Posted Wednesday, July 25, 2007 7:30 PM
|
|
|
|
| I have been raised a Catholic but not that I follow it now as I have recently joined a new Christian Church. I have finally found the path and I am on my journey My mum however has been following CS for 8 years after she fell ill due to a brain aneurism. To cut a long story short she has been trying to pump CS into me for years but I wont have a bar of it. I've given her anti-CS documents to read etc. and she denies it. The family is torn apart. We hate going to her place for dinner coz we just get CS pumped into our brains. We cannot have a normal conversation coz she starts quoting MBE. Why is it that they have this anger inside them when they preach? She wont tell me in a calm, nice manner, she is quite abusive about it when she tries to get her point accross. However, coz I have heard CS for 8 years, I'm beginning to wonder if it has rubbed off on me. I'm starting to think the following:- If I have a headache I don't use pain killer coz I deny the headache is there. If I see my daughter is getting cold symptoms, I deny them for colds don't exist. I attend Bible classes at my Christian Church and everytime they mention the devil as a person I say to myself "No, he's not a being, he's sin in us humans, our own thinking". Someone HELP me PLEASE, am I turning into a CSist? I am starting to worry that my mum has already tarnished my thoughts. How do I get rid of them? She's already planted the seed in my mind and it now haunts me.
|
|
Posted Thursday, July 26, 2007 6:52 AM
|
|
|
|
| juesusmyhealer, The thoughts you outlined do sound like the products of CS thinking. One way to deal with them is to meet those thoughts with rational rebuttals. I'll give you examples of what I mean, using your statements: If I have a headache I don't use pain killer coz I deny the headache is there. Rather than denying that the headache exists, take a look at what you're doing that may have caused the headache so that you can correct the problem and help prevent headaches in the future. For example -- are you really tense, sitting in a position that stresses your neck muscles, reading in low light, or lacking sleep? Then take steps to correct the factors that might be contributing to the headache. This is more productive than just denying its existence. If I see my daughter is getting cold symptoms, I deny them for colds don't exist. As one who grew up in CS and has talked with MANY people who grew up in CS, I can say that HOW YOU REACT TO YOUR DAUGHTER'S PROBLEMS IS IMPORTANT. A lot of unintentioned emotional and physical neglect goes on in CS as parents lovingly deny the reality of their children's problems. When your daughter has a cold, ask yourself whether you want to help her or to emotionally damage her by neglecting her need to have her problems taken seriously. You do her no good by denying that the cold exists. I attend Bible classes at my Christian Church and everytime they mention the devil as a person I say to myself "No, he's not a being, he's sin in us humans, our own thinking". Read what the Bible says about the devil and your answer should be clear. If Jesus thought the devil is real, I'm not going to argue with him. By the way, I don't think your mother's angry and abusive delivery style is characteristic of most CSists. Was she this abusive before her aneurism?
|
|
Posted Thursday, July 26, 2007 4:26 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted Thursday, July 26, 2007 4:37 PM
|
|
|
|
| Hi Linda Thanks for your comments. I was sure that my mums attitude were not usual to CS coz I have met some of her CS friends are they are far from what she is. It's hard to converse in writing but I will try explain. For example as I mentioned before if I say I have a headache she angrily replies "No you don't, it's all in your mind, don't think about it". But the response is very angry and quite negative. I think she is not 100% sure of her CS faith and at times she has doubt coz her actions prove it eg. I've seen vitamin supplements at her house and like a week later she will throw them out. Her other CS mates are quite confident people and always speak calm and with assurance. I know this CS is not for her, I mean after 8 years and she's still not sure, I know it. And No she was not like this before her illness, she has changed since CS. Don't know if I can say this but it's like she has been possessed and if you ask me more evil qualities than God like ones if you know what I mean. She's us unbearable. I have a sister and she thinks the same, we have grown apart from our mum and it's so sad. It's a shame coz I have a 3 year old now who needs her Grandma but I'm too scared to let her spend time with her. I've just done a huge search on CS and MBE and I just want to show my mum but don't know how to approach it coz I've done it before and she denied it. As I posted in another thread, I wish an ex-cs could ring her and tell her.
|
|
Posted Thursday, July 26, 2007 7:19 PM
|
|
|
|
| I don't think she would want to talk with a former CSist; she would just see it as an attack. I agree that your mother's negative style might be a sign that she is unsure. Whether or not she is sure of her beliefs, her delivery style would probably be an embarassment to some CSists since they would see it as misrepresenting the loving nature of their religion. I wonder if your mother's CS friends have seen the negative way with which she delivers her CS "truths." Perhaps they could help her realize that she is not supposed to beat people over the head with her CS statements of "truth" -- this might help you and your family to have a more comfortable relationship with her. Just a thought...
|
|
Posted Monday, August 27, 2007 2:04 AM
|
|
|
|
As a third generation Christian Scientist, I agree with Linda on one small point; Christian Scientists, TRUE Christian Scientists are loving because that is what Christ Jesus taught us to do. Mrs. Eddy wrote: "You will learn that in Christian Science the first duty is to obey God, to have one Mind, and to love another as yourself." (Science & Health Pg 495:28) The term "Christian Science" is defined as the science of Christ Jesus, his teachings, his way of life. He told us that we will do greater works then he. (John 14:9-20)
One thing I have not seen on this site yet is the fact that Mrs. Eddy wrote in the Manual of the Mother Church of Christ, Scientist is the first tenet: "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life." (Manual Pg 15:3) What I see on this site is the opinion that Christian Scientists choose Mrs. Eddy's words over and above The Bible. That is simply not true. I believe in the Bible and work hard to follow Jesus' teachings. I also believe he has fulfilled his promise in John 14:16-20 that he has brought us another Comforter, not Mrs. Eddy, but Christian Science. Mrs. Eddy was the discoverer and founder of Christian Science, not the creator.
In regards to your mother, she is quoting Truths to you and your family. It may be obnoxious, but I believe she will eventually understand the spirit of them and not just the letter, and become more loving. I know this because my father was the same way. He is now much older and more loving today because he understands the Spirit of the Word.
II Corinthians 3:4-6
"4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
I'll leave you with this to ponder:
Luke 17:20-24
20 ¶ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
|
|
Posted Monday, August 27, 2007 8:19 AM
|
|
|
|
| Hi Anonymous, Glad you wrote to encourage jesusmyhealer. I do hope his mom learns the gentleness that I have seen in many CSists. I also believe he has fulfilled his promise in John 14:16-20 that he has brought us another Comforter, not Mrs. Eddy, but Christian Science. I agree that CS doesn't teach that Mrs. Eddy is the Comforter. But the Bible is pretty clear about the Holy Spirit -- not CS -- being the Comforter. This is handled in the "CS and the Bible" section of the Christian Way Web site, so I'll refer you to that section (The Holy Spirit) for a fuller explanation. One thing I have not seen on this site yet is the fact that Mrs. Eddy wrote in the Manual of the Mother Church of Christ, Scientist is the first tenet: "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life." (Manual Pg 15:3) What I see on this site is the opinion that Christian Scientists choose Mrs. Eddy's words over and above The Bible. The problem is that Mrs. Eddy only considers SOME of the "word of the Bible" to be inspired. So she decided what parts were inspired and gave her own "spiritualized" definitions to many words. This is really a discussion which belongs in the forum entitled "Doctrinal and Bible Related Issues," so I'll start a new thread there where we can continue this discussion if you would like to.
|
|
|
|