Article December 21, 1968 Issue

There Is No Mortal Mind

J. DARROW KIRKPATRICK

Sometimes students of Christian Science tend to make a reality of the mortal, or carnal, mind by blaming unpleasant daily happenings on it and building up belief in its power over their thinking and acting. It is quite easy to say that mortal mind is making one late for appointments or that mortal mind is making one's hand hurt or that mortal mind is making one's job tough. But in the spiritual reality of being there are no aggressive mental suggestions to make these things happen. As soon as we acknowledge this and demonstrate that there is only one Mind, our experience becomes harmonious.

Mrs. Eddy writes, "As Mind is immortal, the phrase mortal mind implies something untrue and therefore unreal; and as the phrase is used in teaching Christian Science, it is meant to designate that which has no real existence."^{ Science and Health, p. 114;} She states further, "There is no such thing as mortality, nor are there properly any mortal beings, because being is immortal, like Deity,—or, rather, being and Deity are inseparable."^{ p. 554;} In absolute being there is no mortal mind or mortality to contend with. To ensure health and progress in daily existence, we need to acknowledge this fact and see God's all-power and all-presence, because in truth that is all there is.

How important it is to remember the First Commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"!^{ Ex. 20:3;} We can put it into practice by persistently realizing that there is no power apart from God, no mortal mind, no mortal beings, no state of mortality. In daily activities we may often be tempted to think that we are struggling through a material state to reach a far-off divine or spiritual state. This discouraging temptation can be rejected, however, by returning to the First Commandment and realizing that here and now there is actually no power apart from God to be struggled against. The only power and presence is all-encompassing good, God; therefore there is no evil, error, devil, mortal mind, animal magnetism—no hypothetical second power.