Ask the audience…

Image credit: Luis Quintero (Pexels).

There’s an odd phenomenon among many former Christian Scientists, especially those, like myself, who have married or have partners who were never Christian Scientists. Odds are also, that these people didn’t know anything about Christian Science before they met us. So, there ends up being a huge part of our lives that our spouses/partners don’t fully understand, and despite our best efforts to explain something as unexplainable as Christian Science is, it usually remains somewhat of an enigma to them. However, we can go to an on-line audience of people we’ve largely never met, tell our deepest, darkest childhood memories to them, and they will all, without missing a beat, give you that “I totally get what you’re going through” nod or acknowledgement. This applies to close friendships as well–however you can more easily choose to just not share those parts of your life with friends. With a spouse or partner, it’s different. I don’t want to hold back large and impactful parts of my life from my partner.

Lucky kid…

Recently, I had to take a family member to the emergency room at our local hospital. No big deal, it was just a nasty stomach virus that was making the rounds–painful and unpleasant, but not serious or life threatening. They were hooked up to an intravenous drip of saline and an anti-nausea medication to rehydrate them and quell their violent symptoms, and their condition improved quickly.

Why yes, we do have a vice or two…

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment?”
(Matthew 6:25 – King James Version)

Man

This is #14 in a series of posts looking at the 26 Christian Science Weekly Bible Lesson subjects, chosen by Mary Baker Eddy, and rotated twice per year. These lessons are the sermon at each Christian Science church worldwide, and are read by Christian Scientists daily. Today’s subject is “Man”. Look for other posts in the category Lesson Sermon Subjects. 

So, tell me about your childhood…

 

Isaac Lake – Bowron Lake Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada. Image credit: Emerging Gently.

I’ve been on a mental health journey for the past few months, and through counselling and therapy, I have been finding out a lot about myself and what literally, on the most basic levels, “makes me tick”. Until recently, I proudly thought that I had exorcised most of the Christian Science “demons” from my life. How wrong I was! All I had done was pick the low-hanging fruit (for me, anyway): conditioning myself to go to the doctor, take painkillers and cold meds, and to reach for antibiotics when I need them, that was all was easy (for some former Christian Scientists, I realize that this is difficult). I do it without even a second thought now, and have done so for several years. I was reveling in the idea that I was a “normal human being” now. But, as I’ve discovered, Christian Science is still engrained in me in a deep way, running in the background, like so-called “running processes”–those little computer programs that are part of the operating system. You’re usually never aware of them–until you are.

Motivations, things I do…

Why do we do the things we do? Why do we act the way we do? Those are some big questions. I’ve been doing a lot of deep exploration on this lately, but I’m not here to share super deep stuff today. My experience as a former Christian Scientist underlies, in large and small ways–often just lurking there in the background, a lot of why/what/how I do stuff; for better, or worse, as I have been discovering.

A little thing called COVID-19

While my blog here was hibernating, the world was hit by a global pandemic. The last time something of this scale happened, as far as I know, was 1918–the Spanish Flu epidemic. Arguably, that one was a bigger deal, but this one was a big deal too. It still is. COVID-19 is a big topic. This post is an overview/thought-spill of how it unfolded for me, and how being a former Christian Scientist has shaped my experience with it.

I’m Baaaack!!

Looking at my posts, the last thing I posted here was a link to an article written by John Pavlovitz, a writer, activist, blogger, and yes–pastor from Wake Forest, North Carolina, USA. That post dates back to October 2018. Normally, I’m not a fan of anyone who is a pastor or anything remotely connected to religion, but he is worth following, if you want something good and thought-provoking to read. He is the kind of Christian who walks the walk, rather than just talking it, and he doesn’t like Trump–something I consider to be a good thing. Find him here. He’s also on social media. The last substantive post I made was also in October 2018. So, it’s been awhile. I honestly didn’t think I’d come back here, then when I started trying, I didn’t think WordPress would let me back in.

Reblogged

• The Moral Confusion of Trump Christians (John Pavlovitz)

Leaving Christian Science saved me

Sometimes, I step back and wonder how I survived being a Christian Scientist. I think most of us who’ve left Christian Science do this–especially when we’ve been faced with, and overcome a serious physical ailment or injury. Since I left Christian Science about nine years ago, I’ve faced a few. However, the one that gives me pause is one involving the “C” word: cancer. Now, before anyone gets alarmed, let me assure you, it was not a serious form of cancer, and it is one that is rarely fatal.