Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-10-16
OPPOSING MENTALITIEs

OPPOSING MENTALiTlEs
Although it is generally admitted
that Christian Science heals both
cess, fully 80 per cent of the popu-
lar misconceptions concerning it re
lates to the mental quality that heals
Some mistake it for the human will,
others suggestion, and they are the
polar opposites of Christian Science.
We need therefore to recognize with
Paul two types of mind, for to be
carnally minded says Paul, is
death: but be spiritually minded is
| life and peace" How then shall one
differentiate between the carnal and
the spiritual? From the viewpoint
of such divine laws as honesty and
goodness; for thep salmist has said
Thy law is the truth Moreover,
by their fruits We shall know
| them Some Of the fruits Of the
carnal mind are the human Will, sug-
| gestion, anger, malice, persecution,
evil criticism and SO on. These
are continually at war with the fruits
of the spirit, which are goodness,
| honesty. health, joy, pure affection
and so on. The laws or attributes of
| God eternally link man to God; they
communicate the power of God OF
the human consciousness, and make
for life and peace
cARNAL MIND DiSCREDITED
AS the attributes of God have
/ been analysed to indicate the opera
ton of the spiritual mind, so must
we analyze briefly some of the cha
acteristics Of the carnal mind, that
we may thereby differentiate more
| accurately between them. Jealousy,
for example, as characteristic OF
the carnal mind, is always the re
suit of ignorance Of some sort, and
never should be INDUCED. 1t never
can know the truth about anything.
Again, dishonesty always bears the
mark of ignorance. A dishonest man
Icannot know whether another man
is really honest. 1t is largely guess
work with him. Like most sinful
men, he invariably suspects others
of his own basenes, often unjustly.
Only an honest man can really know
whether another man is honest. To
illustrate: Suppose you are in need
of an employee. You advertise in the
morning paper, and a half dozen men
may respond. In looking them over,
you may recognize one man in the
group to be thoroughly honest. But
how do you know? You may say
that you can see it in his cOunte-
nance But what is it that enables
you to discern the honesty express
ed in mans face? Can you de-
scribe it or tell what it looks like?
Yet you are sure you can discern
it: but how? Do you observe it with
your eyeballs? Even our physiolo-
gies teach that it is not the eye
that sees, but rather the mind back
of the eye. 1t is not the ear that
hears, but rather the mind back OF
the ear Is it not, therefore, the
mind or intelligence expressed thru
honesty in yourself that enables you
to recognize the corresponding quail
ity expressed in another? The Scrip
ture declares, concerning God, In
thy light shall We see light" Hon
esty is spiritual light that lights up
the countenance, whereby it may
be intelligently recognized. 1t is
positive intelligence. Dishonesty, on
the other hand, is negative, non-in-
telligence. Thus we might continue
in the analysis Of the characteris-
tics of the carnal mind and we could
prove them all to be negative, nom
intelligence. The carnal mind, how
ever, assumes to be intelligent, even
as Satan pretended to intelligence
concerning Jobs goodness; but it is
destitute of Intelligence. 1t also
claims to be honest. Indeed it pre-
tends to be the same mind that
Jesus employed to heal; but Jesus
said of this carnal mind, it lis liar
and the father of it." Since a lie
is untrue, it must be in its ultimate
analysis unreal. That is why it
can never be understood. The
psalmist asks the question, ''Who
can understand his errors?" No
body can. That only can be under
stood which is true. No one can
understand an error that may be
introduced into mathematical prob
lem, and no intelligent person will
try. Rather will he seek more thor
oughly to understand the rule of
truth that governs the problem and
to act in obedience thereto. Where
upon the error disappears. But
where? Into its native nothingness.
That is why Jesus said, eye shall
know the TRUTH not the error, land.
the truth shall make you free" What
ever is destitute of truth and of I'M
derstanding, is necessarily mindless,
lacking in the very qualities that
characterize mind or intelligence.
Hence the so-called carnal mind is
no mind at all.
SUGGESTION
An extraordinary claim of the car
nal mind iss to project itself through
suggestion. Beginning mildly, these
suggestions become more insistent
only to the degree they are believed