The Christian Way Forums / The Christian Way Forums / CS - General Discussion Not Related to Doctrine

Hymnal Supplement

Gentle Dove — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:32:24 GMT

Does anyone know anything about the new hymnal supplement? I wonder what new songs are included and if they are modern contemporary tunes, how much they had to "edit" it to "spiritualize" them. I can't believe they finally realized that after 100 plus years, they needed some fresh tunes!! The contemporary Christian tunes were so uplifting to me after leaving the church, I couldn't believe I had missed them all those years. I doubt they will use one of my favorites, "Shout to the Lord" because it begins with "My Jesus, my Savior, Lord there is none like You"... How different my life would have been if I could have been humming those lines for comfort instead of reading the vague nonsense in S&H , trying to tie it into the Bible and beating "Shepherd Show Me How to Go" to death.

Book: A Collision of Truths: A Life in Conflict with a Cherished Faith

Gentle Dove — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:56:23 GMT

Has anyone read A Collision of Truths: A Life in Conflict with a Cherished Faith by Robert Ellis? I just saw it today on Amazon.com. The author was raised a Christian Scientist.

"The Weather"

birdstrike — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:24:17 GMT

This comes from my family's Christian Science library, which I inherited. I am retyping from old onionskin carbon copies that are dated from March 1959, when my grandmother was a C.S. practitioner. I don't know where they came from before that; if someone knows more about them please let me know!

Birdstrike

(begin)

THE WEATHER

"Now when there is the claim that the weather is sultry, handle it and you will see a breeze spring up; if it is cold, handle it; it is all in Mind ever the same, harmonious. God did not make sultry weather, etc; then if we through belief have made it, we must unmake it. When it looks like thunder and lightning, handle it; there is no sultry atmosphere to cause thunder and lightning. When I first came to Concord (before hypnotism and mesmerism joined hands to work upon me) there was no snow the first winter at all, and no thunderstorms the first year. When sultry, I would close my eyes for a moment, then open them and leaves would all be stirring; a breeze had sprung up. We make our own atmosphere. These things are easier to handle than sickness. I used to handle them until I forgot about it. Lately I have attended to the work and only kept above the effects. When Clara was here, I would speak about the thunderstorms and she would work alone, and they would all disappear. You can do this, and if you are not at first successful, do not get discouraged; keep on trying. When you have the first indication - - forestall it.

"When I have made a storm disappear, I did not argue, "there are no clouds." I said, God's face is there and I see it," and the storm would break and dissappear.

"Handle the weather just as you do any belief of mortal mind.

"You are not a Christian Scientist until you do control the weather."

(end)

Christian Science Military Ministry

Do_Go_Be_Man — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:23:39 GMT

Someone sent me an apparent press release that may be of historical interest. I'm passing it along as a courtesy to those who may find it interesting. You might recall the book, [i]The Story of Christian Science Wartime Activities 1939-1946[/i]. From my reading of the release, the new book appears to expand the scope of the earlier book.

Do Go Be Man
<><

[quote]New Book Explores Little-Known Aspect of Christian Science Ministry

Often overlooked in the exploration of the history of the Christian Science church is its unique healing ministry to those in the armed forces. In his extensive new book, Christian Science Military Ministry 1917–2004, author and former Christian Science Army chaplain, Kim M. Schuette, carefully explores this topic.

The 670-page, fully indexed book is packed with inspirational, informative accounts of reliance on God for guidance and deliverance for service members and their families, both in peacetime and in combat situations from World War I through Vietnam and Desert Storm. Also related are scores of healings, accomplished through prayer, of mental and physical challenges, injuries and illnesses, accounts of crises averted, immorality healed, and lives restored. Schuette addresses the religious discrimination faced by Christian Scientists and relates prayerful approaches to overcoming it. The pioneering role of Christian Science women in the military chaplaincy is also recounted.

The author writes, “The setting of this ministry includes human life in extraordinary circumstances: danger, filth, passion, sickness, sin, deep-lying prejudice, and discrimination, as well as the joys of redemption, Christian fellowship, and spiritual healing. The heart of Christianity beat strongly.”

