Something to see!

There’s a new video series, featuring a number of former Christian Scientists sharing their experiences. Check out Leaving Christian Science Podcast.

Every human need met…

“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need”
(Mary Baker Eddy)

If you’ve been a Christian Scientist, or even have the slightest familiarity with it, you’re probably familiar with this phrase. It’s a phrase that at one time brought great comfort to me and many other former Christian Scientists back when we still marinated in the Christian Science Krazy Sauce.

My indifference…

Through discussion in the ex-Christian Scientist Facebook groups, and my heightened awareness of my own reactions to things as a result, I’ve come to realize one huge leftover effect of my years in Christian Science: a sometimes disturbing sense of indifference when there’s suffering, or other negative things happening around me. This indifference doesn’t happen all the time, but the fact that it happens at all bothers me deeply. It’s similar to a sense of nihilism that Christian Science can create that I’ve written about before.

Will they ever let us leave?

A fellow group member in an ex-Christian Scientist Facebook group I’m in commented–well, more like ranted–about how a Christian Scientist referred to them not as a “non-Christian Scientist”, but rather as a “non-practising Christian Scientist”. The ensuing discussion was largely a collective acknowledging head-nod of “yeah, we get it, been there, done that,” but this all brings up a seemingly small, but for many of us who’ve left Christian Science, huge irritant: that feeling that on some level, we will never completely leave Christian Science, or it will never completely leave us. Trust me, I think I speak for most of us: we all wish it would leave us.

It was always there…it was just suppressed…

“The compassion was always there. It was suppressed. Now it’s being released, and allowed to act naturally.”
(from a Facebook group for former Christian Scientists–quote shared with permission from the author)

So many of us who have left Christian Science are amazed by the simple acts of human compassion that we encounter day-to-day. We see it in so many places: co-workers, new religious/spiritual communities we join, friends, family, or among other former Christian Scientists. Sometimes, it’s something as simple as an acknowledgement of the grief or anger a person is feeling, and the offer to help in whatever way a person can; other times, it’s a knowing nod, or an “I totally ‘get’ how you feel…”; or it’s something as simple as acknowledging when someone isn’t feeling well, and offering comfort. Compassion comes in many different ways. I am among those who still marvels in this, even though it’s six years since I began to leave Christian Science myself.

Why I’m doing this…

My regular readers may (or may not) know that I am involved as an editor and writer for the website ‘The Ex-Christian Scientist‘. It is increasingly becoming the main focus for my ‘work’ in the ex-Christian Scientist community, and why my posting here on this blog has become more infrequent. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to visit the site. It is certainly a resource I wish I had six years ago when I had the first inklings of my final departure from Christian Science.

This is a re-posting of my own recently published personal mission statement for the site.

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Image credit: The Ex-Christian Scientist (exchristianscience.com).

My final departure from Christian Science began six years ago, when my Mom unexpectedly became ill and died, all within the span of about three months. She died in excruciating pain with a large tumour in her abdomen, all the while refusing any sort of medical intervention–not even pain abatement. She died in a Christian Science nursing facility before I was able to fly cross-country to see her. Later the same year, my Dad succumbed to untreated heart failure which had been going on for an estimated 5 – 7 years.

Calling in sick…

Image credit: Google image search.

Many of us former Christian Scientists talk about the many stupid little habits or thought patterns that frame aspects of our lives that come from our time in Christian Science. Perfectionism is one of the big ones–for some, including myself at times, it gets so bad that we’ll waste inordinate amounts of time perfecting even the smallest detail of whatever task we’re working on, even if it really doesn’t matter that every single ‘i’ is dotted or ‘t’ crossed. 

Guest Post: Neo’s Story (Part Two)

The following guest post was written by Neo. This is Part Two of a two-part post. Part One was posted last Sunday.

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Questioning my religion…

An interesting facet of Christian Science practice that I discovered at the time I was in college was that the human ego could be brought to bear in its application. By this I mean, as you mentally apply or study the teachings, you can do so in a disinterested way, ‘logically’ as it were, or you can apply the force of your belief in willing your prayer or whatever it is to be … True? Applied? Fruiful? I witnessed the results of this kind of ‘prayer’ on my physical state a number of times, and it actually caused me some mental pain. I believed that Christian Science was a ‘pure’ religion and that its teachings could only be applied in one way. I was troubled to learn from my own practice that I could actually bend these teachings to my own will.

Guest Post: Neo’s Story (Part One)

The following guest post was written by Neo. This is Part One of two.

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I was born to a Christian Scientist mother and father. My father’s parents still went to church for some of my childhood but became cynical about church politics and stopped attending while I was still young. My mother’s father was never a Christian Scientist but supported her mother in her religion and she was a Christian Scientist until she passed away. No other members of either of my parents’ families are Christian Scientists.

Moving on…

Image credit: Emerging Gently.

As many of my regular readers will know, I’m a member of a few Facebook groups of ex-Christian Scientists. When I initially joined what most of us call the ‘main group’, I was a lurker, somewhat reluctant (I wasn’t sure I was quite ready to defect to the ‘dark side’), and the group wasn’t very active anyway–I’m probably one of the first 10 members of the group. In the three or so years since, it has grown to over 150 members. It has become a very lively and active place, and I’ve become an active participant. I’ve also joined a few other Facebook groups for former Christian Scientists.