{"id":908,"date":"2015-04-28T12:30:38","date_gmt":"2015-04-28T12:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lessonsintruth.info\/library\/?page_id=908"},"modified":"2015-04-29T01:28:07","modified_gmt":"2015-04-29T01:28:07","slug":"the-secret-to-the-teaching","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lessonsintruth.info\/library\/the-secret-or-the-law-of-attraction-books-and-information\/the-secret-to-the-teaching\/","title":{"rendered":"From “The Secret” to “The Teaching” by Stan Ousley"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FROM \u201cTHE SECRET\u201d TO \u201cTHE TEACHING\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Basics of Divine Science<\/p>\n

By The Rev. Stan Ousley Jr.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

SYMPHONY OF LOVE GLOBAL DIVINE SCIENCE MINISTRY<\/p>\n

Santa Fe, N.M.<\/p>\n

This material may be reprinted (Xerox) and duplicated without special permission.<\/p>\n

Please include the title page.<\/p>\n

We can also send a Microsoft Word File version which may be run off on a PC printer for duplication.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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1. THE PROBLEM:<\/small><\/span><\/small><\/p>\n

Many people today are enmeshed in their seeking. They are seeking better explanations of the deep issues of Life and they are seeking an inner fulfillment that goes beyond mere outer material possessions, shallow relationships and the complexities of relating, and occupational success. The recent popularity of the book and movie THE SECRET illustrates this need, but it does not provide the solutions to the seeking. BEYOND THE SECRET IS THE TEACHING.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

The problem is our need to find, not just a \u201csecret\u201d revealed, but a teaching explained. The teaching must be explained in basic terminology; it must be universal in its applications; it must go beyond particular dogmas or creeds or religions; it must have practical applications. In short, the teaching must embody the principles of \u201cscience\u201d as it is routinely applied in scientific research methodology. It must be: systematic, logical, empirical, replicable, and reductive. It must follow and apply a method that doesn\u2019t change (systematic) in a process that makes sense (logical). It must have observable, empirical, out-picturing and outcomes. It must be able to be applied by others — the teachings of a teacher must be able to be duplicated (replicated) by the students. It must be reductive, reducing the complex into the basic foundations and principles that underlie the appearance of complexity.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

The Teaching (now capitalized) must be able to be expressed in both non-religious and religious terms, but as religion is a specific application (among many possible expressions) and The Teaching is the understanding behind the specific application, we follow a deductive path. The practice of the principles leads to the demonstration of that which the principles describe. We can use or misuse the principle. The principles, through the \u201claws,\u201d are constant and neutral. We can jump off the roof of a skyscraper and misapply the Law of Gravity that out-pictures the Principle of Gravity. We can enjoy a trampoline or bounce a ball and find gravity useful to us. Gravity doesn\u2019t care!<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

So The Teaching must give us universal understandable explanations with practical applications and also it must assist us in re-perceiving and redefining a previous belief system IF that is deemed desirable, and for many people coming from Christian Orthodoxy, it is desirable. Likewise, the principles articulated by Copernicus in the 1600\u2019s were an \u201cevolution\u201d in understanding that did not destroy the concept of the solar system, but rather expanded and redefined our understanding. For some, Jesus expanded the understanding of our relationship with a higher intelligence or cosmic principle and he also provided teachings on how to live in a practical way at a higher spiritual level, and now there is an opportunity to \u201creconcile\u201d the Jesus-based teachings with modern \u201cscientific\u201d religion.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Part Two presents The Teaching at both a universal and Christian-specific level. Part Three presents a more detailed \u201cmetaphysical\u201d interpretation of traditional Christian terms for those who may find it useful, as they \u201cseek\u201d to move beyond previous understandings that led them to become \u201cseekers.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

BEYOND \u201cTHE SECRET\u201d IS THE TEACHING:<\/small><\/span>
\nBEYOND \u201cTHE TEACHING\u201d IS THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION. THE APPLICATION EXPRESSES THE GOLDEN RULE AND HONORS THE PRIMACY OF LOVE.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

