Practitioner Exam Flashcards
What is the process in healing? The process of healing?
There is no process of healing.
There is nothing to be healed, only Truth to be revealed. P1/T1/C4/Q3
Healing is not creating perfection but revealing the perfect idea already present.
It is a revelation through the thought of the practitioner to the thought of the patient.
The process in healing is a movement in consciousness in that the client moves from need and want to fulfillment and realization of his/her perfectness.
The process in healing is the mental work and the time it takes the practitioner to convince himself of the perfectness of his patient; and the length of time it takes the patient to realize this perfectness.” (SOM 212.4) P2/T1/C7b/Q2: P2/T2/C11/Q5
What is the purpose of Treatment? Is it different from prayer?
To change a thought; to change a condition. P1/T1/C3/Q5:
To change a condition by allowing the God within to reveal itself in another, preferable manner. P1/T2/C16/Q3:
All treatment is prayer; not all prayer is treatment. Treatment is affirmative Prayer. “If . . . prayer is a recognition of Spirit’s Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence, and a realization of man’s unity with Spirit, then . . . prayer is a spiritual treatment. If it is speaking to or pleading with a separate being with power to grant or not grant a wish, it is not treatment. P1/T2/C16/Q1
What is a Spiritual Truth? Spiritual re-education of the mind?
A Spiritual Truth is a Truth about our Divine nature. What we really are. It is that which is as infinite and unlimited as Spirit. The Spiritual Truth of anything is the God-essence of it, and may appear as its opposite. For example, the Spiritual Truth of lack is unlimited abundance. P1/T1/C5/Q2
Spiritual re-education of the mind is understanding, knowing, and accepting the Spiritual Truth of one’s self. P1/T1/C8/Q4
What are the two distinct methods of treatment; how do they differ?
(SOM 170.3) Argumentative and Realization. “Argumentative is a process of mental reasoning in which the practitioner argues to him/herself about the patient” (SOM 170.4). “The realization method is one whereby the practitioner realizes within him/herself without the necessity of step-by-step building up a conclusion—the perfect state of the patient” (SOM 170.5) P1/T1/C3/Q1
When we “speak our word” in affirmative prayer, who are we talking to?
We speak to that God Presence within each of us, to the Law. P1/T2/C16/Q2:
What does Holmes mean when he says, “Now we can forget all about the Law and know there is nothing but the Word”?
Forget about all else, the Law works automatically, let our word be spoken with a deep inner realization of that great Presence, of love, beauty, peace, poise, and power, and the point of our own consciousness. P1/T3/C22/Q5
How would you expand on this statement in the light of establishing rapport? “When deep calls unto deep, deep will answer deep.” (HTU 147.1)
All wisdom is at the center of the client and the Practitioner. One is as deep as the other. The depth of expression is the depth of perception.
(The Practitioner can make clear to the client anything that is clear to him/her. As the Practitioner works from a desire to establish good, sound rapport with the client, there is a response from the client at a corresponding level of understanding that contributes to it happening.) P2/T1/C4/Q2
In the Science of Mind do we deny a circumstance to know the Truth?
No. We try to discover what is wrong and why, or through treatment, we know the Spiritual Truth of the situation (LSOM 252.1). [We do not deny the circumstance, but we deny any power to the circumstance.] P1/T2/C12/Q4
According to Ernest Holmes, how does one neutralize the thinking behind an undesirable condition?
Meet the appearance with Spiritual Truth. P1/T2/C13/Q3
Why is it not necessary to struggle with conditions?
We use Principles which create conditions. (CM&S 34.3) P2/T2/C12/Q3
How do we know that the Truth which we announce is superior to the condition we are to change?
Truth is cause; conditions are only effects. P2/T1/C2b/
Is it necessary to go back through your childhood memories to change your present? Why or why not?
No, it is not necessary. By consistently affirming a new thought and the feelings that go with it you can change your reality. Treatment is the tool. P1/T1/C5/Q3
Why are childhood memories such great clues to the present?
Childhood experiences and they way they are perceived, still active as memories, are clues to particularly deep-seated beliefs that outpicture as your reality. P1/T1/C5/Q4
How would the use of treatment change the effects of negative childhood memories?
