That look you get…

Image source: Facebook.

I shared this meme on my Facebook timeline recently. It was shared by another friend who, like me, is not religious. Unlike me, he knows nothing about Christian Science. I envy him and so many of my other friends for that fact. For most of them, all that they know about Christian Science is what I’ve chosen to share with them about my own experience, unless they’ve done their own research–I always tell my friends to just Google it and read for themselves.

What’s the real danger?

Much has been made in the news about the so-called “bathroom laws” that have been enacted in the U. S. states of North Carolina and Mississippi. While I do agree that there are some legitimate concerns about predatory men who may claim ‘transgendered’ status in order to gain access to a womens’ bathroom, that concern is minimal at best. I firmly believe these laws are rooted in intolerance and bigotry. Already, a lesbian woman, who looks and dresses in a masculine manner, but is still very much female, and identifies as such, was humiliatingly dragged out of a public washroom by police, presumably in one of those states. The video I viewed did not identify the location. In all honesty, what’s between the legs of the person next to me in the bathroom is of no concern to me.

Altered States

Yeah, I know it’s probably getting old, my habit of naming blog posts after movie or song titles, but I just can’t help myself. Today’s post is inspired by things I’ve heard mentioned many times in the ex-Christian Scientist Facebook groups, and also my own observations over the years. Specifically, I am talking today about how Christian Science has taken common things, or aspects of other forms of Christianity, and altered them or re-defined them to suit its own purposes.

Something Worth Reading

This article came across my Facebook newsfeed today, and it definitely resonates strongly with me vis a vis my own experience with Christian Science…so strongly, it was almost scary…

Grape Nuts

Over the years, I’ve occasionally heard the term “Grape Nuts” applied to Christian Science. This notion comes from the parallel drawn between the idea that, like the cereal that contains neither nuts nor grapes, Christian Science is neither “Christian” nor is it a “science”.

Misplaced Loyalty (Warning: a bit of profanity ahead)

Image credit: Intelligence is sexy (Facebook page).

How many of us have stuck too long with something because we thought, or were told and we believed, that it was the right thing? How long misplaced loyalty can draw on. In my case, with Christian Science, it dragged on for 40 years. I’m not sure if I necessarily became a slave to my beliefs (I always had my questions and doubts), but it certainly was a dysfunctional relationship of the worst kind.

Losing my religion and finding my own path

Since it is obviously inconceivable that all religions can be right, the most reasonable conclusion is that they are all wrong.
~Christopher Hitchens

Every religion claims to be ‘right’, and Christian Science is absolutely no exception to that rule–in fact, it might be more extreme in some ways than other faiths. I was a ‘class-taught’ Christian Scientist, and strong elements of this exceptionalism attitude were interwoven throughout the teachings I received. Mary Baker Eddy was presented as the woman prophesied in the biblical book of Revelation. While it is somewhat of an ongoing debate within the Christian Science movement as to whether or not she is, there is a significant segment of folks who do believe that she is. I even swallowed that swill for quite a while. Biblical prophecy regarding Christian Science actually validated it for me at a time when I was wavering in my belief. Biblical prophecy was examined throughout my class and Association instruction in many ways that strongly reinforced the belief that Christian Science is prophesied in the Bible. While others may say you’re going to Hell if you don’t follow their path, Christian Science introduces a level of hubris that I don’t see in too many others by saying simply that it’s prophesied in the Bible. It’s simple, but powerful: we’re simply the only true path–we’re the true successor to none other than Jesus Christ himself. No heaven, no hell, just one path–our path, and the rest of you are just plain wrong. It took me many years to realize who was really wrong.