Letters May 5, 2014 ISSUE

Letters

Steven Price, NancyWV, Heidi Werner

Models of thought

I enjoyed reading the recent article, “Angels on a train,” by Heather Libbe in the April 7 Sentinel. I’ve been thinking about models of thought, and I loved seeing Libbe’s reference to “the true spiritual model of children as innocent, pure, joyful, receptive, obedient, and free.” This reminded me that it’s not in our nature to be disobedient to God. I love the reminder that “the only true ambition is to serve God and to help the race” (Mary Baker Eddy, Message to The Mother Church for 1902, p. 3 ). Thanks, too, for Libbe’s explanation of animal magnetism as “the belief in a power that attempts to mesmerize and draw our attention away from God’s goodness.” Or as I like to say, away from spiritual models. We shouldn’t discount Mrs. Eddy’s insight included in the article that “the mild forms of animal magnetism are disappearing, and its aggressive features are coming to the front” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 102 ) and address these challenges with our understanding of divine Love. As Libbe points out, “No limited, human sense of love was going to do that [unifying, healing, etc.], but divine Love could—and did.” And does.

Steven Price
San Rafael, California, US

Awakened

[“The Church Christ is building,” by Barbara Vining, March 31, 2014, issue.]

Thanks so much, Barbara and the Sentinel! Your article wakens me to our genuine unity in church with all our universal brothers and sisters, and my special privilege in the Church of Christ, Scientist, to find my place “in Christ’s service, as part of God’s universal plan.”

NancyWV
JSH-Online Web Post

Valuable article

This article, “Challenging pornography with purity” by Ron Mangelsdorf, is another valuable contribution to the Sentinel (March 18, 2014). Valuable because it not only deals with pornography, but it is also a sure recipe for healing all kinds of evil.

The author makes reference to page 162 of Science and Health, which says that the human mind has to be stirred “to a change of base, on which it may yield to the harmony of the divine Mind.” Changing the base is changing man’s thinking.

Man must understand that he is not a struggling mortal, but is the offspring of Spirit, reflecting God’s goodness, perfection, beauty, and holiness. Once man has progressed to the understanding that he is God’s distinctive and complete spiritual idea, which has absolutely no attributes that could possibly respond to the pull of animal magnetism, this will manifest in pure action, and he surely will “obey and adore [God] in proportion as [h]e apprehend[s] the divine nature” (see Science and Health, p. 140 ).

Thank you, Ron Mangelsdorf, for your great article.

Heidi Werner
Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada

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