Bible Lessons in Divine Science: 1898
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1 Discovering Infinity Volume 3C - 2010 Edition Bible Lessons in Divine Science: 1898 A science discovery series by Rolf A. F. Witzsche 2 (c) Copyright, 2003, Rolf A. F. Witzsche all rights reserved Published by Cygni Communications Ltd. North Vancouver, BC, Canada (http://books.rolf-witzsche.com) ISBN: 1-897046-96-0 cover image by Corel Corp. Historic Bible lessons with a deep scientific dimension that brings a particularly rich part of spiritual history into the modern world. This book presents a collection of 26 Bible lessons -- one per week for half a year -- each one fully printed for about 45 minutes of reading. They were designed as Lesson-Sermons to be read during church services and for individual study. The lessons presented here are from 1898. The biblical texts are interspersed throughout the lessons with corresponding brief elements from Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scrip- tures. While this book is widely referred to as the textbook on Christian Science, it is also a part of a much larger pedagogical structure that Mary Baker Eddy had created for discovery and scientific and spiritual development in Divine Science. In this special edition both structure are deeply interlinked with the Bible lesson presentation. The presentation is Volume 3C of the research series, Discovering Infinity. The research series, Discovering Infinity, was originally created over the span of two decades, beginning in the late 1980s, and was updated periodically. The series is structured as two sets of three volumes, with each set corresponding to the three-step sequence of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise that we find in the poetic trilogy the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighierie created in the early 1300s. The first set of three volumes of the series Discov- ering Infinity represents the view of Dante's "pilgrim," while the second set represents the view of his "guide." In some cases a volume of this series is made up of several distinct books. For more details, see the appendix: About the research series, Discovering Infinity. In parallel with the research series Discovering Infinity a series of twelve novels with the summary title, The lodging for the Rose, was created. The platform of the novel was deemed necessary for this different venue of exploration since the real dimension of love tends to become lost on any kind of theoretical platform, rather than be born out as a light to uplift civilization from the grassroots level up. The individual titles of the series of novels are shown in the appendix: More works by the author. The series The Lodging for the Rose has two individual novels leading into it as a kind of preface that is gently opening the portal to the Principle of Universal Love, which is the main theme of the series of twelve novels. The Principle of Universal Love is the thread that ties both series together. 3 Contents Editor's Foreword: ......................................................................................................................7 Subject: 01 - GOD .................................................................................................................... 10 Subject: 02 - SACRAMENT......................................................................................................17 Subject: 03 - LIFE.....................................................................................................................24 Subject: 04 - TRUTH ................................................................................................................32 Subject: 05 - LOVE................................................................................................................... 41 Subject: 06 - SPIRIT.................................................................................................................48 Subject: 07 - SOUL .................................................................................................................. 56 Subject: 08 - MIND ................................................................................................................... 64 Subject: 09 - CHRIST JESUS ..................................................................................................72 Subject: 10 - MAN .................................................................................................................... 79 Subject: 11 - SUBSTANCE ....................................................................................................... 87 Subject: 12 - MATTER.............................................................................................................. 94 Subject: 13 - REALITY ........................................................................................................... 102 Subject: 14 - UNREALITY ...................................................................................................... 110 Subject: 15 - ARE SIN, DISEASE, AND DEATH REAL? ........................................................ 119 Subject: 16 - DOCTRINE OF ATONEMENT .......................................................................... 127 Subject: 17 - PROBATION AFTER DEATH ............................................................................ 134 Subject: 18 - EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT ........................................................................141 Subject: 19 - ADAM AND FALLEN MAN ................................................................................ 149 Subject: 20 - MORTALS AND IMMORTALS ...........................................................................156 Subject: 21 - SOUL AND BODY ............................................................................................. 165 4 Subject: 22 - ANCIENT AND MODERN NECROMANCY, ALIAS MESMERISM AND HYPNO- TISM, DENOUNCED. ........................................................................................................172 Subject: 23 - GOD THE ONLY CAUSE AND CREATOR........................................................ 180 Subject: 24 - GOD THE PRESERVER OF MAN .................................................................... 188 Subject: 25 - IS THE UNIVERSE, INCLUDING MAN, EVOLVED BY ATOMIC FORCE? ...... 198 Subject: 26 - CHRISTIAN SCIENCE ......................................................................................206 List of all subheadings ............................................................................................................ 213 Overview - The Basic Architecture: .................................................................................... 220 The Basic Architecture of the Pedagogical Structure:............................................... 220 Appendix: B - The four cardinal points, defining the rows.......................................... 224 Appendix: C - The four 'sides' defining the columns as development streams .......... 225 Appendix C1 - Geographic orientation....................................................................... 226 The Textbook Group................................................................................................228 Appendix D: The 16 sections of the textbook chapters and the Lord’s Prayer in relationship with her pedagogial structure and its visual metaphors ........................... 230 Appendix D1 - Associated Structures ........................................................................ 231 Appendix E: The 16 sections of the Church Manual by Mary Baker Eddy in relationship with her pedagogial structure and its visual metaphors ........................... 232 Appendix: F - Locating the textbook chapters, Lord’s Prayer, and Church Manual ... 233 Appendix: F1 - locating the paintings and verses from Christ and Christmas ........... 234 The Recapitulation and Bible Lesson Group .....................................................................235 Appendix: 1 - Locating Recapitulation and the Bible Lesson topics .......................... 238 The Christian Science Platform Group: .............................................................................. 239 The Platform 1st Row ............................................................................................................. 240 The Platform 2nd Row............................................................................................................ 241 The Platform 3rd Row ............................................................................................................ 242 The Platform 4th Row............................................................................................................. 243 Appendix: 2 - Locating the Manual of the Mother Church ......................................... 244 Appendix: 3 - Locating the Christian Science Platform (vs. mortal mind) .................. 245 Glossary of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures............................................. 252 Appendix R - The 10 Birds in Christ and Christmas .................................................. 253 Appendix S - An example of the Gloarry applied ....................................................... 254 Textbook Chapters References: .......................................................................................... 255 Associated structures with each textbook chapter..................................................... 256 5 4ooo Chapter 1: Prayer ........................................................................................................ 257 Star of Bethlehem .....................................................................................................