2. THE TEACHING:<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

AUTHENTIC DIVINE SCIENCE —<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

I. INTRODUCTION:<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

This education module is for people who are not particularly into reading books about religion and whose time is valuable! It is an introduction to the Divine Science interpretation of New Thought. New Thought evolved from nineteenth century teachings of Phineas Quimby (mental healing), Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science) and Emma Curtis Hopkins, the \u201cteacher of teachers\u201d who taught, either directly or indirectly, various founders of the New Thought denominations. Divine Science was the first of these religious organizations. In Denver, Nona Brooks evolved a Divine Science movement founded upon the earlier teachings of Malinda Cramer. New Thought was a \u201cnew thinking\u201d that came out of orthodox Protestant Christianity of the late 1800\u2019s and incorporated elements of Transcendentalism and Vedanta Hinduism (with its monistic theism) along with some perspectives from nineteenth century Unitarianism and Universalism.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

II. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN A NON-RELIGIOUS CONTEXT:<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

A. The basic principle of Divine Science is the Omnipresence of God. In her 1898 Denver newspaper article describing Divine Science, Nona Brooks makes it clear that the visible is an extension of and expression of the Invisible. That called God can be known by other terms; a Shakespeare character said \u201cA rose by any other name would smell as sweet.\u201d Brooks and other early New Thought pioneers used terms familiar to people in the late 1800\u2019s and early 1900\u2019s.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

B. At the level of Spiritual Science, we can explain the Fundamentals in less \u201creligious\u201d ways. First is the concept of that called God, or Divine Mind, or Cosmic Creator, or Ultimate Source, or The Supreme Ultimate, or Pure Consciousness, or First Cause. Pure Intelligence as Consciousness, Light, and Energy are the building blocks of the Universe as we know it. Intelligence and the Consciousness behind thoughts are INVISIBLE in essence. Light exists as INVISIBLE waves that form visible particles. Energy is \u201ceternal\u201d and can never be created or destroyed. It, too, is a constant. The Spiritual component is \u201cthe Love factor\u201d — and Love itself cannot be quantified, empirically measured, but it is the expression of the Essence. In many traditions, Love is the center of our \u201csoul\u201d — the inner seat of at-one-ment with the Nature of Universal Life-Source. The soul can be described as our \u201cGod-core\u201d within us.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Although our outer physical body, the visible, is \u201ctime-sensitive,\u201d our inner individuated soul, the Invisible, is eternal. Intelligence, Light, Energy, and Love are the components of our timeless being in Being. But our physicality, our body form, is essential for us to express life in Life, and to grow in our soul unfolding. In this dimension, we cannot \u201cdo\u201d much if we are disembodied!<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

C. The \u201cpractice\u201d of Life at a higher level of understanding is rooted, grounded, in THE GOLDEN RULE found in many religions and spiritual teachings. From the viewpoint of quantum physics and energy field theory, it is evident that THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE IS INTER-RELATED. So when we do unto others as we would have others do unto us, we actually are doing unto the universe as we would have the universe do unto us through the Spiritual (INVISIBLE) Law.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

D. SPIRITUAL LAW is the foundation for our living at the level of Principle. By the LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT, we reap as we have sown. By the LAW OF ATTRACTION, at the mental science level of interpretation, we \u201cattract\u201d into our lives that which is in alignment with our subjective feelings-beliefs. In some mind science circles, people intentionally visualize or affirm or make \u201ctreasure maps\u201d of their desires. This Law often works for us when we do not have a \u201cdisconnect\u201d between our objectivity and our subjectivity.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

The Law of Attraction has a more mystical application as well. Nona Brooks taught us not to \u201cformulate\u201d our desires. If we take a pint cup to the ocean, if that is our affirmation and visualization, we can only carry away a pint of the water. Brooks advises us to affirm the general, never the particular: abundance and health and peace and harmony for all humankind. At the mystical level of interpretation, we \u201cattract\u201d that which we really need (beyond our greed). What we really need may not be what we have imagined or fantasized that we need. What we really need comes into our awareness and experiences through GRACE, the free giving of Love. We can call Grace a \u201charmonizing cosmic impulse towards homeostasis\u201d instead. We see the trees of the forest, at times in disarray, until we become aware, often reluctantly so in our ego-thinking, of the larger forest — a symbol of the Greater Harmony.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

