Somewhere Over The Rainbow

“Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”
~From the movie “The Wizard of Oz” (music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E. Y. Harburg)

Praying for a healing in Christian Science is sort of like chasing a rainbow. You feel like you can almost touch it, get close to it, but it remains ever elusive.

No True Christian Scientist

Image credit: Imgarcade (www.imgarcade.com).

This is another in an occasional series of posts dealing with contradictions within the practice and/or culture of Christian Science. For other posts, check out the topic ‘Contradictions‘.

Among my ex-Christian Scientist friends, I’ve seen discussion of the “No True Scotsman” informal fallacy as it relates to Christian Science, Christian Scientists, and of interest to me–ex-Christian Scientists. This discussion also applies to former Christians (of any other Christian denomination) as well, and you can read an excellent discussion of that here.

Just Because You Can, Should You?

Morality can be a shifting line, and there are definitely some gray areas. For some, living in a sexual relationship outside of marriage is absolutely immoral, for many others, it’s not. It’s not illegal to have sex outside of marriage, or for couples in relationships to live together outside of marriage, but just because it’s not illegal, is it right to do this? Many will argue that it’s not ok. I don’t care either way. But, I have a different issue in mind here outside of sexual morality (a very weird subject in connection to Christian Science, by the way). My issue relates to the raising and protecting of children.

Ignoring the gorilla in the room

Recently, this news story came across my Facebook newsfeed courtesy of one of the ex-Christian Scientist groups I’m in. I ask that you give it a read before continuing with this post. Go ahead…I’ll wait.

There–finished the article? Great! What did you think? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, via e-mail–or if you’re up to it, go ahead and write a guest post. I’ll take a few moments now to share some of my thoughts, since this is my blog, after all.

It’s OK to Be Angry

It’s hard as a Refugee From An Obscure Religion, as I call myself and other ex-Christian Scientists, to find someone I can talk to about what I’ve been through who will understand it all. As any of us who’ve spent time in Christian Science will tell you, it’s an extra-special kind of Krazy Sauce that most people just don’t understand. I would hazard to guess that in the entire metro area I live in, which has a population of around 190,000, I am probably one of less than 10 (if even that many) who are ex-Christian Scientists, and I’m probably being generous in that estimation.

Standing By

Image Credit: Bryant McGill (from his Facebook Page) (see: http://www.bryantmcgill.com)

One of the toughest things in life for a former Christian Scientist is dealing with friends and family who are still in Christian Science. Fortunately for me, I have no family members who are still in the faith, but I do have a number of friends who are, although I am not in close or regular contact with most of them outside of the occasional Facebook interactions. For those who still deal closely with people still in Christian Science, these relationships become especially tough if the Christian Scientist friend becomes seriously ill, and especially if that Christian Scientist is a close family member like a parent or sibling. All too often, the non-Christian Scientist gets shut out.

Thank You For the Readings From the Desk

Many a person who has spent any time marinating in the Christian Science Krazy Sauce will have heard the statement I use as the title for this post many, many times at Wednesday Testimony Meetings in Christian Science churches. In one of the ex-Christian Scientist Facebook groups I’m in, we’ve had a few funny riffs off that statement, with one person wondering how a ‘desk’ can read anything anyway, or how one could thank a ‘desk’, or how readings come from a ‘desk’. Christian Scientists are an odd lot indeed. If it seems odd enough to those of us who’ve been in Christian Science, it must look exceptionally weird to a complete outsider.

Thoughts On Fathers’ Day

Today is Fathers’ Day. As many on Facebook have done, I posted as my profile pic, a picture of my Dad. Unlike many others I’ve seen posted, I don’t share the camera space with him. My cousin does. It was taken during a visit she and her husband had with him the summer before he died. It is also the last known picture that was ever taken of Dad. He died later that same year. I’ve looked at this picture often, and even posted it last year on Fathers’ Day. Even nearly five years since his death, it still brings a tear to my eye when I look at it.

Jagged Little Knife (Poem)

I felt unusually inspired to try and riff on some perhaps not-so-good poetry tonight. It’s free verse, stream of conscience, I’ve done very little editing. I hate rules sometimes, but I’ll always hate Christian Science more.

We were three, now we are one,
They were mortal; we all are,
No matter what you say.

Mothers’ Day

Clematis flowers in my Mom’s garden. (Image credit: Emerging Gently)

For reasons my long-time readers will know, my feelings about some holidays are conflicted. For my newer readers and those who haven’t explored some older postings, read this series of posts that were part of the original raison d’être for this blog. Mothers’ Day is no exception. In the first few years after my mother died, Mothers’ Day was an in-your-face reminder to me of someone I felt was unfairly and painfully ripped out of my life, and the lives of those close to her. The first Mothers’ Day after my Mom died came just two months after her death. It was not an easy day to say the least.