Note: ExChristianScientist does NOT endorse the views represented in this article!
ROMANISM DEFINED - Mary Baker Eddy
"The determination to hold Spirit in the grasp of matter is the persecutor of Truth and Love" (Science and Health, 28:6).
Spirit held in the grasp of matter is animal magnetism, the unreal in all its aspects, without power, presence or law, since Spirit cannot be held in the grasp of matter.
Romanism is a belief of organization, system, means and methods deemed important for the human race to be saved. It lacks inspiration and therefore lacks divine energy and can only live as a belief lives. A belief based on parson instead of Principle has no reason for seeming to be. Withoug reason or Principle, belief is wholly mirage. We are told we must believe only what comes to us through understanding.
The premise of Romanism is the belief that man is an entity separate from God, and that without the Roman Church there is no point of contact with God. You have to have a God that can know evil, a man that is born in sin and conceived in iniquity in order to have a reason for Romanism. If you refuse to believe that God, good, can know evil, that man is not born in matter to be saved, to be healed, you cannot e the victim of Romanism, no matter how many seeming Roman Catholics are around you. Your decision as to what is true governs you.
Romanism also includes the belief that a statement o some kind a prayer, or mass, operates as a law and power to bring about certain desirable results. Pray long enough and hard enough and god will finally bestow His bounty. Christian Science reveals that the only thing which operates as law and power is divine Principle, the inseparable oneness of God and man, and that a knowledge of this is that Principle in operation as human experience.
Many Christian Scientists are tempted to believe that because the Romanists pray the clock around, even though it is to a God that has no more existence than a statue of Buddha, that that prayer will do something. The admission of that belief makes one a victim of that belief. It actually is Romanism, since that is the belief of Romanism. The only power in any belief is believing it, and when we believe it, we are its victims. What is called daily protective work by Christian Scientists, I am sorry to say, is not very different from the concept of prayer which the Romanist holds. He believes his prayer is effective, powerful to bring him what he wants and protect him in danger if he prays enough, or if it is God's will. Unfortunately, certain Christian Scientists are still of the belief or opinion that a Roman Catholic's prayer is effective and will bring about what Romanism wants and what will be harmvul to him, the Christian Scientist. Many Christian Scientists believe that their prayers are effective and powerful to bring about good matter, and if the pray hard enough they will keep the Catholic's prayers from harming them.
If one believes that Christian Science prayer is effective to change something, one misunderstands prayer, and a misuse of prayer is Romanism. You cannot call that prayer which admits power in evil and the need to do something about it. The only prayer in the universe that is of any value is the prayer which is Mind declaring itself, acknowledging its own infinite perfection and refusing to admit any belief of another prayer.
Belief is illusion, animal magnetism. Deny the belief that you could possibly believe in evil if there is but one Mind. In Science, we learn that there is no mind to believe in evil and therefore we do not avoid facing any belief of evil since we know it is pure illusion. Mind is one and all. There is no believer in evil. Refusing to have contact with Roman Catholics, as well as being concerned if we do, personalizes the claim of Romanism and enhances the claim. You must believe there is a believer in evil; you must believe in thought transference, or you would not care how many so-called Romanists were round. Whenever, wherever, the human mind is tempted to hold Spirit in the grasp of matter, this is Romanism, even when it is called Christian Science. ". . . and sickness, sin, and death would be as eternal as God." (No and Yes 17:27)
Prayer in Science is the recognition, the acknowledgment of that which eternally is. Jesus' "humble prayers were deep and conscientious protests of Truth." (Science and Health 12:13-14) "Prayer can neither change God, nor bring His designs into mortal modes." (No and Yes 39:11-12) Prayer cannot change that which is, nor can it change that which is not. Through prayer, that which is comes to light, and that which is not fades away. The true understanding of prayer operates to prevent the false sense of prayer from seeming to have power or channel through which it can act. A belief cannot simulate power in the presence of Truth. The only Mind there is, never heard of the belief of Romanism. Roman Catholicism is a belief that organization is always working. There is no cessation to that particular belief called Roman Catholicism; of course, that does not matter. But if a person were unaware of it being such a belief, and simply ignored it, would that be Christian Science? If you knew there was no Roman Catholicism and absolutely knew it, you would never have to go into detail about it. If you knew as Mind knows, and that there is no human being in Romanism, that would be sufficient.
It is not intelligent and it is not scientific to make a reality of anything but God. It is always a claim, for you do not fight any opposition to Mind; Mind is not opposing iself. Do not lose your altitude when knowing the unreality of these claims, do not lose your altitude when you take cognizance of error. When you know the absolute unreality of Roman Catholicism, it blesses every Roman Catholic on earth. It must not be a contest, but it demands wisdom.
A spiritual idea is a spiritual idea right were cancer seems to be, or where belief opposed to Christian Science seems to be. There is not a spiritual idea of Roman Catholicism any more than there is a spiritual idea of cancer. A corporeal man is not man, he is not man manifested. You do not find destruction in Christian Science, you find redemption , that is consciousness of one. Consciousness is fundamental, even in human existence, and that is where we do our redemptive work, not trying to make beliefs better, but replacing them. Do not heal disease; find out there isn't any. Do not heal a sinner; find out there isn't any sinner. In handling the belief of Roman Catholicism, do not fix your eyes upon it. Be the infinity and look out from Mind and see the glory and grandeur which is all there is to religion. Anything in the name of religion which is unlike this has no power which it may claim. Any good it can try to accomplish because of a sense of good is always a sense of matter.
