MYRTLE FILLMORE'S THEOLOGY OF HEALING

This week's assignment is to use a Methodist schema to detail and explain Myrtle Fillmore's theology of healing. Dr Tom has somewhat altered the Methodist schema into what he has called a "Unity Quadrilateral."

I think it is sound to use a model outline-- even if altered for Unity needs-- that goes back to John Wesley. One of the important things I have learned in this class is how large an impact Methodism had on Myrtle. Often what Unity students learn is that Myrtle rejected the "hellfire and damnation" part of her childhood religious background. But what we Unity students are not shown (and here I am thinking of students on the level of Unity SEE courses) is how much of Methodism influenced Myrtle (even if it was subconsciously). One could argue that in many ways James Joyce never left Ireland. His native country had such a profound impact on Joyce from his first to last published book. I believe the same is true for Myrtle (be it Wesley's concepts of the "second baptism" to the need for revival, etc.)

Thus, I believe Myrtle's theology of healing can be mapped as follows on the Unity Quadrilateral"

SCRIPTURE: Myrtle gave great importance to Scripture. In her HEALING LETTERS and HOW TO LET GOD HELP YOU she quotes from the Bible time and time again to prove how her theology of healing was grounded in Scripture. In earlier weeks the blogs in this class were full of Myrtle's quotes from the Bible backing up her theology. However, as Neal Vahle has pointed out, Myrtle-- and Charles-- believed that traditional "Christianity had failed to interpret Scripture accurately...Christianity also erred by teaching that Jesus was sent by God the Father to save humankind from sin by dying on the cross." 1/  Myrtle's views on Scripture, as they relate to healing, can be boiled down to several key points:

---The Bible was written by humans, and it records a spiritual journey-- and spiritual evolution-- of humankind. The Bible thus contains great metaphysical truths, and is not just a history lesson of ancient days. It is also about archetypes that are very much in us today.

--Humans were created in God's image. That means that the Divine Spark-- of the Christ-- is inside of us all. This is our essential nature.

--As children of the Most High we "do not inherit sickness." Our natural condition is health.

--Jesus is our Way-Shower, and he discovered "the Christ within." He also told us that we "would do greater things" than even he did.

Myrtle believed that the above was all Biblically grounded and engine on which we should propel healing.

TRADITION: As noted above I believe that Myrtle took much from her Methodist tradition-- even if she was not always conscious of this. Among the Methodist traditions included the following:

--There is no pre-ordained "elect." Methodists in the early days tended to come from the lower middle class in the community and not the wealthy (While this was changing even in Myrtle's childhood, the Methodist roots were not the high and mighty within the community.) Myrtle believed that many Native Americans were closer to Spirit than many of the wealthy upper middle class Christians she knew. 2/

--Healing and Truth principles were open to all and were not respecter of class or social position.

--Similar to John Wesley, Myrtle believed that one must have a direct and personal relationship with Spirit (i.e., Myrtle went even more down this road than Wesley since she believed that we are one with the One).

--This strong connection with Spirit just doesn't happen out of the blue. It requires hard and constant work (such as affirmative prayer and denials). But this Spiritual relationship will grown and the flow of Spiritual power will increase if one makes the effort.

--Similar to the Methodist tradition, Myrtle saw the vital importance of spiritual communities and not being a "lone ranger."

EXPERIENCE: As they often say in 12 Step programs: "Pain is the touchstone of spiritual growth." Myrtle felt that we could learn key Truths by other means than pain, but she knew that there was often nothing like a health challenge or some other crisis to "jump start" one's exploration into the power of healing. On a personal level Myrtle's health crisis on the 1880s provided more than enough fuel to jump start her spiritual transformation. But when faced with the "dark night of the soul", a new and higher road to health comes into view-- and we can become teachable as we might not have been before. From these "dark nights" we finally gain the energy to reject error thoughts that may have chained us up for years.

But there is also a communal side to experience. Myrtle found that the best way to keep centered on the Truths was to give them away freely. There was great truth to the Biblical notion that "where two or more are gathered in my name...." One of the best ways to not fall back into error thoughts is to help others reject error thoughts.

REFLECTION: Myrtle's theology of healing did NOT reject the intellectual side. Her college education is reflected in her theology of healing.  Myrtle made significant departures from orthodox Christian Science. Healing can be a mutlidimensional process that includes both the world of the spirit and the world of science. Myrtle also saw much wisdom in what Aldous Huxley called the "Perennial Philosophy" (i.e., wisdom of the ages). God gave us this "perennial philosophy" to help accomplish our healing.

While Scripture was very important to Myrtle, she did not believe that revelation was only something that happened long ago and far away. Divine Mind is active in us today. Thus, the intuitive side often played an important role in our healing-- and was Spirit given.

Thus, for Myrtle healing was not a one legged stool. Healing was a multidimensional process and our birthright. God's grace shines on us through many different windows (even though this Quadrilateral model reduces the number of windows down to four).

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1/ Neal Vahle, THE UNITY MOVEMENT, p. 68-69.

2/ Thomas E. Witherspoon, Recorded Lectures on the History of the Unity Movement, www.truth.net (accessed August 12, 1914.) (The lecture on Myrtle's years in Colorado)