Treatment can change the belief [and affirm the truth], and thus change the reality manifesting from the belief. P1/T1/C5/Q5
What is the basis of the statement that a Practitioner speaks with authority?
Two fundamental propositions: first, that “Spirit is present in everything” (HTU 69.2) and second, that “thought responds to thought” (HTU 70.2). “. . . calm assurance that nothing can obstruct the truth. This is not the authority of one mind exercising an influence over another, but rather, the authority of Truth Itself.” (HTU 70.3) ** P2/T1/C5/Q4 2.We are surrounded by a Universal Mind, which reacts to our thought—and always according to Law.” (SOM 177.1) P2/T2/C11/Q3 3. The basis of treatment for others.**P2/T1/C3b/Q2
On what does the possibility of spiritual mind healing rest?
Two fundamental propositions: first, that “Spirit is present in everything” (HTU 69.2) and second, that “thought responds to thought” (HTU 70.2). “. . . calm assurance that nothing can obstruct the truth. This is not the authority of one mind exercising an influence over another, but rather, the authority of Truth Itself.” (HTU 70.3) ** P2/T1/C5/Q4 2.We are surrounded by a Universal Mind, which reacts to our thought—and always according to Law.” (SOM 177.1) P2/T2/C11/Q3 3. The basis of treatment for others.**P2/T1/C3b/Q2
“What the Law of Mind knows in one place It knows simultaneously and instantly everywhere.” How does this relate to the work of the Practitioner?
Two fundamental propositions: first, that “Spirit is present in everything” (HTU 69.2) and second, that “thought responds to thought” (HTU 70.2). “. . . calm assurance that nothing can obstruct the truth. This is not the authority of one mind exercising an influence over another, but rather, the authority of Truth Itself.” (HTU 70.3) ** P2/T1/C5/Q4 2.We are surrounded by a Universal Mind, which reacts to our thought—and always according to Law.” (SOM 177.1) P2/T2/C11/Q3 3. The basis of treatment for others.**P2/T1/C3b/Q2
How can the consciousness of the Practitioner be empowered, when doing treatment, by combination of technique & feeling?
A. -Well done, full Step One–magnificence of God.
-Clear Step Two that unites God and the Practitioner gives the Practitioner a feeling of well-being, peace and power.
-Complete Step Three–image of the desired results is complete and the feeling is one of fulfillment.
-Each Step builds upon the one previous, consciousness is empowered process, confidence builds. P2/T1/C8/Q8
B. DON’T SKIMP, GET FOCUS, NATURALLY & EFFORTLESSLY
DON’T SKIMP on steps 1&2
GET your ego/self consciousness out of the way FOCUS on expressing with passion and clarity
Let Spiritual Law work NATURALLY and EFFORTLESSLY through you.
C. + Expansive mental equivalent, calm assurance, absolute conviction & feeling, complete willingness to receive good.
What does Ernest Holmes say constitutes spiritual mind practice?
”Spiritual mind practice calls for deep realization and conviction; it is the combination of spiritual up-reaching with conscious mental action for definite purposes.” (Prac code, Foreword) P2/T1/C9/Q1
What is “spiritual conviction”?
Spiritual conviction is absolute Trust and Faith in who and what we are: God in expression, in action. P1/T3/C28/Q4
Explain why spiritual mind healing is a revelation.
SMH is a revealing of the real nature of the client. (See HTU 56-57) “The imperfect has been added by the human mind. What the human mind has put there, it can take away. What the Divine has implanted cannot be uprooted; it can only appear to be covered up. Spiritual mind practice is an uncovering of the Divine Nature.” (HTU 57.2) P2/T1/C5/Q1
How does the Practitioner experience Love and Law in the work s/he does?
The Practitioner draws inspiration, guidance and a sense of certainty from the Divine Presence which is Love, while speaking his/her conviction into action through the Divine Principle that is Law. P2/T1/C3b/Q3
Relative to Love and Law, how to you understand your Oneness with God and the Universe?
It is all God. God as Love points the way and God as Law makes the way possible. I am a place where God expresses through this process. P1/T2/C12/Q3
“. . . all is Love and yet all is Law. Love rules through Law. Love is the divine Givingness; Law is the Way. Love is spontaneous; Law is impersonal. . . . there is an Infinite Spirit, operating through an Infinite and Immutable Law. . . . Love points the way and Law makes the way possible” (SOM 43).