By the LAW OF RECIPROCITY, as we give, we receive even more than we have given. Selfish people are not usually very happy people, because in focusing upon the visible material aspects of life, they miss out on the \u201cblessings\u201d of the invisible dimensions: friendship, generous sharing of one\u2019s talents and resources, inner growth and acquisition of Wisdom. By the LAW OF MENTAL EQUIVALENTS, or Correspondences, what we experience is congruent with our understanding coupled with our earlier experiences and our feelings and perceptions about those experiences. Thus, some people go from one abusive relationship to another or from one illness to another. Others \u201cattract\u201d into their lives good relationships, health, and prosperity. FEAR and fearful thinking can influence our inner mental equivalents in negative ways.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

By the LAW OF CIRCULATION, we keep the flow going. A saying is \u201cDon\u2019t hold on to love, pass it on.\u201d Discernment is important, but it is vital to discern our own negative attitudes of scarcity thinking or greed or selfishness as well, for such can block the flow. By the LAW OF EXPECTATION (faith), we \u201cfeel\u201d as well as \u201cthink\u201d that the Dependable Principles of Spiritual Law are ever operative, regardless of any outer condition. By the LAW OF LIFE, we connect within to the Nature of the Invisible Reality in Its Essence that is expressed through us in the World.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

E. So is there Evil or why does there seem to be less than Ideal Goodness in the world? Nona Brooks wrote that: \u201cNine-tenths of the wrongs and sufferings of the world come from man\u2019s inhumanity to man. All conditions of evil, such as the sweat shop, unjust labor conditions, all immoral conditions, could be banished from the face of the earth, if men would turn their thought to universal love, for the evils of the world fade away in the light of good.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

In a very modified form of Process Theology, we can see that in every micro-experience, or \u201coccasion of experience,\u201d we can either react on the basis of past learned behaviors and felt perceptions and internalized beliefs, or we can, instead, choose a different response, or \u201cHarmonizing Impulse.\u201d As an example, maybe gossip in the past has seemingly helped me to feel accepted by peers and gotten me seeming approval and attention from others. But in the momentary instant, when someone\u2019s name is mentioned, I am at a \u201cchoice point\u201d influenced by my inner conscience of what is ultimately right or wrong, and I can choose the more harmonious \u201cGolden Rule Response\u201d instead. It is a Divine Opportunity. As within, so without. Inside us and all around us, people may \u201cknow better\u201d but they still make choices that are less than ideal.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

In the ancient Greek, \u201csin\u201d was an archery term that meant \u201cmissing the target\u201d or \u201cmissing the mark.\u201d The Greek word \u201csin\u201d as used in Paul\u2019s writings meant \u201cthe sin nature\u201d — not a specific mistake. What we have been programmed to do and think can be reprogrammed, as we are transformed by the renewing of our thoughts in our minds. Think about what kind of learned behaviors are being programmed into people by violence-based computer games where one is rewarded for \u201ckilling\u201d a cartoon character? In the past we saw violence on t-v. But computer games are programming us to actually participate in violence. \u201cGod\u201d or the Supreme Ultimate or Cosmic Mind is not to blame for such negative conditions. Nona Brooks taught that WE are responsible for our thoughts as well as our actions.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

F. PRAYER practiced scientifically is an inner process of aligning with the Ideal without manipulating it. Meditation is not necessarily a \u201creligious\u201d practice. Any activity is useful if it quiets our mind and helps us refocus from the outer world to the inner world, calming our emotions, and re-perceiving external situations and challenges. The \u201cprayer process\u201d in Divine Science is not supernatural or religious. It is a process of going into The Silence and then contemplating the Universal Good or Ideal Quality we are focusing upon, recognizing that reality in our lives, accepting such (realization), and then being thankful.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Many folks steeped in orthodoxy are accustomed to praying to a \u201cGod\u201d that they relate to as a father figure, a supernatural version of a human person, and these people may find Divine Science and New Thought impersonal. They want a parental \u201cGod\u201d to talk to and a God who answers specific prayers often presented in begging ways by the one praying. Here\u2019s my rebuttal. The Law is always neutral, but we personalize it as we use it and experience it. Love is always impersonal until we express it. Energy is neutral until we embody it. Consciousness or Intelligence is personalized in our minds as we THINK it. Light as invisible waves comes into form as particles, and we are vibrating energy fields of light. WE make it personal and WE each personalize the Cosmic Essence in our own individualized essences.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