Researched and written over a ten-year period, it includes over sixty interviews with chaplain alumni, church members designated as Christian Science Ministers and Representatives, spouses, church officials and colleagues of other denominations also serving in the armed forces. Their stories illustrate the vigilance needed, the sacrifices demanded and the rewards resulting from standing for and fulfilling the constitutional provisions for the free-exercise of religion.

The book has a much wider audience than church members. It will be useful to the world of scholars interested in this little known aspect of the church’s outreach and impact; to church leaders interested in ministry in challenging and diverse environments; to those training chaplains to represent their own denominations; even to military leaders and policy makers interested in understanding the stance of Christian Science adherents. Careful not to teach the theology of Christian Science, its purpose is to show the effects of the application of its teachings.[/quote]

Annual Meeting 2008: Simplicity?

Do_Go_Be_Man — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:25:41 GMT

I just finished watching the archived webcast of today's Annual Meeting. It's late and I still have much to do tonight, but thought I'd share some notes:

The President of The Mother Church opened the meeting with readings from the Bible and writings of Mary Baker Eddy to introduce the theme of Simplicity:

Colossians 2:27 [i]Christ[/i]
Colossians 1:3, 10
2 Corinthians 11:3, 58
Colossians 2:27 [i]Christ[/i]
S&H 333:19-23
Ret 94:25-95:13

I plan to go back later to read the chunks of the Bible he skipped. Seemed too simple to me.

He then introduced the officers of the church:

Pastor Emeritus Mary Baker Eddy (the camera did not cut to her)
The Board of Directors of The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Treasurer of The Mother Church
First and Second Readers of The Mother Church
Outgoing President of The Mother Church

Following a video presentation by the Board taped in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Treasurer presented his report:

Funds on hand: $496,000,000
Debt: $0
Expenditures in the last year: $113,000,000
General Fund: $165,000,000 (up $19,000,000 from last year due to increased emphasis by the Board on savings and cutting expenses)

No real comments other than it was the first Annual Meeting webcast I've listened to all the way through.

Could someone please explain to me again how I stayed in it for more than 30 years? I know I don't understand.

Do Go Be Man
<><

Cult Like Behavior With Teachers and Practitioners

Square Peg — Sat, 30 Jul 2005 07:09:15 GMT

Hello all!

As you may recall, I was not raised as a CSer but married one, belonged to the TMC for a number of years before quitting, and have been an "inside" witness to the CS community for a long time. I know the "cult" term raises high emotions here so I hesitate to use it. But since observing a relatively young CS friend die recently because he would not seek medical help, my irritation with CS has reached new heights. The relying on prayer = DEATH suddenly hit home. Oh I had heard of lots of other young CSers die that I kind of knew or knew of...but this was someone I loved and I was privy to his day to day suffering and what practitioners were telling him.

I have thought long and hard about the behavior I have witnessed among CSers over the years and now I believe CS IS a cult. That aside, lets not discuss "cult" on this thread but this odd worship and dependence on one's teacher and/or practitioner AND the often controlling behavior of the teacher and/or the practitioner. One of the definitions of cult is religious veneration of/great devotion to a person. I have seen this a lot in these unnatural relationships between teachers and practitioners and their "followers"/patients.

I myself am not class taught. But I have been in close contact with some teachers and their students. Wow...some really odd relationships there. These teachers are idolized by some of their students like your local rock star, I hesitate to say...ummmmm Jesus? They have a group of people who trail after them as if they were the peid piper. These people vie for positions where they can be in close daily contact with their teacher...their minions, so to speak. And it is not discouraged. What makes CS teachers SO darn special? Lots of men and women in this country have lengthy religious educations at colleges and universities and dedicate their lives to religion as ministers or educators. Do THEY have a flock of devotees following them around? Do THEY encourage it? This is just plain.... cultish. Im not saying that ALL students act this way, or this is ALL teachers...but I've seen a lot of it.

What is even MORE disturbing to me is the unnatural relationships between SOME people and their practioners. Some practitioners seem to revel in controlling their patients lives to a much greater degree than could possibly be considered normal. And on the opposite side, seems CSers, a lot of them, like to be controlled, are somehow conditioned to think that they cant get through ANY difficulty without the help of their practitioner. Its interesting to me that CS basically says that fear is the cause of problems, but it seems that these people are riddled with fear about the most minor things because practitioners will tell you that if you dont pray about it then *X* will happen. My CS mother-in-law, a practitioner, used to tell me all the time that if I didnt pray about it then *X* would happen to my kids. That is fear mongering and that is cultish.