In LSOM what does EH say is “The starting point for creating a better future”?
The starting point is at the center of our own being. It leads to the discover of the Presence in all people, events, and nature. (LSOM 194.6-195.1) P1/T2/C11/Q2
In LSOM when and how does EH say we are to make changes?
Since today is the only day in which we live . . . the change that we need to make within ourselves must be made today.” (LSOM 190.5) P1/T2/C11/Q3
Does the Practitioner assume the responsibility for the healing of the client?
No. S/he assumes the obligation to do his/her work earnestly, sincerely, and with deep conviction. P2/T1/C7a/Q4
What is the personal responsibility of the Practitioner in healing?
“There is no personal responsibility in healing. We should not feel that we put the power into the word. The practitioner directs the Power and lets It work. One does not hold thought in mental healing; he looses thought. A practitioner does not try to suggest, hypnotize, or mentally influence; he simply seeks to know that man is now a spiritual being, and he holds to that belief no matter what the appearance may be.” (SOM 179.2) P2/T2/C11/Q4
What is the difference between a mystic and a psychic?
A psychic deals only with human thoughts, receiving impressions and subjective pictures from human minds and the Collective Unconscious, or relative truth.
A mystic is one who senses the Divine Presence. A mystic does not read human thought but intuitively senses the Thought of God, Reality, or Absolute Truth. P1/T3/C23/Q3
What about those crystals?
Crystals are form and thus effect. Everything in form is effect; thought alone is causal. There is only One Power, Whose Intelligence manifests in form. Because healing is the revelation of Truth, we are for Spiritual Mind Treatment (though we are against nothing).
According to Ernest Holmes, do we create?
No. We produce that which already has been created in the One Mind. We “demonstrate” that which already exists. P1/T3/C28/Q3
What is spiritual prototype?
A spiritual prototype is the divine Idea of anything that already exists in the One Mind. It is the perfect Universal Idea of that which is the human idea. P1/T3/C28/Q2
How would you explain the term “the Presence of Perfection”?
That Divine Idea, the spiritual prototype that already exists, is perfection and is present in every moment ready for us to make manifest in reality, ready for us to “demonstrate” in our lives. P1/T3/C28/Q5
What is intuition and on what does it draw for knowledge?
Intuition is direct knowledge beyond what can be known through the five senses, and reasoning and logical analysis of information received through them, though it draws on them as well as inner guidance, collective consciousness, and revelation. In different terms, it calls upon one’s conscious and unconscious mind, the Collective Consciousness, and Divine Mind. P1/T1/C9/Q2,4
How do you differentiate between acting on impulse and acting on intuition?
Acting on impulse is reacting unconsciously to stimuli and tends to have an emotional charge. Acting on intuition is responding from a deep awareness and a calm knowing, and tends to carry an indefinable sense of the operation factors beyond what one can describe or justify from immediate stimuli or known fact. ** P1/T1/C9/Q3
How are the concepts of healing, wholeness, and spiritual perfection related?
The only thing that can ever require healing is the perception that healing is required. There is nothing to be healed, only Truth to be revealed. Believing something needs healing is to confuse the condition with the Spiritual Truth of Wholeness.
Healing is not a process but a revelation of wholeness always present, which cannot be created or destroyed.
Wholeness is the only state of being which the cosmos allows. God is One. The Universe is a Unit. Oneness is inclusivity. Nothing is outside of God. P2/T1/C2a/Q2
Metaphysical perfection is a standard of consciousness: the consciousness of lacking nothing, in which consciousness we perceive unbroken wholeness and may experience “having it all.” The standard of perfection upon which all practitioner work is founded is a consciousness of total inclusivity = wholeness. P2/T1/C2a/Q1
“The Practitioner treats himself first.” Explain.
The first two steps of treatment are the greatest treatment the Practitioner could ever do for him/herself. P2/T1/C8/Q5
In a powerful treatment, why does the Practitioner never speak in the second person (to the client)?