G. The GOAL of scientific New Thought is happiness and harmony, within and without. It is living in a \u201cuser-friendly\u201d universe.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

III. THE CHRISTIAN CONNECTION<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

A. New Thought is not \u201corthodox\u201d Christianity. It is, at best, \u201cheterodoxy\u201d — a \u201cvariation.\u201d But even early Christianity had many variations. James, Paul, Thomas, John, and Philip are all associated by name with various early \u201cversions\u201d of what became Christianity. In Divine Science and New Thought, Jesus the human man became The Christ because he \u201cembodied\u201d that Consciousness of Oneness with Source. The Virgin Birth and even The Resurrection are interpreted as symbols for inner states of consciousness. In New Testament Greek, Jesus was \u201cSon\u201d of God as huios — one who has the same qualities of God — a spiritual offspring, not a biological offspring or \u201cchild\u201d as used in another Greek word teknon. From a Greek Lexicon, we read: \u201cHuios primarily signifies the relation of offspring to parent and not simply the birth as indicated by teknon. \u2026 Used metaphorically of prominent moral characteristics.\u201c That which is \u201cborn of\u201d Spirit is spirit. Only Begotten or monogenes, used only by John, signifies a connection of Essence. From the Lexicon: \u201cJesus Christ designated as the only One of the same stock in the relationship of the Son to the Father. He is not to be understood as eternally born of the Father, but only in His humanity was he born.\u201c (As we all are: born of visible flesh and begotten of invisible Spirit!)<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

In the Divine Science textbook, we read that CHRIST refers to: \u201cThe indwelling identity of God-man, the divine [nature of the] individual.\u201d Concerning Jesus, we read: \u201cThe man of Nazareth, historically speaking, who became the full embodiment of the Christ consciousness, which has earned for him the title, Christ Jesus.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Another variation that I personally find meaningful is an understanding of The Cross of Christ and The Way of The Cross as the PROCESS behind the PRACTICE of New Thought Christianity.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

+<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Simply put, the horizontal or cross (Cross) bar represents our enmeshment in worldly or everyday thinking and acting, based on \u201cless than our best\u201d such as jealousy, greed, grudges and un-forgiveness, lust, war at all its levels. The upward or vertical bar represents the spiritual current ascending to the higher consciousness, the \u201cCrown of Christ.\u201d Where the bars intersect is where the \u201ccrucifixion\u201d of ego takes place inside us. As we ascend to the \u201cChrist\u201d Consciousness (or Buddha Nature or Atman in other traditions), we become The Resurrection within. Although he interprets it VERY differently, evangelist Jimmy Swaggart is correct (but rejected by most of his ministerial peers) when he teaches that our problem is not \u201csin\u201d (specific failings or actions) but \u201cthe sin nature\u201d (inner inclinations often based on ignorance or misunderstandings) and \u201cChrist is the Source, and The Cross is the means.\u201d A New Thought interpretation is that the Christ Consciousness is the Source, and The Cross is the means — the inner process of attaining at-one-ment — with the Source. So those teachings, interpreted very differently by me than they would be interpreted in orthodox circles, brought me back to Christianity a few years ago, practiced in a New Thought context, as I also realized that Jesus\u2019 Ministry was universal rather than religion-specific.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Many people \u201creact\u201d in a negative way to Jesus because of previous bad experiences with Christianity, which is the religion about Jesus rather than the religion OF Jesus.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