In my own personal experience, my husband has ALWAYS taken every weighty problem to his mother, the practitioner. This does not just include health problems, but problems with our children and work related problems. It has caused a rift in our marriage because I feel most of these problems are something a husband normally seeks out his wife for, not his mother. But *I* have nothing to offer. He needs his practitioner and his books.

I have seen a case where a friend was pressured by the practitioner/teacher into not using another practitioner when the problem was not being healed. Cultish

While I may have seen a doctor on an average of once every few years over my lifetime, my CS friends are on the phone to the practitioner several times a month and more.

I have witnessed a lot more instances of this behavior but dont really want to get into too many specifics for the obvious reasons.

Ill be interested to hear if any of you who grew up in CS have witnessed any of the same odd relationships.

Sorry if I have offended anyone with my opinions and comments. I try to respect peoples belief's, but its awful to see people pay the ultimate price when it isnt necessary....so Im very upset right now with the those who perpetuate the practice of CS with half truths and cultish behavior and practices.

Square Peg

www.spirituality.com

Anonymous — Thu, 10 Jul 2003 17:50:32 GMT

I've been looking at this site. It's CS connection isn't too clear besides selling the book "Science & Health" and maintaining discussions around it. It looks like a new age camouflage. Any thoughts?

/TJ

What about the Mother Church edifice?

followingHim — Thu, 22 May 2008 16:34:54 GMT

The decline and impending demise of Christian Science is an issue that shows up in various threads. This usually focuses on the fate of various branch churches, and sometimes extends into consideration of the CS "Movement." And we know that the corporate Mother Church has retrenched by cutting staff drastically, and consolidating administration in the old "Publishing Society" building, ("One Norway Street"). This makes the high rise "Admin Building" (175 Huntington Ave) and "the Colonnade" (Belvedere Street) available for lucrative rental income.

I have long opined that CS will devolve into a confusing, but highly remunerative, mish-mash of trusts, foundations, "institutes," and various "non-profits" which will provide generous income and assets to a small group of well-placed, even cynically eploitive, higher-ups. They will "keep the embers of CS aglow," comfortably warmed by all sorts of financial instruments. Turning the I.M. Pei buildings into money-makers is a significant step in this program.

But what about the Back Bay* real estate? At a certain point, even a scattered handful of loyal elders will be uncomfortable meeting in the granite "Original Edifice!"

What will become of TMC's home church buildings--the "Original Edifice" of the Mother Church and the (domed) "Extension to the Mother Church?" Elsewhere, Menderfire9 remarked [quote] I hope they turn it into a genuine healing center or Department of Peace or something like that.....[/quote], while Do-Go-Be-Man wistfully mused, [quote] I've prayed that TMC would come to renounce apostasy in the manner that the Worldwide Church of God did after the passing of Herbert Armstrong.[/quote]

They are architecturally significant, and are not likely to be torn down for anything. And they are not suitable for conversion to some other purpose.**

What would you like to see become of these combined buildings?

Who/what would be an appropriate successor owner?

What do you think is likely to actually happen to them?

And when?

*The Church Center, known by some wags as "the little vatican," is actually at the juncture of the Back Bay, the South End, and the East Fenway

**Lenin had a penchant for turning churches--cathedrals, even!--into warehouses and military depots.

Mary Baker Eddy Institute

Spring — Mon, 09 May 2005 09:07:29 GMT

Just came accross a website from a "Mary Baker Eddy Institute" (http://www.mbeinstitute.org/index2.html), by a Helen Wright. Has online versions of S&H and all other MBE writings and church manual. In looking at it briefly, it appears to be in opposition to TMC because of "breaches of the church manual", and wants to go back to the CS MBE found. Has nothing of the "new age like" appearance of spirituality.com, and appears to be very well designed. Might feel attracted to it if I didn't know it better by now.

