“More than just an exercise in English 101…Mrs. Eddy used these vivid, contrasting terms to wake us up.”

 1.)    What do you feel the word creation implies?

Creation implies the unbounded totality of the reality of Spirit and its formations, which is only, and increasingly, visible to me in proportion to my spiritual discipline and altitude.  

2.)    In your own words describe your impressions of the chapter “Creation” in Science and Health.

On reading this chapter a number of times, I noticed the range of descriptors that Mrs. Eddy used to express the contrast between a mortal view of creation and the true, spiritual view.   A few of the most arresting for me: mental swaddling clothes vs. eternal Truth; mythical human theories vs. accurate views; physical finiteness vs. infinite Godhead; scholastic vs. inspirational; polytheism vs. one ever-present I AM; finiteness vs. vastness of infinity; substance vs. shadow; anthropomorphic God vs. infinite Principle (divine Love); finite form vs. inexhaustible Love, eternal Life, omnipotent Truth; mortal, corporeal, finite vs. glories of limitless, incorporeal Life and Love; mortal, erring thought vs. ideal of all that is perfect and eternal; thoughts ever recurring to oneself vs. spiritual growth; mutations of time and sense vs. fixing your gaze on the realities supernal; putting off the old man vs. putting on immortality; shallows of mortal belief vs. clearer, higher views; false sense of man’s origin vs. divine Mind is the only cause or Principle of existence; fleeting concepts of the human mind vs. permanent facts and their perfection in Spirit; fading finite forms vs. unsearchable realm of Mind; hell vs. heaven.

More than just an exercise in English 101 for me, I believe Mrs. Eddy used these vivid, contrasting terms to wake us up and inspire us to challenge the generally accepted, earth-bound views of creation which ultimate in the limitations of sin, disease and death.  She instructs us to “Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts.” (SH 261:4)

3.)    How can the increased understanding of true creation make a difference in your life?  Better yet, share with us how the truth of creation has been, or is being, demonstrated in your life.

With the support of a practitioner, and through my own work, I have been learning to be more discerning about which model is occupying my thought—the real or the mortal; it has been a big challenge to reject “thoughts ever-recurring to oneself” and replace them with spiritual facts.  This assignment has been most helpful to address this, and I am grateful to say progress is being made.