(end)
Note: ExChristianScientist does NOT endorse these beliefs!
Spirit held in the grasp of matter is animal magnetism, the unreal in all its aspects, without power, presence or law, since Spirit cannot be held in the grasp of matter.
Romanism is a belief of organization, system, means and methods deemed important for the human race to be saved. It lacks inspiration and therefore lacks divine energy and can only live as a belief lives. A belief based on parson instead of Principle has no reason for seeming to be. Withoug reason or Principle, belief is wholly mirage. We are told we must believe only what comes to us through understanding.
The premise of Romanism is the belief that man is an entity separate from God, and that without the Roman Church there is no point of contact with God. You have to have a God that can know evil, a man that is born in sin and conceived in iniquity in order to have a reason for Romanism. If you refuse to believe that God, good, can know evil, that man is not born in matter to be saved, to be healed, you cannot e the victim of Romanism, no matter how many seeming Roman Catholics are around you. Your decision as to what is true governs you.
Romanism also includes the belief that a statement o some kind a prayer, or mass, operates as a law and power to bring about certain desirable results. Pray long enough and hard enough and god will finally bestow His bounty. Christian Science reveals that the only thing which operates as law and power is divine Principle, the inseparable oneness of God and man, and that a knowledge of this is that Principle in operation as human experience.
Many Christian Scientists are tempted to believe that because the Romanists pray the clock around, even though it is to a God that has no more existence than a statue of Buddha, that that prayer will do something. The admission of that belief makes one a victim of that belief. It actually is Romanism, since that is the belief of Romanism. The only power in any belief is believing it, and when we believe it, we are its victims. What is called daily protective work by Christian Scientists, I am sorry to say, is not very different from the concept of prayer which the Romanist holds. He believes his prayer is effective, powerful to bring him what he wants and protect him in danger if he prays enough, or if it is God's will. Unfortunately, certain Christian Scientists are still of the belief or opinion that a Roman Catholic's prayer is effective and will bring about what Romanism wants and what will be harmvul to him, the Christian Scientist. Many Christian Scientists believe that their prayers are effective and powerful to bring about good matter, and if the pray hard enough they will keep the Catholic's prayers from harming them.
If one believes that Christian Science prayer is effective to change something, one misunderstands prayer, and a misuse of prayer is Romanism. You cannot call that prayer which admits power in evil and the need to do something about it. The only prayer in the universe that is of any value is the prayer which is Mind declaring itself, acknowledging its own infinite perfection and refusing to admit any belief of another prayer.
Belief is illusion, animal magnetism. Deny the belief that you could possibly believe in evil if there is but one Mind. In Science, we learn that there is no mind to believe in evil and therefore we do not avoid facing any belief of evil since we know it is pure illusion. Mind is one and all. There is no believer in evil. Refusing to have contact with Roman Catholics, as well as being concerned if we do, personalizes the claim of Romanism and enhances the claim. You must believe there is a believer in evil; you must believe in thought transference, or you would not care how many so-called Romanists were round. Whenever, wherever, the human mind is tempted to hold Spirit in the grasp of matter, this is Romanism, even when it is called Christian Science. ". . . and sickness, sin, and death would be as eternal as God." (No and Yes 17:27)
Prayer in Science is the recognition, the acknowledgment of that which eternally is. Jesus' "humble prayers were deep and conscientious protests of Truth." (Science and Health 12:13-14) "Prayer can neither change God, nor bring His designs into mortal modes." (No and Yes 39:11-12) Prayer cannot change that which is, nor can it change that which is not. Through prayer, that which is comes to light, and that which is not fades away. The true understanding of prayer operates to prevent the false sense of prayer from seeming to have power or channel through which it can act. A belief cannot simulate power in the presence of Truth. The only Mind there is, never heard of the belief of Romanism. Roman Catholicism is a belief that organization is always working. There is no cessation to that particular belief called Roman Catholicism; of course, that does not matter. But if a person were unaware of it being such a belief, and simply ignored it, would that be Christian Science? If you knew there was no Roman Catholicism and absolutely knew it, you would never have to go into detail about it. If you knew as Mind knows, and that there is no human being in Romanism, that would be sufficient.
It is not intelligent and it is not scientific to make a reality of anything but God. It is always a claim, for you do not fight any opposition to Mind; Mind is not opposing iself. Do not lose your altitude when knowing the unreality of these claims, do not lose your altitude when you take cognizance of error. When you know the absolute unreality of Roman Catholicism, it blesses every Roman Catholic on earth. It must not be a contest, but it demands wisdom.
A spiritual idea is a spiritual idea right were cancer seems to be, or where belief opposed to Christian Science seems to be. There is not a spiritual idea of Roman Catholicism any more than there is a spiritual idea of cancer. A corporeal man is not man, he is not man manifested. You do not find destruction in Christian Science, you find redemption , that is consciousness of one. Consciousness is fundamental, even in human existence, and that is where we do our redemptive work, not trying to make beliefs better, but replacing them. Do not heal disease; find out there isn't any. Do not heal a sinner; find out there isn't any sinner. In handling the belief of Roman Catholicism, do not fix your eyes upon it. Be the infinity and look out from Mind and see the glory and grandeur which is all there is to religion. Anything in the name of religion which is unlike this has no power which it may claim. Any good it can try to accomplish because of a sense of good is always a sense of matter.
(end)
Note: ExChristianScientist does NOT endorse these beliefs!