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Weekly Message for
Sunday, June 30, 2002
"That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him.
No man yet knows what it is, nor can, till that person has
exhibited it."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Self-Reliance" [1841]
Sunday,
June 30, 2002 at the City of Angels Church of Religious Science, I will
be  Ordained as Reverend Henry Lee Bates.
Ordination is a ceremony that
signifies a commitment to the ministry. Whatever denomination it
is that a minister, priest or rabbi is called to, their calling is to
"minister to," or as it is stated in scripture, to heal, to
prosper and to bless everyone who reaches out to them for healing,
prospering and blessing. If they make a decision to do otherwise,
their demonstration will clearly show their level of commitment to this
calling. As the Master Teacher Jesus stated, "I will show
thee my faith by my works."
I have been tremendously blessed with the perfect, right teachers to
prepare me for this work. I move forward with the awareness and
understanding imparted to me, at my level of acceptance, from the
instruction of Dr. Domenic A. Polifrone, Dr. O. C. Smith, and Dr.
Juanita Bryant-Dunn. I received from each that which I was to
receive and I bless them for their generosity of spirit. However,
as we can read from the writings of Emerson, "that
which I am to do best, only my maker can teach me." In
other words, if I rest on my teachers' consciousness, I will never
experience "my best."
From the writings of Judge Thomas Troward, "my
mind is the center of Divine operation. The Divine operation is
always for expansion and fuller expression, and this means the
production of something beyond what has gone before, something entirely
new, not included in the past experience, though proceeding out of it by
an orderly sequence of growth."
It takes little faith to do that which has already been done. When
we go beyond what has gone before to that something entirely new, we
take a leap of faith. But most of us have experienced various
levels of fear of the unknown. However, faith does not tremble
before the troubled waters, but calmly stills the waters and sails
ahead.
My mission is to teach Religious Science as the "Religion of
Jesus." A close inspection of The Science of Mind, which is
the textbook for Religious Science, it is easily discerned that this is
the truth. Religious Science is not a Christian teaching in the
usual sense. Too much of what is defined as Christian is far too
removed from the philosophy and teachings of the Radical Rabbi Jesus.
Jesus taught consciousness - Christianity does not. Now, many
Christians will be disturbed by my tagging Religious Science as the
"Religion of Jesus." But let's compare the fundamental
teachings of Jesus to Religious Science: 1) the Law of Mind which
is the fundamental principle of Religious Science is derived from the
statement, "it is done unto you as you believe," which was not
original with Jesus, but he both taught this principle and demonstrated
it to a greater degree than anyone in history. 2) Jesus'
teaching "as you sow, shall you reap," is defined in the
Science of Mind as "cause and effect." 3)
Spiritual Mind Treatment, the method of Scientific Prayer defined by Dr.
Ernest Holmes is derived precisely from the method in which Jesus
prayed. These are the most important principles taught by both
Jesus and Religious Science. The Science of Mind contains 56 pages
dedicated specifically to the "Teachings of Jesus."
There are another 24 pages under the chapter, "Other Teachings from
the New Testament," for a total of 80 pages or almost 14% of the
Science of Mind excluding the glossary and the index.
Additionally, there are many, many references to Jesus and scriptures
from both the New Testament and Old Testament. Neither the Buddha,
Krishna nor Mohammad are listed in the index, only Jesus.
Religious Science is not an intellectual philosophy. In fact, if
we attempt to master it through the intellect, we will fail miserably.
It can change our lives if we approach it with faith, trust and hope.
The Master Mind Jesus said the same of His philosophy. As
Dr. O. C. Smith stated to me in my initial interview with Him,
"this is not intellectual, the intellect will deceive us."
And He asked me, "was it Rev. Jesus or Dr. Jesus that made the
greatest demonstration the world has ever known?" The
greatest lesson that Jesus gave us was, "I of mine own self can do
nothing." In this statement of Truth, I know that the idea to
teach Religious Science as the "Religion of Jesus," came from
Divine inspiration.
From H. Emilie Cady: When
you learn to let God manifest Himself through you in His own way, it
will not be like the manifestation through anyone else. You will
think and speak and do without previous thought or plan. You will
be as new and surprising to yourself as to anyone else.
"For it is not you that speaketh, but the Spirit of your Father
which speaketh in you."
As Emerson wrote, "That
which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. No man
yet knows what it is, nor can, till that person has exhibited it."
And
So It Is!
Living
The Way To A Wonderful Life,
Henry
Lee Bates
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