B. Jesus The Way-shower<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

In Divine Science, Jesus is a spiritual Way-shower, not a religious dogmatist. Jesus did not get along with the Pharisees, the \u201creligious professionals\u201d and ordained ministers of his day. His universal, non-religious specific \u201cteachings\u201d and healing methods lead us to \u201csalvation\u201d — defined by Nona Brooks\u2019 sister Fannie James as \u201cknowledge of the Truth.\u201d Jesus taught The Golden Rule. Most of the Spiritual Laws were described in his teachings. Jesus taught the Law of Reciprocity (it is returned to us \u201cpressed out and overflowing\u201c), the Law of Mental Equivalents (\u201cas we think in our hearts, so are we\u201c), the Law of Circulation (the Parable of the Talents), the Law of Attraction (\u201cto him who has much, more is given; but to him who has little, even that little will be taken away\u201d and \u201cask, and you will receive; knock, and the door shall be opened\u201c). Jesus taught the Law of Faith or Expectation: When you pray [ask], believe that you will receive — and when faced with challenges, \u201cfear not, only believe.\u201c Paul taught the Law of Cause and Effect (we reap as we have sown). John taught that God is Spirit, NOT a person, and God is Love (LOVE is the Nature and Essence of God).<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

The GOAL of \u201cChristian\u201d New Thought is also happiness and harmony, within and without. Jesus talked about \u201cThe Kingdom of Heaven.\u201d In more traditional terminology, HEAVEN is defined as follows in the D.S. textbook: \u201cConsciousness of the omnipresence of God. Spiritual realization of that which is \u2018within\u2019 and \u2018at hand\u2019 — the omnipresent God, the Christ within. A state of consciousness in which the ideal is spiritually realized. It is the full realization that I and my Father [Source] are one.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus exemplified and personified, through his teachings and actions and healing ministry, the core concepts of New Thought. All the New Thought denominations have been, at least originally, Jesus-based in their teachings. To identify oneself as a \u201cChristian\u201d is NOT necessary in order to practice New Thought Principles, nor is the so-called \u201cChristian Religion\u201d totally congruent with some New Thought interpretations. Nevertheless, we read in the Divine Science textbook: \u201cDivine Science is a Christian religion based upon the teachings of Jesus, expounding the principles of the omnipresence of God and proving by the law of expression that innately man [humankind] can be only what God is.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

3. THE APPLICATION: INTEGRATING A \u201cJESUS-BASED IDENTITY\u201d WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF \u201cTHE TEACHING\u201c<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Much attention has been given to a book and movie entitled THE SECRET. The content is about \u201cThe Law of Attraction\u201d interpreted mostly at the level of mental science. Much of the content is congruent with aspects of New Thought. Yet many \u201cfirst-comers\u201d encountering the ideas will probably experience \u201ccognitive dissonance\u201d because the concepts are too alien to the Christian Orthodoxy they still find positive in some ways as a life path.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, many people cannot fully accept certain dogmas of traditional \u201corthodox\u201d Christianity. So to begin to understand \u201cthe problem,\u201d and thus work towards a solution, we must take a brief look at what is the \u201cOrthodox Christianity\u201d we cannot fully embrace. We can \u201crescue Jesus from religion\u201d and reinterpret traditional understandings in order to make them congruent with The Teaching.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

C.S. Lewis\u2019 book Mere Christianity is a sketch of the traditional orthodox Christianity that is problematic to many people. It is a classic \u201cnon-denominational\u201d sketch of some basic premises of Christian dogma, at the level of a general popular understanding of Christianity. Lewis\u2019 classic book evolved out of BBC radio talks he gave in Britain during the darkest days of World War II. The Nazis seemed to be, and still would so appear to most of us, the embodiment of the \u201cessence of evil.\u201c So we can understand and even appreciate his concern over \u201cevil\u201d and humankind\u2019s shortcomings, while at the same time rejecting some of his explanations.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Lewis states that we tend to know what we should do (how we should act), but we do something else instead, and of our Free Will, we cannot seem to \u201covercome\u201d our failure to follow The Golden Rule. Regarding Free Will, Lewis wrote: \u201cWhen we have understood about free will, we shall see how silly it is to ask, as somebody once asked me: \u2019Why did God make a creature of such rotten stuff that it went wrong?\u2019 The better stuff a creature is made of — the cleverer and stronger and freer it is — then the better it will be if it goes right, but also the worse it will be if it goes wrong.\u201d And the apostle Paul would agree — in Romans 7:15 he wrote (Holman CSB translation): \u201cFOR I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM DOING, BECAUSE I DO NOT PRACTICE WHAT I WANT TO DO, BUT I DO WHAT I HATE.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

