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.

Masks We Wear

This is part of a series of posts that will look into what it’s like to grow up as a Christian Scientist. Look for posts under the category “Growing Up Christian Scientist“.

Image credit: Liz Aragon/Sweet Clip Art (sweetclipart.com)

We all wear masks of one kind or another throughout our lives. There’s always those aspects of life we want to hide from the world for whatever reason. As a child and youth growing up in Christian Science, I meticulously hid my religious affiliation such that even my closest friends did not know about it.

What Would Make Me Go Back?

I’ve sometimes wondered what might ever make me go back to Christian Science, if I ever would go back, and what it might be like if I did. Some in the ex-Christian Scientist groups fear that when they grow older and potentially slip into dementia, they might inadvertently revert back to Christian Science in the mental fog of dementia, and I honestly think that’s probably the only way I can see it that I would go back at this point, since the only other thing that would send me back is unlikely to ever happen. And…that brings me to the topic of this post. 

Confirmation Bias and Christian Science

The blog Godless In Dixie discusses the phenomenon of confirmation bias as it relates to Christians, and by extension most highly religious people, very well in this post. I especially found a deep resonance with this particular post and its subject matter, as I related it to my own experience in Christian Science. Godless in Dixie does a very good job of discussing confirmation bias, and what it means vis a vis being religious, so I strongly recommend reading his post as a primer for my post. Here, I want to take the subject of confirmation bias, and get into how I see it in relation to Christian Science and its rather grandiose claims regarding physical healing.

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.

Former Christian Scientists in their own words…subject: Christian Science practitioners

I have previously posted some comments shared on-line by former Christian Scientists on a different topic. Click here for my previous post.

Once again, my ex-Christian Scientist friends on Facebook have proven to be a great source of material for me here on this blog. In parlance that will be very familiar to any of us who’ve sat through a Wednesday Testimony Meeting, I’d like to thank the previous testifiers for their inspiring comments.

Former Christian Scientists In Their Own Words

An interesting discussion thread emerged in one of the ex-Christian Scientist Facebook groups. A friend thought it might be fun to share some of that discussion with a wider audience, and I agree. I now share with you, dear readers, former Christian Scientists in their own words, unplugged, and uncensored.

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.

Ignorance Isn’t Bliss

“–where ignorance is bliss,
‘Tis folly to be wise.”
~Thomas Gray (from “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College“)

This well-known quote came to mind for me as I read this latest installment in “Que?tion of the Week” on The Mother Church’s youth-oriented website time4thinkers. A regular feature on this website, Que?tion of the Week addresses questions that I believe are submitted by visitors to the site regarding Christian Science, its theology, practice, and culture.