Glad to have found this forum.  I was raised by a very devout Christian Science mother, rejected Christian Science as a teen and became a born-again Christian in my late twenties.

The things that gets me most about the Christian Science church is the blatant practice of picking and choosing Bible verses in their topical teachings - something still used to compile the 'Lessons' today.  I attended Christian Science Sunday School regularly for fourteen years, was taught by some very competent people, but didn't know what a disciple was, what an apostle was, who Paul was, who the Jews were or how the Old Testament differed from the New Testament.  And as hard as I tried, I never could quite understand what 'soul' and 'spirit' were. 

I finally started listening to a bothersome born-again Christian sixteen years ago because I couldn't deny that this person's knowledge of the Bible was far superior to my own.  Come to find out, the average lay person in most non-denominational churches had a Bible knowledge far superior to my own!

I had to wonder - why would God inspire the writing of the Bible, but not allow us to fully understand it until Mary Baker Eddy would come along 1900 years later?

The old trick of picking and choosing verses throughout the Bible (in Christian Science, portions of verses), then stringing them together to form a topical 'doctrine of man' is a tired old trick.

I'd be interested to know if anyone else came to similar conclusions...

I'm glad you listened to that bothersome born-again Christian.

I knew a lot about the Bible when I came out of CS, but the problem was that the "facts" I knew were skewed by CS perspectives and definitions, and by verses being taken out of context. I was surprised how different the Bible looked after I started reading it without CS filters.

I attended Principia College and took a couple of Bible courses from very good teachers, one of whom was in the process of earning a Ph.D. having something to do with the Bible. Since leaving CS I have pondered how these profs could be educated about the Bible in non-CS environments and still retain their CS interpretations.

Linda, I'd like to answer your question about how my relationship with my CS mother has been since I came to Christ (the Messiah, not the force).  She continues to become stronger in CS as she gets older, and has stated she'd like to go to a CS nursing home if it ever comes to that.  On one hand she's thrilled to see all that God has done in my life since I've been saved (she doesn't deny it).  On the other hand, I think she believes I must be growing in 'science', and I just use a different vocabulary.  We had many doctrinal conversations early on, where I exposed some of Mrs. Eddy's wrong teachings.  For example, CS believes that CS is the second coming of Christ, which comes to all of us as we grow in our understanding of 'the Christ'.  I asked my mom, if that were the case, why would Paul have written to the Thesselonians (who were a church and would have already received 'the Christ') about the second coming of Christ as if it were yet to occur?  When she cannot answer, she always falls back on her experiences with CS, claiming that it has healed her and thats all she needs to know.

I've concluded that my mom came to CS because of some extreme wounds which occured early in her life.  She lives very deeply in a kind of delusional CS fantasy world (perhaps you've seen that glazed-over look as well), and CS is like a big bandage covering her wounds.  Rather than argue with her about something that has been very comforting to her, I've opted to have great compassion, respect and patience with her.  When she quotes Mary Baker Eddy to me, I usually smile and nod - and occassionally find the quote something of value, in which case I'll tell her so.  Yet she sees that I never waiver in my beliefs and I raise my own children quite differently.  If she asks me a specific question, I don't back down from stating what I believe to be the truth.  She is at a place now where she regrets some of the decisions she made in life (a very new development), but fails to acknowledge that her CS reasoning played a huge role in all of those bad decisions.  Perhaps this is small progress.  I don't know what else to do at this point.

I am very encouraged to see there are many on this message board who were very high up in CS - class taught, practioners and so forth - who have since come to know the Jesus of the Bible.  I'll be praying for your wonderful ministry..

I can see how your mom might think that. MBE's definitions for biblical terms supposedly lend spiritual clarification rather than contradiction to the original meanings. Since your mom thinks she merely has a clearer understanding than you and other non-CS Christians, she can assume that you are still moving in the same spiritual direction as CS -- although at a slower pace. It goes with the CS teaching that everyone will eventually come to an understanding of CS (if not here, then in a later stage of consciousness). I think that's why mosts CSists feel no real pressure to share their faith -- everyone will eventually understand it anyway, and there is no final judgment to worry about.

That's really typical -- and frustrating since it gives her a way to avoid thinking about the things she can't explain.

Sounds like a good approach. You sound very kind.

Thanks!

I see that Do Go Be Man has done this. See the thread The Writings of a Bunch of Men in the Doctrinal and Bible Related Issues category.