Marion

CSists lobby for "spiritual-care" coverage in MA

Linda — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:46:47 GMT

According to an article by Mark Hollmer in the Boston Business Journal, the CS Church is lobbying for "spiritual care" to be an insurance-covered option under a new Massachusetts law mandating health insurance coverage. Here's a link to the May 9, 2008 article, "Christian Scientists lobby for spiritual-care coverage." www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/05/12/story6.html

The article makes the following statement: "State Rep. Byron Rushing, the House assistant-majority whip and an active Episcopalian, said there is room for the measure, as long as people who pursue spiritual care don't subsequently seek free medical care in hospitals."

CS Churches Closing - Why?

Prin Upper School and College Alum — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:50:53 GMT

So this may be an obvious question - but I''m interested in hearing thoughts. Where I live - 6 CS churches have closed in 10 years. I drove by the downtown one the other day and it's now in a one room space in a strip mall. It was in a huge very old historical building. I was in "Asher House" which I drove by and the house is being gutted so that sold as well.

Seems many traditional churches are going empty in favor of more modern churches no matter what the message is. I attended one when I graduated from Prin.

What is not attractive about CS or other traditional religions? Is it a common denomitor? Even the Methodist church nearby has very few people.

CS Marketing

Do_Go_Be_Man — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 09:21:59 GMT

I was just on The Smoking Gun web site (www.thesmokinggun.com) because of a link from a news story. Out of curiosity, I searched the site for "Christian Science". No hits, but it did surprisingly result in quite a few sponsored links (links deleted):

[li]Christian Science Today: Largest collection of early & contemporary writings on CS[/li]
[li]Christian Science Healing: Miles Harbur CS Spirit-mind-body Practitioner/Healer[/li]
[li]Christian Science: Learn more about this religion and its founder Mary Baker Eddy[/li]
[li]Christian Science website: Christian Science links, discussion directories, articles, marketplace[/li]
[li]Christian Science & Media: Media Resources for Journalists First Church of Christ, Scientist[/li]
[li]Christian Science Healing: Spiritual Solutions to Life's Challenges[/li]
[li]Christian Science Ideas: Thought Provoking and Profound Book Based On The Principles Of CS[/li]

Nothing earthshaking, just an observation on a slow Autumn afternoon.

Do Go Be Man
<><

Self-reliance and CS

Linda — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 15:47:16 GMT

I am halfway through Clarence Thomas' book, [url=http://www.amazon.com/My-Grandfathers-Son-Clarence-Thomas/dp/0060565551/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195856576&sr=8-1]My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir[/url]. In his autobiography, Thomas walks the reader step by step through his life experiences, which are truly remarkable when viewed in light of the fact Thomas started out an illegitimate black child born into poverty in the deep South back when prejudice and segregation were truly a way of life -- and he ended up a Supreme Court Justice for the United States. What's so fascinating is that he takes the reader through his thinking process as he grows up full of rage, becomes invoved in the radical black movement, and finally turns into a conservative.

One theme I'm seeing as I read is that Thomas realizes that self-reliance, as opposed to reliance on things like quotas and government handouts, is an important key to overcoming poverty and social prejudice. It got me thinking about the self reliance I was taught in CS. I don't recall specifically being told to "rely on yourself" in CS, but I think that's the underlying message behind a mindset that guarantees success if one will only learn how to correctly apply a set of principles such as CS -- at the same time teaching a person to downplay and even live in denial of negative symptoms and circumstances in an attempt to demonstrate their nothingness. It's a fact that CSists are usually fairly successful people, and I have heard it argued that "it's easy to be CS when you're well off and naturally healthy." I agree with this, but I'm also wondering if the overall mindset of "self reliance" fostered by CS helps propel people to financial success.

Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

Off-topic posts from "Self-reliance and CS" thread

Linda — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:21:59 GMT

At the suggestion of a forum participant, the following posts have been moved from the thread entitled Self-reliance and CS. I'm moving them here since they detract from that thread.

[b]Anonymous post #14171, 11:01 AM, 11-25-07[/b]

I really resent the implication in another post by DGBM and Linda that Thanksgiving is celebrated only by Christians and then to read your implication that the Christians were in Concentration Camps. Do you not know what the Holocaust was all about? It was about Chrisitians who think that they have a secret knowledge and they have their own god and therefore they are superior to others. Therefore it was okay for a Christian to tell a nation that it is okay to kill heretics like the Jews. Fellow Christians had no problem taking this lie that the down fall of economic and social issues were the fault of the Jews; and spreading it across Europe. I had friends and friends of family who survived the Concentration Camps and they did so by always praising God and knowing that He will deliver them, because the Jews are God's chosen people. They know that no matter how many web sites and lies are told against them that God and God alone will deliver them. It is so obvious that the people at christianway think that people who do not think exactly like they do are idiots and I guess are not going to the Promise land. And yes I believe that Hitler was realated to Mary Baker and she is the real cause of the Nazi Party. I throw this in, because I know that if I don't say something bad about Christian Science that you will not publish my replies.

