Update to an earlier post

Just over a year ago I wrote this post, regarding Linda Osmundson, a prominent resident of the St. Petersburg, Florida area, who was the founder of a local organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence. She was also a Christian Scientist, and was forced to resign her position with the organization she founded due to a very obvious health concern in the form of a growth on her face. Sadly, I have recently learned that she has succumbed to whatever her illness was (she apparently did have a diagnosis, but never shared it publicly).

A Metaphor Does Not a Diagnosis Make

I was reminded recently, in an on-line discussion thread, of Christian Scientists’ propensity to put at the root of many a physical ailment a metaphorical mental/emotional issue. A participant in the thread commented on how a heavy feeling in her chest was expertly diagnosed by a Christian Science practitioner or some other Christian Scientist as a ‘manifestation of stubbornness’. Yeah right! No, it couldn’t be something perhaps more serious like heart disease or asthma. Just change your hard heart, and it will all go away–like magic! Geez! Now I know what’s caused my asthma! I guess I can toss aside my inhalers! Hallelujah!

I Am a Sensitive Guy

It’s official: I’m a sensitive guy. I received that diagnosis recently during a visit to the emergency room at the local hospital. This visit was occasioned by a sudden, unpleasant, and quite alarming rash that broke out all over my body; and given that it was late in the evening on a Sunday, going to a walk-in clinic or my own doctor were not going to be options, so I went to the ER. The rash had arisen the day before in a much milder form, and had somewhat subsided overnight, but now it had reared its ugly head in a much more alarming form, worse than I had ever experienced such a rash in the past.

To Vax or Not to Vax

The debate over vaccination has been heating up especially south of the border (in the USA) lately due to a measles outbreak centred around Disneyland. It’s a debate that’s also been lighting up a few discussion threads in one of the ex-Christian Scientist Facebook groups. The anti-vaxxers are taking it hard on the chin on this one, and in my opinion, well they should.

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.

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.

A Call To Action

Image Credit: Black Atheists (Facebook Page).

Politics is something I don’t care much for, and don’t get involved with much beyond the voting booth. I have my political positions, and I do express them on occasion, but I’m not a political activist, and I would never use a platform such as this blog to advocate a political stance, except when it’s an issue that strikes at the core of what I write about here in this blog.

Are Sin, Disease, and Death Real?

This is #2 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 “Are Sin, Disease, and Death Real?”. Look for other posts in the category Lesson Sermon Subjects. 

In the alternate reality universe of Christian Science, sin, disease, and death are as real as the mirage of a big lake in the middle of the desert. This Lesson Sermon topic gets to the meat of what Christian Science is all about, and also its biggest fallacy.

Does Christian Science Work?

I’ve said it time and time again in various posts here that I do not believe that Christian Science works. Yes, Christian Scientists like to point to a “well documented record of healing” a lot when refuting those of us who claim that it doesn’t work. The problem is, that “well documented record of healing” is anecdotal evidence at best–and it’s not particularly good anecdotal evidence anyway. All that is required for a testimony to be ‘documented’ (published in the Christian Science periodicals) is for verification from three people who have witnessed the so-called ‘healing’ or who can vouch for the integrity of the testifier. Usually, those who vouch for testifiers are Christian Scientists themselves–hence, as I see it, a large credibility gap. Independent, impartial verification would engender more faith in the testimony for me nowadays. So, today I’ll explore some of my own reasons why I don’t believe that Christian Science works. These are my proofs. These are my truths.