Science of the Mind

Science of the Mind -- What Is It?
Science of the Mind claims to be a Church of Religious Science. What does it teach?

• It teaches Science of the Mind to assist the individual in the healing of his life from discord, fear, superstition, guilt, and sense of lack.
• It teaches how the individual can focus into the center of who he is now and achieve wholeness as a reality.
• It teaches the individual how to think, not what to think. The individual creates his own experience and begins to move and know God for all that He is.

Science of the Mind -- What Are the Beliefs?

• The Bible: Science of the Mind teachers use the Bible while claiming it is not the literal Word of God. They believe that since God wrote the Word through carnal man, one must first understand man to understand the Book. They believe the Bible was written by Semitic people for their race. Therefore, the idioms and psychology used by the men who wrote the book must be understood. They teach that the Bible must be read with an open mind, looking for higher meaning in stories, metaphors, and parables.
  
  
• The devil: The Science of the Mind Church rejects the reality of the devil because they don’t recognize any opposing power to God. The only devil they identify is a result of people misusing their power: negative thoughts creating negative results. When the word “devil” occurs in the Bible, the “d” is dropped; it is spelled “evil.” The soul experiences evil on its journey toward the realization of reality.
  
  
• Heaven and hell: Science of the Mind denies that heaven and hell are actual places. They believe they are only states of being. They teach that The Kingdom of Heaven is within and can be fully experienced when a person bonds and unites with the presence of God at the center of being. Similarly, they believe Hell is the lack of awareness of God’s presence within us. Hell is a belief in duality, a sense of separation from God. When filled with hellish thoughts, people experience a living hell every day.
  
  
• Sin: The Science of the Mind Church doesn’t believe in sin. Instead of sin, people make mistakes. Mistakes don’t result in God’s punishment, but consequences. As mistakes are corrected, the individual forgives his own sins. They reject God as Judge. Instead, they teach that God allows us to answer for our own mistakes to the Law of Cause and Effect. Cause produces an effect, and we are always becoming cause to our effect by our thinking and deepest beliefs. The conscious mind is the point where that cause begins, and the effect or result is reflected in our physical bodies. Upon awareness of this process, we find that as we change the cause (thinking), the effect (our lives) changes automatically.
  
  
• Jesus: While the Science of the Mind Church regards Jesus as the Son of God, they do not believe He is Lord and Savior. Christ’s teachings are highly esteemed, but He is considered merely a teacher.

Science of the Mind -- Is it Correct?
The Church of Religious Science and teachings of Science of Mind is a group who believes that teaching an individual how to think, versus what to think, can change life experiences. Through the higher awareness of their own thinking, God becomes all to them that He really is. According to Science of the Mind, this is God’s gift to mankind.

Many beliefs of the Science of the Mind Church directly oppose the Bible’s teaching.

Science of the Mind teaches that the Bible is not the literal Word of God. The evidence points against them. One of the most remarkable evidences of the truth of Scripture is fulfilled prophecy. In Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel prophesied the precise timing of Jesus’ sacrificial death. Extensive prophecies deal with individual nations and cities, as well as 300 prophecies fulfilled by Christ Himself at His first coming. These extraordinarily true prophecies give evidence of the Bible’s authenticity. Only God could have inspired it.

Science of the Mind teaches that Jesus is not Lord and Savior, but a Teacher. However, the Bible clearly states in Titus 2:13 that Jesus is the Savior of the world: “While we wait for the blessed hope -- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” One cannot place Him on the shelf as a great moral teacher. That is not a valid option.

Science of the Mind teaches that the devil doesn’t exist. Again, the Bible refutes them. It explains about an evil force in the world called Satan. The Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, affirm the existence of the devil and his demon cohorts. Just before Christ began his ministry, Satan tempted Jesus to turn away from His divine purpose (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13). The apostle Peter warns us to be on guard against this powerful wicked spirit: “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Science of the Mind teaches that heaven is not a real place, but the Bible clearly assures Christians of a home in heaven: “. . .That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them” (Hebrews 11:16). “And I [John] saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven” (Revelation 21:2). “O Lord, my God. . . hear us from heaven where you live” (1 Kings 8:28-30; see also the description of heaven in Revelation 21:14-20).

Science of the Mind teaches that hell is not a real place. John, an eyewitness, describes to us in Revelation 20:10 the “lake of fire” where people are being “tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 19:20 describes the lake of fire as a place that “burns with sulfur.”

Science of the Mind teaches that “sin” is merely a mistake. Instead of judgment, they teach that people receive consequences. The Bible, on the other hand, describes sin as any thought or action which breaks God’s law. "Sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). Sin is the downfall of each person, starting with the first. Adam and Eve disobeyed God as they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil Only God’s merciful gift of the Savior, Jesus Christ, can deliver mankind from eternal separation and destruction. Jesus Himself taught of the reality of judgment for sin: ""You have heard that the law of Moses says, `Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment!" (Matthew 5:21-22). Who dares to deny Christ’s words?