[b]Do Go Be Man's post #14172, 11-25-07, 2:10 PM [/b]

Anonymous Posted November 25, 2007 @ 1:01:33 PM,

If you want to go slogging through a swamp, I recommend you find a map or a guide. As co-moderator, I considered not approving your post and probably shouldn't have as it has nothing to do with the scope of these forums.

As a Christian who holds my Jewish roots in high respect, however, I feel compelled to respond. That does not mean that I intend to engage this topic further unless in response to private messages or e-mail (just remember, however, it's not possible to respond to a private message unless you posted it as a logged in, registered contributor).

Implying our Thanksgiving wishes were somehow anti-Semitic is quite a reach, as is your presumably saracastic assertion regarding the relationship of MBE and Hitler. Feel free to say anything positive about CS you care to contribute. Such comments would be within the scope of these forums along with the discussion such comments may generate.

Never Forget! You are not alone in knowing Survivors. The memory of my teachers' tattoos on their arms as they stretched to write on blackboards is forever seared in my mind. Sitting in a Miami Beach coffee shop at midnight listening to a waitress tell her story burns my heart - "I knew Mengele", she said quietly as she began to tell of her personal hell and the loss of her family, witnessing the torture of her sister.

I am quite aware of what the Holocaust was about. It was about hate, greed, mental sickness of the worst sort, and the political need of the Nazis to gain power upon the backs and suffering of others. They indicted a whole race of people and those who otherwise failed to agree with their distorted standards.

Many deny or are ignorant of the truth of the Holocaust. Hitler killed more than 12 million including half of which were Jewish. His victims otherwise included a wide range such as Gypsies, Communists, homosexuals, the mentally challenged, and quite a few Christians such as priests, nuns, and likely some CSists.

I've mentioned from time to time on these forums my respect for Jews and how it was the positive witness of Jews more than the witness of Christians which led me to Jesus Christ. The Jews with whom I associated were not merely cultural Jews. They were committed, Orthodox Jews. Many of them were quite radical in their beliefs and practices (most were considered too radical for the Jewish Defense League, itself a more than moderately radical organization). Even the most radical of my friends never attributed the Holocaust to Christians. They, in fact, taught me about the other Holocaust so many deny.

First they came… (a poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller)
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak for me.
(as inscribed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)

Do Go Be Man
<><

[b]Linda's, post #14173, 11-25-07, 3:32 PM[/b]

I really resent the implication in another post by DGBM and Linda that Thanksgiving is celebrated only by Christians

Anonymous,

Do Go Be Man was generous in allowing your post. Since he did, I'll make a few comments:

1) If you're going to make an accusation, please do us the courtesy of referencing the post to which you are referring. I have NO IDEA what post you're talking about. (I am also SURE that you misinterpreted what we were saying, but that's beside my point.)

2) If you're going to comment on a post, please do so in the thread in which the post is located. It's rude to break into another thread with a comment that is certainly off-topic.

3) Whatever insanity went on in Europe in the 1940's -- have you noticed that Christians who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible tend to SUPPORT Isreal? Every "Bible believing" Christian I know understands that Jesus was a Jew and recognizes that the Jews are God's chosen people. You can ignore that if you like and mistinterpret everything we say, but please pick your "Christians hate Jews" fights elsewhere -- they are based in fantasy and don't belong on these forums.

Crosses in CS churches

Linda — Thu, 04 Mar 2004 09:40:55 GMT

A discussion recently developed on the "Death on the Cross" thread regarding why crosses are seen so rarely in CS churches and homes, and why CSists genereally don't wear crosses as jewlery (e.g., on chains as necklaces). I thought it might be interesting to get some answers directly from The Mother Church, so I went to the official CS Web site (tfccs.org) and asked the question. My question was forwarded to the Research Room of The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity, and I received a response after a week or so.

