OVERCOMING EVIL SUGGESTIONS

LAWRENCE M. FARRELL

An infinite good cause cannot possibly produce an evil effect. God, good, being the only cause and creator, evil suggestions lack a cause or source and have no Principle or law to enforce them. They are illegitimate.

A well-known encyclopedia defines "suggestion" in part as "the communication of any proposition from one person (or persons) to another in such a way as to secure its acceptance with conviction, in the absence of adequate logical grounds for its acceptance." Aggressive mental suggestion continually keeps knocking at the door of thought.

Mary Baker Eddy writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (pp. 495, 496), "In the Science of Mind, you will soon ascertain that error cannot destroy error." And she continues, "You will also learn that in Science there is no transfer of evil suggestions from one mortal to another, for there is but one Mind, and this ever-present omnipotent Mind is reflected by man and governs the entire universe."

However, we must analyze the thoughts that come to us and determine whether or not they lead to a more spiritual standard of living and thinking. If not, we must classify them as suggestions and refuse to entertain them. They have no logical grounds for acceptance. Should suggestion whisper that we are afraid of a person, we have Isaiah's counsel (2:22), "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?"

In Genesis we are given the account of Jacob, who once wrestled all night with a false suggestion that man is mortal, filled with thoughts of malice, hatred, revenge, and evil designs. With the breaking of the day, a clearer sense of man as God's spiritual idea dawned upon his consciousness. This new view of man enabled Jacob to say to his estranged brother, when they met later that morning (Gen. 33:10), "I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me." Then they proceeded on their way harmoniously.

Our enemies are frequently the outgrowth of our own fears and forebodings, and these are entirely mental, formed of the evil suggestions that we entertain and accept as true. That is why we should be more critical of the thoughts we entertain. And we should make certain that we are seeing the perfect man of God's creating instead of the false mortal concept.

When we become conscious that divine Love is ever present, there can be no fear, hatred, and evil suggestions, for Love destroys them. "Perfect love casteth out fear," says the Apostle John (I John 4:18).

"Reasoning from cause to effect in the Science of Mind, we begin with Mind, which must be understood through the idea which expresses it and cannot be learned from its opposite, matter," Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health (p. 467). And she continues, "Thus we arrive at Truth, or intelligence, which evolves its own unerring idea and never can be coordinate with human illusions." We must reason logically from cause to effect and thus find all suggestions of evil to be illusions, without logical grounds for their acceptance.

Fear of old age is a suggestion without foundation in Truth. We compute age according to the revolutions of the earth on its axis and the number of its circuits around the sun. Why should that make one old and worn out? These natural phenomena require no effort on our part. Longevity has increased more than 50 per cent in the last seventy-five years. This has been largely brought about by better habits of thought. We have learned to think more constructively and positively, and therefore have been able to destroy many of the evil suggestions, fears, and superstitions which formerly beset our paths.

God gave man dominion over all the works of His hands, according to the first chapter of Genesis. A recognition of our divine origin enables us to have dominion over the thoughts that come to us, to accept or reject them. Our happiness, our peace of mind, our health, and our longevity depend upon the thoughts we entertain, or accept as true.

It is up to each individual to decide for himself whether he will accept fear or freedom from fear. Through right decisions based on the recognition of the spiritual perfection of God and man, we shall all learn to overcome evil suggestions and prove the truth that Mrs. Eddy states in Science and Health (p. 246): "Life is eternal. We should find this out, and begin the demonstration thereof. Life and goodness are immortal." And she gives us the basis of this demonstration when she adds, "Let us then shape our views of existence into loveliness, freshness, and continuity, rather than into age and blight."

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