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In a meeting last month, we read the November 2, 2015 article “Judges uphold assault rifle bans” from the Christian Science Monitor, which stated that New York and Connecticut recently upheld bans on military assault rifles, but that gun rights advocates may take the cases to the Supreme Court. The bans were placed in response to mass murders at an elementary school in 2013, but gun rights advocates point out far more murders happen with knives and non-rifle guns. The article stated that even if such laws can’t “curb overall violence, it suggests that such laws can still have an important effect by setting a national tone and attempting to take these weapons out of the hands of mass shooters.” (Read a related article on the Monitor’s website.)
We decided to address in prayer:
- Divisiveness of law makers regarding laws to protect and bless
- Fear, anger, hatred and murder
- Death
We began by affirming there is one true government, God’s government, and that God, good runs His government harmoniously, and it is effortlessly reflected by His creation. We cherished the clarity and power of these two statements from Mary Baker Eddy:
The universe of Spirit is peopled with spiritual beings, and its government is divine Science. Science and Health 264:32
The law of God is the law of Spirit, a moral and spiritual force of immortal and divine Mind. Miscellaneous Writings 257:8-10
Divine Mind enforces a law of love, wisdom and order. It seems there are many minds trying to figure out what to do about other minds who are out to do harm, but the truth is, there is only one Mind, divine Mind, ruling, governing and inspiring obedience. This truth also counteracts the beliefs of a creation where fear, anger, hatred and violence run rampant. Exploring Science and Health passages about crime, we were reminded of the natural innocence of God’s children by understanding: “Mortal mind … is the criminal in every case…” (105:13)
Taking a stand that God’s man is always pure and moral, the following citation holds protective and preventive significance: “The moral man has no fear that he will commit a murder …” (Science and Health 406:16) In fact, we reasoned, God’s children are morally driven to do and be only good – loving, kind, joyful, respectful, and appreciative of one another.
Lastly, we refuted the illusion of murder and death by focusing on God as Life. As with many troubling issues, we saw that we have to diligently follow Mary Baker Eddy’s instructions to: “…look deep into realism instead of accepting only the outward sense of things.” (Science and Health 129:22) Evil is powerless to destroy the image of God, the reflection of immortal Life. Life is always safe and never interrupted because of this fact. Eternal Life is revealed, and the false notion of life in matter is destroyed in this understanding.
We studied Science and Health, page 494:15-24 to better understand the nothingness of death: “Jesus demonstrated the inability of corporeality, as well as the infinite ability of Spirit, thus helping erring human sense to flee from its own convictions and seek safety in divine Science. Reason, rightly directed, serves to correct the errors of corporeal sense; but sin, sickness, and death will seem real (even as the experiences of the sleeping dream seem real) until the Science of man’s eternal harmony breaks their illusion with the unbroken reality of scientific being.”
We hope these ideas inspire and uplift your own prayers on this issue. We’d love to hear any insight you’ve gained about this topic. Please leave a comment below or email tracy@csbroadview.org.