Before I tell you what the MBE Library representative told me, let me give you my perspective from 30 years in the religion (1955-1985), including 4 years at a CS college where I saw a cross-section (no pun intended) of CSists from all over the country.

I never recall seeing a Christian Scientist (except for Mrs. Eddy) wear a cross. We did, however, wear jewlery bearing the CS "cross and crown" as seen on the front of Science and Health and other authorized CS literature. I never recall seeing a cross displayed in a CS church.

The cross is not forbidden in the CS Church, but my understanding is that CSists look beyond the cross -- to Jesus' demonstration over what is represented by the cross. While most Christians pay a lot of attention to Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross as well as his resurrection, CSists believe that Jesus demonstrated over what the cross represents -- sin and death. So having a cross in a CS church, or wearing a cross on a necklace, would represent uninspired Christianity. The cross-and-crown represents the more "spiritually advanced" focus of CS on victory over death and the belief in materiality.

A good example of how CSists focus on the resurrection rather than the cross can be seen in the CS hymn sung on Easter Sundays. Hymn 171 starts out, "Let us sing of Easter gladness That rejoices every day. . . ." and ends with "Every day will be an Easter Filled with benedictions new" (emphesis added). CSists don't pay much attention to Easter as an event, the way most Christian churches do.

I looked in Mrs. Eddy's writings for clues regarding her adoption of the cross-and-crown symbol and found a couple that seem pertinent:

"Christian Science is not only the acme of Science but the crown of Christianity." Miscellaneous Writings 252:17-18.

"This church, born in my nativity, may it build upon the rock of ages against which the waves and winds beat in vain. May the towering top of its goodly temple -- burdened with beauty, pointing to the heavens, bursting into the rapture of song -- long call the worshipper to seek the haven of hope, the heaven of Soul, the sweet sense of angelic song chiming chaste challenge to praise him who won the way and taught mankind to win through meekness to might, goodness to grandeur, -- from cross to crown, from sense to Soul, from gleam to glory, from matter to Spirit" (emphasis added). Miscellany 162:29 - 163:7. (Sorry for the long quote; it was just too juicy not to quote in its entirety!)

By the way, the cross-and-crown symbol did not originate with CS (I've seen it in other denomintaional churches), but Mrs. Eddy incorporated it (rather than just a cross) into the official symbol of CS (the cross-and-crown, circled by the words, "heal the sick - raise the dead - cast out demons - cleanse the lepers). I think this seal, as much as anything else I've said, encourages CSists to value the cross-and-crown symbol over the cross.

Now -- after that long introduction -- allow me to share the incredibly insightful information I received from the Research Room of The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity.

The Researcher responded to my questions as follows:

"1. You asked why there aren't crosses in Christian Science churches. This is an incorrect assumption, as I know of Christian Science churches that incorporate crosses in their decor (e.g. in stained glass windows). Furthermore, we have never located any statement by Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of the Christian Science, that would prohibit Christian Science churches from having crosses in their edifices if they desire to do so.

2. You asked why Christian Scientists don't generally wear crosses as jewelry. We are not aware that this is the case, and have no way of determining how many Christian Scientists might or might not wear crosses as jewelry. And once again, we have not located any statement by Mrs. Eddy prohibiting the wearing of crosses.

3. The cross and crown symbol has been widely used over the years by Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, so it is not unique to Christian Science. We have not located any document by Mrs. Eddy that offers an explanation of this symbol or why she chose it as a symbol of Christian Science.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. We're always happy to answer historical questions about Mary Baker Eddy and the history of Christian Science."

Wow -- does this strike you as having been written by someone who is either unfamiliar with CS culture or is trying very hard to be completely noncommittal on the issue? I laughed when I read this incredibly wooden answer.

Anyway, I hope the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity and I have shed some light on the issue of crosses in CS churches!

CS Nursing Home Records

Gentle Dove — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:13:39 GMT

Does anyone know if the CS nursing facilities keep detailed patient records? For instance, do they note changes in the patient, what they ate, who attended them etc? If so, how could one go about getting a copy...other than an outright lawsuit?