To speak to the client instead of to God within treatment diminishes the power of the treatment: the intimate connection to God as Source is Brian oken, and focus “drops” to the human level. ** P2/T1/C8/Q6
What three elements make Spiritual Mind Treatment a dynamic entity?
Words, feelings and intentions. Words give form to feeling. Words with meaning have power. Conscious intention gives direction to the treatment. Specific intention is necessary in effective treatment. P2/T1/C8/Q1
When is a treatment incomplete?
“Any individual treatment is incomplete until the one giving it accepts the verdict as present, final, and perfect.” P2/T1/C8/Q4
What does the Practitioner do when activity does not follow his/her treatment?
S/he must be willing to continue treatment until the demonstration is made. P2/T1/C8/Q2
When repeated treatments are necessary, are they always the same treatment?
No. Each treatment is part of the whole treatment, some part of gaining a complete realization. ** P2/T1/C8/Q3
Boundaries: Why is it not spiritual integrity to make the statement: “Mary is now at peace” in a treatment?
Spiritual integrity says that we cannot know what is happening in another’s consciousness; we cannot make something so in another’s consciousness by declaring it, unless that person is willing to accept it; and, all the action during treatment takes place in the consciousness of the one treating. P2/T1/C8/Q7
Boundaries: Why can we not treat “the other person” when one partner reports conflict within a relationship?
We can never influence another person’s consciousness unless they are open to accept the change. And, everyone is responsible for their own experience of life; therefore, the one who needs treatment is the one who came with the problem. P2/T2/C14/Q4
Define emotions and Feelings and their value in treatment.
Feelings are the inner responses to our thoughts, while emotions are the outer expressions of our responses to our thoughts (feelings in motion). It is our thoughts/beliefs that create our reality, but only to the degree of feeling behind them. Therefore in treatment it is the feeling behind the treatment, behind the belief, the Spiritual Truth, that will create the demonstration. P1/T1/C4/Q4
How do beliefs, feelings, and the Law interact to create reality? Why?
What we believe to be true about reality and to the extent of the feelings and emotions behind that belief is the extent to which the creative medium, Law, will produce that same reality in our lives. It is done unto us as we believe. P1/T1/C4/Q2
According to your reading in The Science of Mind, what is memory? Why is it important?
Memory is an unconscious operation of what was once a conscious thought. It is the storehouse of all ideas that have passed through, in this case, the individual mind. Memory is important because it is active and these ideas or thoughts that pass through it come back. Thus, it is through memory and the perceptions of what is remembered that we arrive at our beliefs about reality and life and so create it. So that by changing the perception of a memory we change the reaction or thought attached to it and so change the condition of life attached to it. P1/T1/C9/Q5
The Creative Process: Explain Core Concepts 2 & 3 without the use of jargon.
2: God is a Trinity. The nature of God or the Universe is First Cause (God the Father), the vehicle of creation (God as Holy Spirit), and Effect is the physical world (God as individualized expression). The invisible moves, automatically, to manifest according to our beliefs. P1/T2/C12/Q2
3: The process of creation is that all begins and ends in God. A thought, or word, automatically makes an impression on the “stuff” of creation, and that “stuff” takes form as the effect of thought. (Seed, soil, plant, is a good example.) P1/T2/C13/Q3
Mental Equivalents: Why must we have a Mental Equivalent to make a demonstration?
What we believe to be true about reality is our mental equivalent from which our reality is created. In order to change our reality we must change the belief; in changing the belief we create a new mental equivalent from which a new reality is created. P1/T3/C25/Q4
Mental Equivalents: Explain “Man must become more if he wishes to draw a greater good into his life.”
As we increase our understanding and conscious use of the Creative Process we experience more of our “wholeness.” The more we are conscious of our innate power, the more good we will attract. P1/T2/C13/Q5
Mental Equivalents:
From a Science of Mind perspective, explain, “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
To renew your mind is to think anew, to find the Truth from within and in that Truth we are transformed. P1/T3/C25/Q3
Mental Equivalents: What is the solution to this apparent dead end: “We really affirm only that which we know to be true; we know that to be true which we have experienced within ourselves.”
“…the necessity of providing within a greater concept of life; a bigger idea of ourselves and a more expanded concept of the Universe in which we live, move and have our being. This is a matter of inner growth together with the enlarging of all lines of thought and activity.” (CM&S 74.1; see also 81.3) P2/T2/C15/Q4
What are mental equivalents?
