 Posted Monday, January 28, 2008 5:51 PM
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| Just wondering...no one ever said we needed to forgive Judas for betraying Jesus, so I was wondering if we, who are former Christian Scientists, need to forgive Mrs. Eddy for all the grief her doctrine has caused us ....not to mention the countless numbers she has led away from the truth to die in their sins. Do we forgive her - or place her in the same catagory as Judas or for that matter...Satan? Forgive, so that our Heavenly Father will forgive us our sins...or does it apply to one who is directly opposed to Gods word?
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Posted Monday, January 28, 2008 7:00 PM
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| As far as I know, we can't pick and choose who we want to forgive. MBE was a product of the goofy philosophies floating around in the mid to late 19th century although mixed with a smattering of ancient philosophies as well. I think she really thought she was doing the right thing, as do many Christian Scientists presently. Although I have suffered greatly because of Christian Science, I have to try to forgive MBE and many others in the church who caused this pain. It is more through their ignorance than by any malicious intent that harm occurred.
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Posted Monday, January 28, 2008 8:29 PM
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slugbiscuit,
... I was wondering if we, who are former Christian Scientists, need to forgive Mrs. Eddy for all the grief her doctrine has caused us ....not to mention the countless numbers she has led away from the truth to die in their sins. Do we forgive her - or place her in the same catagory as Judas or for that matter... Satan?
I have forgiven MBE and Judas. They had their parts to play in God's plan and I will not be at all surprised to see either one or both in Heaven. Even Satan has his part to play though unlike MBE and Judas we already have certain assurance of his place in eternity.
I am grateful to MBE for demonstrating the futility of rewriting God's word and for inventing a church that enabled me to stay out of the world during troubled times. Were it not for CS, I very well may have succumbed to the world like so many of my peers did with drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. In CS, I developed an appreciation for the Bible and developed tools to study it. I gained an imperfect understanding of Jesus that shielded me somewhat from giving in to New Age and other non-Christian beliefs. God used CS to my good.
Ultimately, what I learned in CS was a catalyst for my heart, mind, and soul being opened to Jesus Christ. Even my coming to understand the necessity of studying the Bible as the word of God in full and in context was a result of what I was taught in CS class instruction. Man, have I become a Bible-thumping Jesus Freak or what!!! Hope so, and glad of it!!! Never would have believed it were possible during my CS decades.
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him." So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this command before he died, 'Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants." But Joseph said to them, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones." Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:15-21 (ESV)
Do Go Be Man
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