Ex-Christian Scientists In Their Own Words Again

I’ve had a few posts now of former Christian Scientists sharing on various subjects in their own words. Continuing on this idea, and happily letting others write some blog posts for me, I present more former Christian Scientists in their own words. I only edit the comments for context; clarification of terms, clarification of references, or clarification of lingo that’s used; and to remove any identifying details. I only share comments here with permission of the commenters.

Question: How long have you been free from Christian Science?

Here are some of the answers. As you will see, the discussion went way beyond a counting of years of freedom from this mind-twisting religion:

• Started drifting away end of 2009, fully extricated (out of Association was the last act) in 2011, so 4 – 5 years, give or take. But, in some ways, my departure has been a lifetime experience–I always had my doubts. Now, instead of ignoring or suppressing them, I embrace them like old friends.
• Officially out 15 years next month but done with Christian Science probably 20 years. I got into CS in 1983 (23 years old).
• More than 20 years since I resigned my TMC [The Mother Church] membership. Like others, however, don’t claim to be free of its impact on me.
• Huge shout out for Rita Swan, not just for her work for children but also for her outreach to everyone leaving Christian Science.
• 37 years. But are we really free?
• Yeah, as [name removed] and [name removed] allude to…are we ever really free? I wish I could be.
• Left 40+ years. Only recently discovered CS never left ME. Was gobsmacked. Still am. It’s ugly.
• 23 years in the deep end, 3 years of easing out, 2 years out-out. But it is like a condition that doesn’t quite go away – it’s just dormant until it flares up.
• Between Easter & Christmas 1997, I found Jesus & was baptized.
• Think I was 11 or 12 when I dared to tell my mother I “didn’t believe.” For that one, I got beaten up emotionally at psycho level. Had Christian Science grade school, Colorado camp most summers. Still had Principia in my future at that point.
• Twenty years ago, at 32.
• I was raised in Christian Science from a child – left it about 7 years ago – I was about to immerse myself more fully in it after being a bit half-hearted for a while, but started researching it on the internet and started discovering many flaws – the internet isn’t all bad!
• About ten years, but the doubts were always there. I had varying degrees of success during my childhood attempting to believe, but once I left Principia and got to college I’d say it took about six months before I gave up on it completely.
• In for 30+ years and out for 6+ years. As mentioned before, the final decision to get out happened in an instant, but this was after years of pushing away doubts, and dealing with and increasingly creepy, toxic and co-dependent relationship with my mother; we were the only two in the family that hadn’t left yet and now my sister and I are both estranged from her. After leaving, I went into therapy for a short time which was ok, but I found much more comfort in the ex-Christian Science books and especially the support of my sister who had left years before.
• I stopped attempting to “practice” Christian Science about 10 years ago, but for a long time I was in the “it works, just not for me…” camp. Really it has only been in about the past year that I have realized how dangerous and even evil, Christian Science is, the way it shreds families and individuals. It’s only been in about the past year that I have begun to recognize myself as a *VICTIM* of Christian Science.
• I am proud of the courage it takes anybody to get out, at ANY time. And then to work on the inevitable dregs. It’s difficult.
• [Christian Science] Also ruined (or greatly contributed to) any hope of normal family or sibling relationship. I was out. They weren’t. Zero contact for decades.
• I’m sorry for everyone’s pain on this board, including my own, resulting from that evil, narcissistic old bat aka Mary Baker Eddy.
• I always imagined because I knew I didn’t believe [in Christian Science] when I so young, that I was much less “wrecked” by CS than by, say, my mom’s psycho-ness. Decades later, I discover that is NOT true. Religious abuse when you’re very small is impossibly, deeply deeply entrenched.
• I think for many of us, the mild-mannered “Being Loving” was a huge HUGE lie. But we were told that’s what love was. To this day, I run from the word “love.” I find it deeply suspicious.
• The point about Christian Scientists being mild-mannered is spot-on. How does “60 Minutes” or “Dateline NBC” do a story about the destructive nature of Christian Science and then show little old ladies in a reading room or droning on and on with that week’s lesson? Especially when the title is “Ancient and Modern Necromancy, alias Mesmerism and Hypnotism, Denounced.” Not quite like getting fired up against a fire-and-brimstone preacher caught in a salacious affair.
• The phrase “God is Love” COMPLETELY flips me out, in a bad way, and I really have no idea why.
• This [on-line] group is the biggest relief of my life as to relieving Christian Science insanity. Better than years and years of therapy that seems to accomplish very little. What a gift to hear all your stories. We can talk smack about Christian Science, tell the tragedies, be smart asses, and laugh like mad. Now THAT’S “healing.”
• [I] wonder whether a traumatic brain injury [at] age 9 was actually a lucky thing. Maybe how obvious it was that Christian Science didn’t work on that is why I learned to disbelieve so young (in which case, great!). I don’t know, don’t remember.
  • [Follow-on comment from the same person] Sorry to sound like such a jerk, but I hope my mother had to answer for it on whatever is the other side. I hope she’s screaming in whatever is eternity.
    • [Response]: [name removed], all of the hugs. So many hugs. Hugs.
• ::::group hug:::: y’all are so wonderful. Also, I have a date with a secular therapist next week to see if we’ll be a good match. Date = appointment, not date-date, though I’m sure dating a secular therapist would be simultaneously awesome and overwhelming.

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