“It is done unto us as we believe.”
Glossary: “Having a subjective idea of the desired experience.”
Textbook: The Law of Mental Equivalents means that everything that is consciously and subjectively embodied in our thinking radiates a vibration which automatically attracts to itself that which is like itself.
To receive a greater good we must develop a state of mind in which that good is normal for us. The Law of Cause and Effect acts upon this belief and our good is automatically drawn to us.
What does Science of Mind teach (25 words)?
We are spiritual beings, living in a benevolent spiritual universe, governed by our use of spiritual law: “It is done unto you as you believe.”
There is a power for good in the universe greater than ourselves and you can use it now. This is God’s gift to you. What you decide to do with it is your gift to God.
Explain the differences between Centering, Meditation, and contemplation. What are the objectives of each?
Centering is to consciously move your awareness to the core of your self, the center where God is clearly felt.
Meditation is to produce a state of free, open attention and expanded awareness. All meditation is mindfulness unstructured.
Contemplation is a deeper comprehension or breakthrough to understanding of a given object or subject. (P1/C2, pp. 2-5 to 2-6) P1/T1/C2/Q1
What is an Invocation?
In an Invocation, invite those present to be still and receptive. Invite an awareness of the Presence of God. Invite the awareness of the Presence of God within all present in all Its Fullness (God quality appropriate to the occasion). May give thanks in advance for the good to be received and shared.
What is Benediction?
In a benediction, give thanks for the Presence of God during the time spent together and for the accomplishments of the group. Give a blessing to accompany all as they depart to go about their individual lives.
What does it mean to know and accept the Law of Mind?
To know that we are each one with God and the creation process and only the individual can limit his own success. P1/T2/C14/Q1
How do we develop the capacity to consciously use the Law?
Practice. (CM&S 31.2) P2/T2/C12/Q2
What is the solution when we find ourselves confronted by the problem of not knowing what to do?
Prayer. “. . . then of all times we must be quiet and listen; then of all times we must trust that the same power that started all things will also start us in the right road, for without some superior power we shall surely fail.” (CM&S 65.3) P2/T2/C15/Q1
What purpose does “Critical Thinking” serve in the Science of Mind?
To challenge our own beliefs, values, and attitudes (P1/C3, pp. 3-3 to 3-9) P1/T1/C3/Q3
Why is it important to use Critical Thinking on the definitions of the words we habitually utilize?
The meanings of words shift and change, definitions or intentions become fuzzy or lost, and words are used carelessly. We look at the beliefs behind the words and what they mean to us to understand why and what we are creating in our lives and how to change it. If we use words in ways idiosyncratic to ourselves, we may not communicate clearly with others and create unintended consequences.(P1/C3, p.3-9)P1/T1/C3/Q4
What is the key to our freedom?
The power of choice is the key to our freedom. As God is the life within us, we have access to all the attributes of God. We are free to call forth any of the qualities of God at any time, and the Law responds by producing the “form” of the choices we make. P1/T3/C24/Q1
What are responsible choices?
Responsible choices take into account the consequences of each choice. P1/T3/C24/Q2
How is it that we are 100% responsible for our choices?
There is no other power telling us what to do, to choose for us, or to deny our choices. We are responsible for all action, reaction, and interaction in our lives. We are totally in charge of our own life. Nothing, and no one, can influence us unless we choose to allow it; nor can we alter another person’s life unless they choose to allow it. P1/T3/C24/Q3
Unity: How is “Freedom” tied up with “Unity”? Explain.
True liberty, true freedom, has something cosmic behind it. All is made of the same stuff. Through physics we know there is no dis-unity in the physical world. In this unity we move, live and have our being. Since our nature is one, since God is One, then the universe cannot be divided against itself. No freedom can exist which denies or destroys the liberty or freedom of any other part of that whole. That would be self-destruction and that which is infinite cannot be destroyed. All freedom, all choice, is tied to the unity of the whole. P1/T3/C24/Q4:
Unity: How is it possible to be for something and against nothing?
