“ Fifth regular denial suited to the race often leads one into his own need for cleansing. Notice the fifth regular denial, it is this: ‘There is no sin, sickness, or death.’ Where is there no sin , sickness or death? In God of course. Where is God? Everywhere. This removes the sins out of our sight which were put there by our belief by the absence of goodness in people.” Emma Curtis Hopkins, (ECH) Scientific Christian Mental Practice.
When we look at another person, what do we really see? Do we see them as they are, or as the world constantly tells us to? Do we perceive a lack of goodness? Perhaps this view is not only shaped by the media but also rooted in our own worldview—even without the constant noise of broadcasts and headlines. I am not condemning the media; it merely mirrors who we are. But maybe what we need is a cleansing—one that reaches the very core, the marrow of our being.
Do we not receive what we give? Do we see only good people, or do we truly see everyone as good without exception? I don’t. I see a mix—some good, some bad, saints and sinners, and everything in between. I decide who’s which. In that sense, I become judge, jury, and executioner—and too often, I even try to convince God to grant me that authority.
“At each purer realization the world takes a different turn in our feelings. It shows its best to us step by step. The lily in the night looks a different object from the same lily in the sunlight, yet it is the same lily. So this world in which we walk looks so different by this nighttime of thought. It will be the same world when the sunshine of pure Truth strikes through our minds in its glory. Here in our midst abides the glory of God. Here all is Good. There is a state of mind in which, if we get into it, we shall see what Jesus Christ called “The Kingdom of Heaven.” ECH
“Matter in every form was unreality. This is true. We are Spirit. We do not need to show material bodies at all. We may show only our spiritual body, which is our true nature. We may see all things as Spirit. This is our privilege now. As Spirit, which is Mind, we think what we please. In the Absolute we do not think anything about bodies, or matter, or affairs of earth. You can see that all conscious thinking about such things is no thinking at all. The affairs of earth, as they show up materially, are nothing. The conscious thought that made them is nothing. Only by so much as we realize Spirit is there any substance to our thinking. Only by so much as we realize Spirit are all things real. Every realization of Spirit brings our bodies out from their unconscious machinery into their glorious reality and freedom.” ECH
Human religions have produced many remarkable ideas, yet some no longer make sense to me. We are told that suffering brings us closer to God, that He wants us to toil endlessly for our portion, and that we must burden future generations with struggle and hardship. We are taught it is His will that women live under the authority of men, that we have the right to control what happens in our own and others’ bedrooms, and that love must follow strict, approved forms. We are even told it is God’s will to keep those who are different from us confined to a social status we deem appropriate. All this—and more—comes from those who bow before the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
So how do we see beyond this veil of tears? First, we must recognize that there is something else to see. Many deny any reality beyond this world. Even among those who walk a spiritual path, most believe that true vision only comes after we shed this earthly body.
I describe myself as an Absolutist. I accept the idea that God is truly absolute—present everywhere, all the time. Unlike the notion of a “Swiss Cheese” God who is everywhere except where evil exists, I believe God’s presence is unconditional and not riddled with gaps. Admittedly, this belief is an intellectual agreement with a theological concept; it’s similar to saying I accept that E=mc2 because experts repeat it, though I don’t fully grasp its meaning or impact on my life. Since I never studied physics beyond high school, I trust those who are specialists in the field.
With theology, I’ve spent more time learning its principles and trying to weave them into daily living. Yet, I still feel like a beginner, looking through a stained glass window at mysteries beyond my understanding. The quotes above offer just a glimpse of what I consider to be the Absolute truth of this matter.
Q. “What’s the matter?”
A. Matter.
Q. No really what’s the matter?
A. Matter.
Q. Oh God, can’t I ever get a straight answer from you?
A. Yes you better ask God, not me.
Q. There you go again. This is so exacerbating.
Just as 2+2 will always equal 4, I rely on mathematics every day for its consistency and dependability. Similarly, I trust the principles shared by experts like Emma Curtis Hopkins and the “New Thought” school of theology. While this philosophy feels new to many today, its ideas have existed for thousands of years—even appearing in the Old Testament for those who know where to look. The teachings of Jesus, especially those from the Sermon on the Mount as recounted by both Matthew and Luke, summarize the essence of the Kingdom of God, which is my main focus.
I believe there is a world beyond this one that I truly desire. It’s impossible to perceive both worlds at once. Anyone who seeks the truth will inevitably find it. I release the world from all of my previous assumptions about it.
These ideas come from the “A Course in Miracles” Workbook Review lessons 145 and 146.
God is Good 