers elected for fixed terms from the membership.  One Reader reads the Bible, and the other reads correlative passages from the Christian Science Textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  A Reader also selects Bible passages and reads them as part of the service.  There are three hymns and a solo as part of the hour long service.  These services are amazingly uplifting. 

For some hymns sung at my church where I am a Reader, go to www.csvincennes.org and click on hymns.  I put them out as MP3 files and they will load and play.

The subjects were created by the founder of the movement, Mary Baker Eddy and repeat about twice a year.  The actual passages to deal with the subject are selected by staff at the CS Publishing Society, which puts out a Quarterly with the lessons in it.  One of the subjects is Everlasting Punishment - the lesson teaches that there is no such thing.

The church is led by Practitioners.  To be a practitioner one must submit verified cases of healing real problems.  Once they are approved, they may be listed in the monthly CS Journal.  To remain in the journal, they must make their entire living from their healing practice.  They usually charge from $15 to $40 per day and usually have several dozen cases at any one time.  Single call healings are the norm.  This free market system removes the financial compensation issue from committees and church politics.  Those who cannot make a living from their practice to either improve or drop out.

As far as I know, CS does not believe in reincarnation.  God created each instance of us and one trip through this experience is all we get.  I am working on seeing that issue clearly since so much of Moen's stuff is past lives.  There is the Christian concept of second death for those who never get it figured out after they pass on.

CS teaches that we existed before we came into this experience and continue to exist after it.  We don't know what we did before we got here.  What we are supposed to do while we are here is as much good as possible.

Dear REI,

As to whether CS is a pre-technological manifestation of what you find here, I think you'll have to discover that answer yourself, since as far as I've seen, no one else knows enough about CS to try to compare it with anything.   

What strikes me is your understanding and your way of talking about Spirit is what is so valued here.  that's what's wonderful about this place, that for all our background differences, we have found (or are actively seeking to find) more spirit in our lives.

Thanks for joining everyone here in that ! I hope you'll be here to participate for a long time!

Bets

Happy New Year and thanks for the responses:

As Jesus was reported to have said in John 6:63:
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

One of the most powerful and useful affirmations in CS is:  God is the only power.

When you pinch yourself, your beliefs make it hurt.  Your body has has no reality beyond what you believe it to have.  There have been countless examples of xray and cat scan images which showed problems, followed by subsequent images showing impossible changes to perfect normalcy after a CS Healing.

For anyone interested in a modern take on CS, Spiritual Healing In A Scientific Age by Peel is available in many libraries and on Amazon used books.  For a quick take, read from page 16 to the end of the chapter and then read the story strarting on page 54 for around ten pages.  Peel was an advanced CS Practitioner.

We all have beliefs that totally define our mortal existence.  Believing in an all powerful God who is unlimited Divine Love, who fills all space, whose Spirit can be manifested to solve any problem of any type, allows amazing things to happen in our lives.

You don't have to become a Christian Scientist to be healed by it, but the experience and sense of peace and elevated thought will probably turn you in a new direction.  It may be like a sense of level 27 while here on earth.

Hi Rei, thanks for the link. CS looks like good reading, I totally agree about the body. it seems to be but a mirror of our beliefs, and if our beliefs are distorted, the body outpictures disease and the same disharmoney which is in the mind/heart.
however we all struggle with health issues and the rising cost of health care.

thats why I like CS and alternative healing philosophies that spring up. it points to a better way.  U asked about reincarnation I assume because u r openminded and also u said CS does not say much on the subject.

personally all I can say about focus 27 is it seems to be like America is to the world, a melting pot of all races and people, like a many mansions place, and I wouldn't be able to tell you whether it is a place where a soul would re-enter physical life, but sounds logical that spirit life would be a-coming and a -going there. as far as I can tell theres quite a bit of guidance trainees, people getting healed up, activity and movement, a lot like here, but like theres no need to sleep 8 hours of the day, so it's a continuous type of consciousness with no breaks, so it's speeded up type of living.

in the hard core BST of 23 thru 26 I believe there would be less movement in consciousness and here is why Monroe coined the term "stuck."  or maybe Bruce coined it. feel free anybody to correct my suppositions.
the term stuck scares some people, but theres another way to look at what is stuck, or not moving. not moving to it's potential. we can observe, for instance, right here in physical proximity, that people are stuck, to mean, we will repeat ourselves and nothing comes into our pattern of thought and behavior that is really "new."

So it's easy to learn the art of retrieval, as the first thing I say to a stuck person is to confirm they can stay where they are at or they can go with the guides somewhere else, this gives them confirmation of their free will choice without forcing the issue. this lets them know they are loved just as they are too.

about reincarnation; it seems it can be automatic for the younger ones, and later more choice in the matter is developed with the more experiences gained in physical area. the more developed souls do not choose all by themselves..it is in groups that souls arrive life after life. they draw up plans and intentions and then dive in, meet as if by accident, but not really and do their best to fullfill their intentions for whatever type of life or focus they end up in, and the parents are part of their group most often, as I see it.

some of the more evolved souls will wait years of linear time for just the right conditions to become apparent for what they wish to be accomplishing, and they have earned those conditions and are not forced to take just any life or body opportunity. The rule of thumb is noncoercement and PUL operating, and order of a divine nature on focus 27 and higher.

personally I have cleaned up my karma with my parents this life and I accomplished what I came here for so I have more choices now to explore above focus 27. this condition the Christians used to call being reborn. only I'm in the new age now, so can't call it that.

Also I surmise focus 27 is where all the guides and helpers are trained to navigate the lower astrals planes and do retrievals. my message personally after my karma was cleared, was to announce it is a benevolent universe operating.
I asked for proof and it was given. then all those who announce this, and there are many with me, even yourself, we will not be believed, it is so.
but thats why we're here, to announce it anyway. 

thank you for your post and for your good work.

you may have to ask for guides to assist you on this one Rei and the general rule of thumb before doing a retrieval is to generate some PUL beforehand by thinking of a time when you felt love. then if you let the PUL come in and go out to the angry one it should get his or her attention and the guides (sometime cannot see them well) will take over from there. my first retrieval I spent a long time talking to the retrievee before getting their attention fastened on me.  Once they notice you, it tends to break up the negative emotion so the nonphysical guides can step in.

Hi,

Why would god give us a body that was an illusion? Jesus was born through the body of his mother marry. He died id terrible abject horror and pain. he had to eat  etc to survive just like you. God places us in real physical bodies gave us five senses to negotiate life with. This concept of the body being some sort of an delusion of the spirit would make god a liar the bible clearly sys we will inherit exalted bodies when we die.

Do not try to convince my beloved parents are unreal illusion. Go and speak to survivors of the holocaust and ask them if the hideous appalling horror, pain, sorrow, desperation and ice-cold fear of the gas death were the result of some wrong   perspective of reality. I reject this concept with the distain it deserves.

Alan