To Lewis, only Jesus (Christ) is the solution. We, of ourselves, cannot perfectly \u201crepent.\u201d But by accepting Jesus as THE \u201cSon of God\u201d in human form, Lewis would suggest Jesus\u2019 crucifixion and resurrection somehow \u201creconcile\u201d us to God and this is his version of the Atonement. He writes that we must simply accept Jesus as \u201cThe Perfect Penitent\u201d without much intellectual speculation as to how the Atonement works: \u201cWe are told that Christ was killed for us, that His death has washed away our sins, and that by dying He disabled death itself. This is the formula. That is Christianity. That is what has to be believed. Any theories we build up as to how Christ\u2019s death did all this are, in my view, quite secondary: mere plans or diagrams to be left alone if they do not help us, and, even if they do help us, not to be confused with the thing itself.\u201d Lewis believed baptism, belief (faith), and the Eucharist or Communion, are the outer evidences that connect us with the \u201cChrist-life.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Lewis\u2019 Christianity is not New Thought or Divine Science Christianity. Jesus revealed our human potential, rather than being a \u201cblood sacrifice\u201d for so-called human \u201coriginal sin.\u201c The \u201cproblem\u201d is that we need to find both a teaching and an interpretation that can move us beyond this orthodox dogma without a need to reject Jesus the person, or the universal teachings and healing ministry of Jesus. We need to understand the Eternal Invisible in ways that do not depend upon the religiously dogmatic visible dimension of church-ism and creeds. We need to \u201crescue\u201d Jesus from religion.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

We need to move from Atonement to At-one-ment. We need an explanation, a teaching, that is spiritual, not religion-specific, and that does not require assent to a creed or a diminishment of our Human Potential as it is spiritually realized. We also need to move beyond \u201creplacement\u201d materialistic and manipulative mental science teachings such as those found in the book and movie THE SECRET.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Part of the Divine Science \u201csolution\u201d is based on a reinterpretation of traditional Christian concepts, from the DS textbook Divine Science: Its Principle And Practice. To redeem the popular version of Christianity, and rescue Jesus from the non-academic modern normative interpretation of Christian Religion intended for non-denominational \u201cmass public appeal,\u201d we can turn to the viewpoints of New Thought Christianity.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

In Divine Science, Jesus and Christ are not the same concepts. First, we need to understand that the word SON used in the Greek manuscripts to describe Jesus as \u201cSON of God\u201d is HUIOS — referring to spiritual offspring or an offspring (son) having \u201cthe characteristics\u201d of its source of genesis. Jesus is a spiritual Son of God, not a biological one. Jesus is the man, Christ is the Divine Idea of Mankind. From the DS textbook, Jesus is described as \u201cThe man of Nazareth, historically speaking, who became the full embodiment of the Christ consciousness, which has earned for him the title, Christ Jesus.\u201d Christ is \u201cThe indwelling identity of God-man, the divine {{eternal and invisible idea of the}} individual. Son {{HUIOS}} of God. Universal man.\u201d The DS textbook defines Son of God as \u201cUniversal Man. God-Idea of Man.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cAtonement\u201d is \u201cConscious unity with the One.\u201d We in New Thought and Divine Science would see The One as the Universal Intelligence, John\u2019s LOGOS or WORD (Idea) behind all Creation, that which Ernest Holmes called \u201cThe Thing Itself.\u201d Resurrection is \u201cMan\u2019s evolving consciousness. His gradual rising to a higher concept of Truth.\u201d Heaven is \u201cConsciousness of the omnipresence of God. \u2026 A state of consciousness in which the ideal is spiritually realized.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

