The Sermon by the Sea

Religious Science (Science of Mind) | 1959 | Dr. Ernest Holmes

[TBP]

Quite a vision by Dr. Holmes!

[Support Free Republic]

Without the support of Freeper donations, Free Republic would go belly-up, leaving guys like The French Gynecologist to be unopposed. And we can't have that!

[dsc]

Hey, where was the Looney-Toon Alert on this one?

[LadyDoc]

Find me one person who no longer has any fear of the universe, or of God, or of man, or of anything else, and you will have brought to me someone in whose presence we may sit, and fear shall vanish as clouds before the sunlight.

Hmm. Hey, man, this is mellow: let's sit together and smoke some weed and watch the clouds go away

Fear, like pain, is a warning. people without fear lack wisdom. Real wisdom is facing fear "one step at a time" and overcoming it because you know in the end you are in God's hands.

As for this "wisdom": where is the fruits? Do these saintly dudes run clinics, or care for the sick, or do their prayers lift up and support the people around them?

[livius]

For a good read:

The Making of the New Spirituality
James A. Herrick, Intervarsity Press, 2003

It's an excellent history of individual movements (starting a couple of hundred years ago, even prior to toking up in the Age of Aquarius) and a quite unnerving analysis of their current state in general and their effect upon modern thought.

[TBP]

Fear, like pain, is a warning. people without fear lack wisdom.

Overcoming fear is one of the most important things we can do. Fear is faith in the negative. It creates negative states of consciousness, which create negative events in our lives.

[TBP]

Another excellent book is Spirits in Rebellion.

[LadyDoc]

No, fear is an emotion. Like pain, it is often a warning of danger.

It is overcome by faith that God is in charge.

those who have no fear lack reality. They are fools. But those who overcome fear thru trust are what we call heroes.

The NYFD heroes had fear, but trusted in the Lord (many asked the priests on site for a blessing before mounting the stairs). However, they took responsibility to do their job, and overcame their fear by placing the job--saving lives -- before their fears. Most of these NYFD heroes were catholic christians, who did not meditate and act holy holy, but knew in their guts that their job was serving God by imitating Jesus (not that they would say it that way, of course).

What you are talking about is neurotic fear: distrust of other people, distrust in the future. That can be overcome by faith and by what is preached in this sermon.

But life is complicated, and if one uses this sermon as a basis for religion/personal spirituality, it is lacking in complexity. It is similar to the quietism of Madam Guyren (Spelling?) which said you only needed piety. But you actually need piety, faith, and action.

This sermon is similar to quietism, buddhism, and gnosticism. It says reality is non existant, and that we become good/holy/spiritual by overcoming this non existant reality.

Judism on the contrary puts spirituality into the reality of material life, and Christianity--especially the Catholic christianity--says that material reality is made holy by the fact that God himself became a simple man and "translated" the highfalutin spiritual teaching into a simple reality that even the simplest peasant could understand.

The importance of serving God simply thru daily life is emphasized in Christianity, but is also taught in non western religions. For example, there is an old Hindu story that a guru asked Krishna to show him the holiest man in the world...so Krishna took him to the house of a simple farmer...a loving man with a large happy family...the farmer fed the travelers, and gave them his bed to sleep in...and cheered them with his generousity.

the great religions all have mystical teachings, but the GREAT religions also teach the holiness of the daily life lived with trust in God and that in the end, God will care for the poor. This is the trust that overcomes fear.

[TBP]

if one uses this sermon as a basis for religion/personal spirituality, it is lacking in complexity.

So were the teachings of Jesus. They are very simple: love God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. And it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom (but you have to seek it.)

Truth is very simple. It is only our life here that is complex. We make things more complex than they need to be.

This sermon is similar to quietism, buddhism, and gnosticism. It says reality is non existant, and that we become good/holy/spiritual by overcoming this non existant reality.

It says nothing of the kind. It says that the reality of this world is simply the expression, the outpicturing of God, and we can transcend the illusions of this world through thought. As we align our thought with Higher Thought, with the Divine Mind, we change conditions, or at least our experience of them. We can heal conditions this way.

The importance of serving God simply thru daily life is emphasized in Christianity, but is also taught in non western religions. For example, there is an old Hindu story that a guru asked Krishna to show him the holiest man in the world...so Krishna took him to the house of a simple farmer...a loving man with a large happy family...the farmer fed the travelers, and gave them his bed to sleep in...and cheered them with his generousity.

I like that story. I only wish that more Hindus lived by their principles instead of killing all the other religions.

Dr. Holmes teaches about surrender. We must let go and let God work through us to bring the fullest degree of prosperity, well being, and joy.

[LadyDoc]

We must let go and let God work through us to bring the fullest degree of prosperity, well being, and joy.

Ah, but what if God's will for us is poverty, poor health, or depression?

[TBP]

Ah, but what if God's will for us is poverty, poor health, or depression?

It never is. God's will for us is always prosperity, abundance, health, freedom. "It is the Father's good pleausre to give you the Kingdom."

[TBP]

Fear is the negative use of faith. By redirecting our faith to the positive, fear is eliminated.

“When you have eliminated all fear, the patient is healed.” — Mary Baker Eddy

[TBP]

God’s will for us is to have life more abundantly. It is to step fully into the blessings of the Kingdom. We receive as much of that as we are willing and open to accept

But it is done unto us as we believe, which means that we live in a user-friendly Universe. If you believe that God’s will for you is poverty, poor health, or depression, the Universe will demonstrate that in abundance — until you chantge your belief.

Change your thinking, change your life.

[TBP]

http://ernestholmes.wwwhubs.com/holmes10.htm

[TBP]

do their prayers lift up and support the people around them?

Yes, very much -- and heal.

[LadyDoc]

ah, but what if God's will for us is poverty, sickness, and disability?

Should we not accept it with courage and grace?

After working and living in poor areas much of my career, and after being a doctor for nearly 40 years, I am skeptical that “thinking” will make us healthy wealthy and good looking.

When God says he will give us abundant life, does he mean a life of holiness, or a life of prosperity?

Of course, I believe in a personal God who loves us, but sometimes allows evil but will turn evil to good in the long run.

I don't believe in a Universe that can be manipulated for our own benefit.

[LadyDoc]

“When you have eliminated all fear, the patient is healed.” — Mary Baker Eddy

yes...but sometimes they die.
or they become depressed when they don’t heal, thinking their faith was not strong enough.

It’s called “blaming the victim”...

[TBP]

And in any case, a healing occurs.

[TBP]

but what if God's will for us is poverty, sickness, and disability?

That is NEVER God's will for anyone. We are not here to sufer. We are here to express God as fully as we can. God intends us to be abundant, healthy, and vibrant so we cna do that unique thing for which we are here.

I am skeptical that “thinking” will make us healthy wealthy and good looking.

Well, probably not good looking anyway.

But the connection between thinking and prosperity in all its forms is well established.

Studies have shown that thinking healthy is a major factor in being healthy. Bernie Siegle is a doctor who has demonstrated that connection.

Napoleon Hill showed us the connection between prosperous thinking and abundance. Others have shown it since. CAtherine Ponder is one who comes to mind.

I believe in a personal God who loves us, but sometimes allows evil

As expressions of God, we hvae creative free will, just as God does. Thus, we are able to make wrong choices. The god news is that, although we hve freedom of choice but not of consequence, we cna change our thinking and our choices and set a new train of causation in motion.

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Change your thinking, change your life.

[TBP]

http://ernestholmes.wwwhubs.com/holmes10.htm