After a worldwide cataclysm, what 3 books would you save to rebuild humanity?

I have seen this post here before.
Take nothing.
Start afresh.
Why obsess over what cannot sustain itself?
You are painting a scenario that's a clean break from everything....why lug dead corpse of past along? Clearly Life is moving you on in a different direction, why not explore that fully? Anchoring to old wisdom might be detrimental to growth. Infact it will be and help you repeat the same silliness wherever you end up.

If you are relocating to some other planet....it's a new energy, new dynamic. It's likely ur body mind apparatus will adapt very quickly to the energy of that planet. go and be totally present to what the new circumstance presents.

The wonderful books have not brought much wisdom to us lot here....why you think they will be able to manage that trick some other place?

There is nothing mightier, empowering, wise than being alive to this moment. Books are our favourite distraction from being fully alive and present.

The fountain of knowing is within...books are a cunning plan of conditioned mind to keep looking outside and stay in Avidya( ignorance)

Hi Sakurasanta,

I see you haven’t answered Jnani, so I don’t suppose I’ll have a reply either.

Well, I have huge respect (and affection) for Ruby, (Jnani) as she is one of the most insightful and spiritually-minded people here on HP. However, we don’t share the same view about books! 😉

What are we doing when we’re reading a book? Are we just staring at wood pulp and ink dots? Yes, that is what is happening from a totally materialistic viewpoint, but from a spiritual viewpoint, we are reading ideas. Obviously, those ideas may be coming from a very base, material thought, but what if they are ideas from the divine, that contain truths that have been proved to set people free from limitation, poverty, danger, disease, injury, lack? Ideas that have led people to solutions, to amazing discoveries, to a whole new way of thinking and living that can bring only blessings?

To get back to your grim hypothetical situation. Frankly, it’s a bit silly – if nothing remained on earth, the means of leaving it and moving to another planet would be gone too. However, I don’t want to waste my time on that scenario.

What caught my eye was your question about 3 books. The first two are an easy choice for me – the third is a little more difficult, but it would probably be a beautiful big book of outstanding art works from around the world to lift the spirit and celebrate God-given human talents and the contribution they have made to making our world a better place.

My two most important books for me are the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, a companion to the Bible, which helps the reader discern the spiritual meaning of the Scriptures. And not only the Bible – people have said that it helps them to understand all forms of holy books, from a spiritual vantage point, like a friend of mine, who made a wonderful discovery (which also saved him from suicide and addition) He begins the article:

“In 1990, when I started to read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, I was quite sceptical and more than a little cynical about the book and its impact on people's lives. A Jewish woman from New York had given me a copy of the book and told me that it had changed her life.
I thought, "I've read enough books." After all, I had studied most Scriptures, read many philosophers, and tried different faiths and organized religions. While I had found many good ideas in all of them, I still could not find the answers that I was seeking.”

[url]A book that brightens Scripture[/url]

I’ll talk about finding water in the next post:

What is probably the most necessary element of human life apart from oxygen? Isn’t it water? I have so many accounts where the ideas in these two books brought the understanding of how to pray effectively, which in turn brought the discovery of a water supply that was already there, like Moses in the Bible, striking the rock and water gushing out. (See Exodus 17)

A team of three geologists were on a field trip in a remote desert area of the United States but had carried only enough water to last a few days because they expected to locate it in the region. However, two days of searching had not produced any results, so they agreed that they had no choice but to return to civilization the following morning. That evening, one of the party, a Christian Scientist (like me), turned to God in prayer. He remembered the incident in the Bible when Moses smote the rock and water flowed out of it.

“[He] reasoned that any law of God which was in effect at the time of Moses must still be in effect now. This is true of the law through which divine Principle, Love, meets every human need with the all-sufficient right idea. This idea was recognized by the Christian Scientist as the simple fact that since God is all-presence, there can be no void.
The following morning before the party was to break camp, the Scientist decided to look once more for water. He wandered into a canyon near the camp. His eye fell on a patch of green moss, about the size of his fingertip, growing in a crevice of a rock. Finding the moss damp, he struck the crevice with his handpick, and in a few moments, there was more good water flowing from the rock than they could possibly use, and it continued to flow the entire time they needed it.”

