Life

This is #12 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 ‘Life’. Look for other posts in the category “Lesson Sermon Subjects“.

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Life in the context of today’s subject, is one of Mary Baker Eddy’s seven ‘synonyms’ for God (the word is capitalized when used in this context–see ‘Christian Science Grammar’ in my glossary of terms for more on this), and one of the six of these that is a Lesson Sermon topic (Principle seems not to get a nod for some reason). So, what is this thing called ‘Life’?

Recycling…

This was posted in an on-line group I’m in, and I thought it was funny. All over the world, old Christian Science churches are being re-purposed as this moribund religion shrinks away to its “native nothingness” (to use a well-known phrase from Mary Baker Eddy). Some have become condominiums, many have found new life as theatres, and others have become homes to congregants of different religions.

You just don’t “understand” it well enough…

By far, the most common defence that Christian Scientists offer for the failures of their “system of healing” to live up to its lofty promises is some variation on the statement, “you just don’t have a [good enough/correct/complete] understanding of Christian Science.” This defence has popped up in the comments sections on this blog a few times, and I’ve seen it in reader reviews on Amazon.com of books that are critical of Christian Science, in particular the book God’s Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church by Caroline Fraser. One reviewer comments, “Unfortunately Ms. Fraser does not have a thorough understanding of Christian Science and neither have most of the people who have reviewed the book, here or elsewhere.” (emphasis is mine) I happen to know that Fraser grew up in Christian Science, so I think she had a decent understanding of it, insofar as anyone can. I’ve also seen this defence numerous times in other public forums when people have criticized Christian Science and Christian Scientists have responded. I have also been told on more than a few occasions that I just didn’t/don’t understand it.

A very nice image

This image, a ‘fan art’ piece for the on-line game Fallout 4 was recently posted in an on-line group I’m in. While the artist’s caption labels it as the former site of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), it actually depicts the post-apocalyptic ruins of the Christian Science Center in Boston, Massachusetts (the headquarters of the Christian Science Church). MIT is actually located across the Charles River from Boston in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The game Fallout 4 is set in post-apocalyptic Boston/New England, in an alternate reality from our own, approximately 218 years in the future. It is part of the Fallout on-line game series.