GOD is \u201cThe one and only Presence both invisible and visible. The All in all..\u201d For some, a stumbling block leads to our trying to see if \u201cGod\u201d is in a rock, etc. Most of us can, via understandings in Quantum Physics, see cosmic interconnectedness while also differentiating between animate and inanimate objects, and we understand the concept of the Free Will aspect of our consciousness of Consciousness, that some theorize makes humankind \u201cthe image\u201d of God-Mind (in potential) through the out-picturing of Love in action.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

God expresses Its Nature (\u201cIntegrity of Being\u201d) through Love and The Spiritual Law. From the DS textbook, LAW is \u201cGod\u2019s rule of action; the rule which governs creation. Integrity of Being.\u201d Through Free Will, we decide how to use Law and thus either approximate heaven or experience \u201chell\u201d — separation from realization of our inner spiritual Oneness with Love\u2019s Perfection. Love is \u201cConscious unity expressed as out-streaming good will. \u2019Love is the fulfilling of the law.\u2019\u201d We experience Love through Grace: \u201cThe gift of the nature of God which is omni presently available to man [humankind].\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Regarding the practices of Baptism and Eucharist, Baptism is defined in Divine Science as \u201cthe immersion of every thought in Divine Consciousness\u201d or what could be described as The Practice of The Presence of God through The Golden Rule. Regarding Communion or Eucharist, Divine Science does not exactly reject the traditional practices, but it also offers a more \u201cspiritual\u201d alternative. From the textbook: \u201cWe receive our communion in Spirit [which is the only way it can be received], but as long as the visible elements are an aid to one\u2019s thought, let him continue their use. \u2026 We \u2019drink his blood\u2019 as we receive the true consciousness of life, and we \u2019eat his flesh\u2019 when we know the whole Body to be the divine \u2019Word \u2026 made flesh.\u2019\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

But the application of the solution must move us beyond simply reinterpreting Orthodox Christianity. The application is found in deeds of the heart, not ideas of the mind. New Thought Christianity is a living faith that moves one into the spiritual dimension. We move from head to heart, objective left brain to subjective right brain, from theory to practice, WITHOUT \u201cDUMBING DOWN\u201d or debasing The Essence of The Presence we seek to embody and express more fully. We move beyond \u201cthe Christian New Thought\u201d applications to the dimension of UNIVERSAL SPIRITUALITY and Spiritual Law. Jesus becomes a Spiritual Way-shower, not the object of hero worship. Jesus never asked to be worshipped, but it is appropriate to honor him as The Teacher.<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

The higher aspect of application comes as we practice the teachings in the context of The Golden Rule. The intentional unselfish acts of love we do (\u201cBe ye doers of the word \u2026\u201d), regardless of any religion or even a spiritual understanding, inevitably shall bring us to a state of inner harmony. Our \u201csin\u201d (misunderstanding) is thinking we cannot approximate wholeness, so we cease to try, embrace a negative self-concept, and rely on faith in an outer institution or methodology. Yet Mother Teresa said although we may not be able to do great things for God, we can do small things with a great love. And Mother Angelica said \u201cGod chooses little things to do big things.\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

The Universal Spiritual Teachings of Jesus are the bedrock foundation of our practical application of the principles of Truth. Jesus demonstrated our Human Potential. We are all, regardless of gender, the spiritual HUIOS-SON OF GOD as we evolve in our consciousness. In 1. John 3:2, we read (KJV) \u201cBeloved, now are we the sons [teknon, children] of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be {as we evolve in our understanding} \u2026\u201d<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n

Prepared by SYMPHONY OF LOVE Divine Science Ministry<\/a><\/small><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FROM \u201cTHE SECRET\u201d TO \u201cTHE TEACHING\u201d The Basics of Divine Science By The Rev. Stan Ousley Jr. SYMPHONY OF LOVE GLOBAL DIVINE SCIENCE MINISTRY Santa Fe, N.M. This material may be reprinted (Xerox) and duplicated without special permission. Please include the title page. 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