[url]ABUNDANT SUPPLY EVER PRESENT[/url]

Here’s an account from WWII of soldiers marching, while under attack:

“…Our nearest source of drinking water was nearly five miles behind us, from which we had been cut off. The jungles were steaming hot; we had been without water for hours and faced going without it all night.
This was a human need and all realised it. Each turned to God in his own way. Indeed, all men pray under circumstances like this. I stepped off the trail and sat down to pray. It was up to God and I just let it be up to Him. Soon afterwards, an artillery shell of our own, intended to blast the enemy ahead of us, fell short and hit the trail, hurting no one. Water gushed out of the hole! Our need was met. We were all grateful and praised God, one to another. We didn’t feel than any miracle had occurred; this was just natural.
As I left the front a day or so later, I found a small Bible on the trail. Having lost my own, I picked it up eagerly. The water incident had been continually in my thought since it occurred. I opened the Bible at random and my eyes fell on the 35th verse of Psalm 107, “He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.”
(Page 409, The Story of Christian Science Wartime Activities 1939-1946)

I love that last paragraph! “I found a small Bible on the trail. Having lost my own, I picked it up eagerly. The water incident had been continually in my thought since it occurred. I opened the Bible at random and my eyes fell on the 35th verse of Psalm 107, “He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings.”

Don’t know if you’re in the UK , but we are beginning to experience a drought. This article about ponds filling up without any rainfall includes this account of the understanding prayer of the author of Science and Health:

In Concord, New Hampshire, in 1894, Mrs. Eddy proved the correcting power of understanding God's love at a time of drought: “There had been no rain in the Concord area throughout November. The farmer who delivered Pleasant View’s [Mrs. Eddy’s home] milk told the cook that his well was empty and his cows were beginning to go dry. When Mrs. Eddy was told about this, she smiled and said, ‘Oh! if he only knew, Love fills that well.’ The next day when the farmer came, he was overjoyed to tell the cook that that morning he had found his well full of water. And what was amazing to him was that there had been no rain to fill it” (Yvonne Caché von Fettweis and Robert Townsend Warneck, Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer, Amplified Edition, pp. 176–177)

[url]Love filled the ponds[/url]

Coming up - a profound experience with my favourite two friends – my two books, my 24/7 guide, teacher, physician, supplier, protector and everything else you can possibly imagine.

All Christian Scientists study a Bible Lesson during the week, which comprises of set citations from the two books, the Bible and Science and Health. This weekly lesson then forms the sermon read out at church on Sundays. I used to fly as cabin crew with an international airline. Unfortunately, I left my books behind in a hotel and only noticed as I was to leave on a trip to the Far East and Australia.

My mother lent me an old leather Science and Health, but didn’t have a spare Bible, or Christian Science Quarterly (the booklet with the citations for the Lesson.) However I knew I’d always be able to get a Bible in hotels, thanks to the Gideons. Our first stop was India and then Hong Kong, where I became very ill. I spent the whole slip in bed, praying as best I could, but feeling overwhelmed with it all. I managed to get myself onto the aircraft when it was time to leave, but was unable to work. The crew were very concerned about me and took me straight to the airline doctor in Sydney when we landed.

The doctor said I had contracted dysentery and gave me some drugs, which were supposed to help relieve the symptoms. I must admit to feeling very low – I felt as if I was a million miles away from home and what a time to be without my Bible Lessons!

Then I remembered that at every second of every day, there are Christian Scientists praying for the world with that Bible Lesson and that I was included in their prayers. I found that very comforting. I decided I would have my own Bible Lesson and would open the books at random each day. I noticed that the same passages would keep coming to me, either in the books or would come to my thought. Also, the old Science and Health had a weak spine (I thought) and it always opened at page 407 when some old chalk markings of my mother’s highlighted this sentence:

“Let the perfect model be present in your thoughts instead of its demoralized opposite.”