If one is for the Divine, the Good, God, one is for and within that Unity outside of which nothing is possible. There is no separation in God, and therefore nothing to be against. P2/T1/C2b/Q4
Explain these two statements: All life is the out-picturing of consciousness. All life is relationship. Are they related?
Consciousness is cause in everyone’s life. Life can only be the out-picturing of each individual’s inner consciousness. Life on this earth plane is a shared experience, yet all is One; all experiences are the result of the One seeking to know Itself therefore we attract others into our life to experience more of the One. Consciousness is the motivating element; these observations are definitely related. P2/T2/C14/Q3
What is one of the most common threads of almost all religions?
The Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have others do unto you. P1/T3/C21/Q3
Rapport: How does the Practitioner establish rapport with a client?
“The Practitioner recognizes pure Spirit at the center of his/her client’s being. . . . It is God in that person.” (HTU 25.2) “No matter how impossible any situation may seem or how difficult the solution to any problem may appear, the Practitioner holds to the idea that Spirit has no problem, there are no impossible situations.” (HTU 29.2) ** P2/T1/C4/Q1
Rapport: Is deep rapport always the aim of the Practitioner?
Yes and no. Deep rapport establishes freedom and truth; however, carried too far, it can lead to bondage and dependence on external aid. (HTU 148.3) P2/T1/C4/Q3
Rapport: How can judgment destroy rapport?
To judge or create guilt creates separation and destroys rapport. ** P2/T1/C4/Q4
Faith: What is faith?
“Pure Faith is Spiritual conviction . . . the embodiment of an idea, the acceptance of a concept.” P1/T2/C17/Q3
Faith: Can faith be misused/misguided?
Yes. Faith misguided is fear. Fear is the negative use of faith. P1/T2/C17/Q4
Faith: What distinguishes the faith of God from faith in God?
Having faith in God is placing faith in something outside of and separate from oneself, therefore separating oneself from the Source of creative power. The faith of God is the expression of God Within arising and outworking. It is a deep spiritual understanding that God is all there is. P2/T1/C2b/Q3, P1/T2/C17/Q1
What is meant by the quote, “. . . Faith without works is dead” James 2:17)?
Faith powers us to act, to transform and to create. To the degree that we enjoin our action with our beliefs will be manifest our desires and in doing so build upon our faith. Faith, without the ensuing action, is no faith at all. P1/T2/C17/Q2
How can you expand your use of faith?
By understanding, knowing, and accepting that God is all there is—by embodying the idea or ideas present in any and all Spiritual Truths as you become aware of them. P1/T2/C17/Q5
How can we rid ourselves of fear and life a life of trust?
“The way to get rid of fear is through cultivation of faith, a faith founded in the thought that God is all there is.” EH P1/T3/C27/Q1
What is the Consciousness that Heals?
It is the prayer of faith. “When we analyze what the prayer of faith means we discover that it is a statement of belief in some power which is able, ready, and willing to do the healing.” (LSOM 247.1) “. . . let us again inquire into the consciousness that heals. It is recognition of the Principle, faith in the Principle, conviction that It will always respond, plus the knowledge that It can respond only by corresponding to our mental attitudes. This is the secret of the consciousness that heals.” (LSOM 250.5) P2/T2/C11/Q2
From your reading in The Science of Mind, explain the Religious Science understanding of Universal Subjective Mind.
Universal Subjective Mind is Mind and substance in an unformed or uncreated state of being. It is ready to become molded into any or all forms. It is unexpressed Power, Substance, and Creativeness. It exists in its original state, invisible but potential with all possible form. A creative, universal energy waiting to be used. P1/T3/C29/Q4
Is the soul of humankind is self-knowing and self-willing?
No. The soul of humankind is a direct aspect of the Universal Soul, the Creative Medium, which has no will of its own but only responds to that which we input. P1/T2/C19/Q4
According to Ernest Holmes, what realization comes of knowing that all things in the visible world are effects?
That back of all effects are ideas which are the real cause of these effects. (SOM 131.1) P1/T2/C11/Q1
What is “Mental Cause”?
Mental cause is the belief we hold that creates our reality. P1/T1/C4/Q1
Does absolutely every thought you have manifest? If not, why not? Which ones do?
No. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so it is.” The feelings attached to, and behind, the thought are what move it into reality. The degree of feeling behind the thought is the degree to which that thought will manifest in our lives. P1/T2/C14/Q4
Define each: Belief, Value, Attitude; how does one give birth to another?
A belief is a mental acceptance of or conviction in something. A seeming truth we hold about reality.
A Value is a personal principle, standard or quality we hold. Attitude is a feeling or state of mind.
We hold something to be true about life or reality [belief] and create value around it according to its importance to us and from that we create an attitude about the subject matter that we hold as important. P1/T1/C3/Q2
If God is all there is, and God is all cause and all effect, is God Cancer? Child abuse? Disease?
Everything is an effect of the Law manifesting. Always go back to the premise. If we say that these things are not God then we are saying that there is something other than God, that God is not all there is. Is there something other than God? No, this cannot be. But we can experience more “good” (by our own values) by choosing the aspects of God that more support our concept of wholeness, which is “The Good Life.” P1/T2/C12/Q5
How does Holmes reconcile these two concepts from the Bible: “What we sow we must also reap” and “if a man repents his ‘sins are blotted out, and remembered no more forever’”?
“Here we have two statements which at first seem not to agree. The first says that we must suffer from what we have done, and the second that under certain conditions we will not have to suffer. What are those conditions? A changed attitude toward the Law. It means that we must stop thinking and acting in the wrong way. . . . when we reverse the cause, that is think and act in a different way, then we have changed the flow of the Law.” (CM&S 54.2,3) P2/T2/C12/Q4
What is the difference between the individual human mind and the Universal Mind?
The individual mind is our own individual consciousness that makes us seem individualistic. The Universal Mind is a gestalt of all consciousness, of all the aspects of the One known and unknown to us as individuals. It is the combined consciousness of all that is seen and unseen, the One being greater than the sum of all its parts. P1/T1/C9/Q1
What is Subjective Consensus? What are other terms that mean the same thing?
A belief held by a group, culture, or race. Also called Race Thought, Race Mind, Race suggestion. P1/T1/C6/Q1
It is the totality of all the conscious and subconscious thoughts of humanity from the beginning of time. It contains the tendency to reproduce what the race has thought and experienced. It has unrecognized causal power in our lives until we consciously recognize and choose among its elements.
It is the use of a creative power that man has control over, not the thing itself.” How does the Practitioner assist another in doing this?
Through redirecting thought from beliefs of limitation to belief in the power of the Law of Mind; through teaching the power of thought; through Spiritual Mind Treatment. P2/T1/C3b/Q1
Explain the content of the following terms as fundamental features of Religious Science: Basic world view, God or ultimate reality, Origin of humans, Destiny of humans
- Basic world view: God is all there is. Everything seen and unseen is an aspect of god. What we believe to be true about our reality is manifest as our reality.
- God or Ultimate Reality: God is all there is. God is all cause and all effect. There is nothing separate from or other than God.
- Origin of Humans: created by the god stuff of the universe in Its own image and likeness. Able to create and constantly become in the same ways and manners.
- Destiny of Humans: Immortal. The god essence of humankind never dies, is limitless and infinite. P1/T3/C21/Q4
Describe where Religious Science came from.
“Religious science is a correlation of the laws of science, opinions of philosophy, and revelations of religion applied to human needs and the aspirations of man.” EH
Religious Science is a philosophy that was a culmination of the great Truths that lie at the heart of all religions and the provability of a science. Founded by Ernest Holmes who believes that there were immutable Laws governing the universe and that through the use of these Laws humankind could always demonstrate the proof of these laws. P1/T3/C21/Q5
Using the Science of Mind Teaching symbol, describe the creative process.
The circle represents infinity, it represents all there is, and that is God. Therefore, all three sections within the circle are God. God being all cause and all effect. The top portion of the chart represents, Spirit, Universal Mind, or god, in the form of idea or thought moving into the second portion, that of Law, the creative medium by which thought takes physical form in the third portion of the chart, Effect. This bottom area represents manifested reality. P1/T1/C4/Q5
From a spiritual point of view, what three ways do relationships contribute to our lives?
Relationships can be a path of awakening, a path of healing, and/or a path of fulfillment. P2/T2/C14/Q1