IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BIBLE LESSON November 23, 2009 Issue

RELEASED FROM PRISON—OF ALL KINDS

MICHAEL HAMILTON

THIS WEEK'S Christian Science Bible Lesson, titled "Ancient and Modern Necromancy, alias Mesmerism and Hypnotism, Denounced," provides vital information to anyone yearning to understand the supremacy of God, who is infinite good, over evil.

A variety of Bible narratives are used to emphasize this point: Daniel in the lions' den (see Dan. 6:1–27, citation 4); Jesus' temptation in the wilderness (see Matt. 4:1–11, cit. 6) and his subsequent healing of a man with an unclean spirit (see Luke 4:14–36, cit. 7); and Paul's protection from a poisonous snake (see Acts 28:3, 5, cit. 10) and his encounter with a slave who was a clairvoyant medium (see Acts 16:16–26, cit. 11). This last citation includes the imprisonment of Paul and his helper, Silas, and their remarkable release.

One salient feature of this Lesson is an excerpt from the chapter in Science and Health, "Animal Magnetism Unmasked," in which its author, Mary Baker Eddy, traces the modern development of the theory of animal magnetism, also known as hypnotism (see pp. 100–102, cits. 2, 3). She briefly quotes Anton Mesmer, the 18th-century proponent of animal magnetism, and it's interesting to note that his theory, summarized here in two sentences, is the basis for a number of ancient and modern spiritual and therapeutic systems. Mrs. Eddy, however, repudiates Mesmer, and probes beneath the surface to get at the underlying misconceptions that she maintains are at the root of all ills.

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