Because I was being ill on company time, I felt I should take the drugs the doctor had given me (even though this was completely foreign to me, relying normally on the understanding of my relationship to God for all my needs, including health care.) The drugs did absolutely nothing at all. Over the next two or three days, I continued to become weaker and weaker and more ill, till even a glass of water would pass straight through me and I couldn’t keep down any food at all.

Eventually, I realised I could not continue like this and had to trust in God completely. I crawled on my hands and knees out of bed, flushed the drugs down the toilet and sat upright on a chair. Once again, I opened that old Science and Health and, for probably the fiftieth time, it opened to that sentence above on page 407. This time though, I decided to read the whole paragraph:

“In Science, all being is eternal, spiritual, perfect, harmonious in every action. Let the perfect model be present in your thoughts instead of its demoralized opposite. This spiritualization of thought lets in the light, and brings the divine Mind, Life not death, into your consciousness.”

This time, I let the meaning of those words sink in. I turned right away from the whole mortal picture and put myself in my Father-Mother God’s hands – just turned to HimHer as a little child would turn to their parent for comfort. Immediately, I felt a warm joyful glow – I felt so loved. Then, my stomach started rumbling. All energy and strength returned instantaneously and I jumped up – healed!

The hotel was on Bondi Beach and after a shower and washing my hair, I just went for the most memorable walk of my life – I was literally leaping and jumping for joy. I wanted to rush up to everyone I passed and shout “I’ve been healed – I’ve been healed!” Suddenly, I realised I was starving and went to a restaurant under the hotel and had an enormous meal – with no after-effects whatsoever.

When I returned to London, I had to undergo a thorough medical by the company doctors and they found I was 100% clear.

But the most wonderful thing about the whole healing was the day after – a Sunday, when I went to church in Sydney and sat there, gobsmacked, as every single passage that had come to me (including the one on page 407) was read out from the desk.

And do you know what else – the next time I wanted that passage on page 407, I opened that old Science and Health but it opened to a different page. I was shocked. After opening to that page, dozens of times, once I had my healing, it never opened to that page again.

So that is one of many reasons that I would never go anywhere (including another planet!) without my precious two books and the universal healing truths they contain that help me hear what God is communicating to me all the time. If the truths in these books were really understood, humanity would have an enormously different future. No war. Love of God, Spirit, love of our neighbours, love of our world and all living beings in it, love of the universe.

Love and peace,

Judy

I have seen this post here before.

Indeed you are correct Ruby.. https://www.healthypages.com/community/threads/after-a-worldwide-cataclysm-what-3-books-would-you-save-to-rebuild-humanity.87626/

The OP of this thread is a spammer and has had their account(s) terminated, so I'm afraid you won't be getting a response from them (not that they ever intended to actually respond)

And I wasted my time doing all that writing! 🙁

Never mind, there might just be someone out there who is looking for some books with answers.

Love and peace,

Judy

And I wasted my time doing all that writing! 🙁

Never mind, there might just be someone out there who is looking for some books with answers.

Love and peace,

Judy

Judy, I saw this post and your replies! Believe your time was not wasted. Your intellectual and thought provoking replies gives one a lot to chew on. Keep posting! Some of us do read them and enjoy the different view points.

Awww, bless you Zandalee - I love your positive and inspirational posts too! 🙂

Awww, bless you Zandalee - I love your positive and inspirational posts too! 🙂

As I enjoy your kindness to all. Including myself! I do not have the incredible writing skill as yourself and prehaps not as well read but I enjoy a good debate!

Judy, your posts are never in vain. There are certainly people who do read them, even if they don't respond on the thread. 😉

I agree with Giles...keep posting.

Thanks, both or you! :p

You are so welcome!