Acquisition of wealth/The ideal CSist

Lia — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:40:46 GMT

Hi everyone,

Recently someone (I think Do Go Be Man?) posted a response that mentioned CSists and their acquisition of wealth, even though they don't believe the material world exists. This got me thinking, because since I started meeting CS families in high school (when I met my future fiance, who isn't CS anymore) I've noticed that many of them are very well-to-do.

I studied some philosophy when I was an undergraduate, and often we would talk about "the ideal life" according to various belief systems. I've read Science & Health and some of Mary Baker Eddy's other writings, and to me the ideal CSist would have as little connection to the concerns of the material world as possible. Why would a CSist want to have money, a nice house, and other material luxuries when they don't exist? My very limited study of Christian Science leads me to think that the ideal CS life would be in some sort of community of like-minded people devoted to studying CS and relying on the material world as little as possible. I know in real life this is nearly impossible, but most people don't follow the "ideal life" according to their belief system; that doesn't make it useless to discuss it.

Is there anything in Science & Health or other CS literature that talks about material gain? Is there any sort of feeling among CSists that wealthy church members shouldn't need so much money? Also, how do you think the ideal CSist lives (assuming he or she is still working toward a complete understanding of God)?

CS Monitor Circulation Drops Again

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 09:49:14 GMT

Hi, friends:

The circulation numbers for the six-month period ended Sept. 30, 2005,
are in for the CS Monitor.

It's not a pretty picture, to say the least. The drop of almost 6,000
daily sales means a 10.1% drop in just six months.

Sept. 30, 2005: 53,203

March 31, 2005: 59,179

Sept. 30, 2004: 60,723

March 31, 2004: 69,170

Sept. 30, 2003: 71,146

March 31, 2003: 75,639

Sept. 30, 2002: 74,814

March 31, 2002: 77,665

Sept. 30, 2001: 68,491

March 31, 2001: 71,482

Sept. 30, 2000: 65,277

-----

Stop the presses?
Percentage change in CSM circulation over select periods:

Since March 2005: -10.1%

Since Sept. 2004: -12.4

Since March 2004: -23.1

Since Sept. 2003: -25.2

Since March 2003: -29.7

Since Sept. 2002: -28.9

Since March 2002: -31.5 (CSM's circulation high point since Sept. 2000)

Since Sept. 2001: -22.3

Since March 2001: -25.6

Since Sept. 2000: -18.5

-----

RisRap

At 88 Dad Feels Abandoned by CS

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 22:26:45 GMT

I never was a CS and never will be, but for my dad, it's all he's known. Now at 88, he's living alone in another state to be near my mom who is in a nursing home (she's not a CS) and is having a hard time coping. He now realizes that he has believed in a fool's religion. He's having a spiritual meltdown which I can't really help him with as I'm not religious.

I'm not really sure what to do. He's in pretty bad shape. His CS practitioner gave up on him which precipitated the crisis. He's not suicidal, but he can't eat and is very anxious and depressed. He won't come stay with me as he won't leave my mom.

I don't know whether to bring him to the Emergency Room or what to do. I've hired someone to be with him each day. I'm disabled and can't easily get to him and there are no other family members.

What would you do in my situation? Thanks.

MBE's lesson on heart of stone & heart of flesh (Ezek. 11:19 & 36:26)

Anonymous — Sun, 27 Feb 2005 14:05:03 GMT

Clara Shannon, who worked in Mrs. Eddy's household in Concord, NH, gave, in her reminiscences, this account of instruction by Mrs. Eddy to members of the staff:

"She [Mrs. Eddy] showed us that a stony heart was a heart hardened by materialism and lack of sympathy; lack of love and compassion; that was a stony heart, and we must look to God for deliverance, and pray that He take away that heart and give us a heart of flesh, which is a tender, loving heart, unselfish, full of sympathy, loving kindness and compassion - that is a heart of love seeing one another's need and supplying it..."

Practitioners Advertising?

Do_Go_Be_Man — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 12:18:24 GMT

While searching [url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com]The Smoking Gun[/url] web site for "Christian Science", I was surprised to see the following sponsored web links:

Christian Science Healing
Through the power of God's love
David G. Shields CS (626) 345-0681
www.davidgshields.com

Christian Science works
Entirely spiritual method to heal
any problem, based on prayer
LBMatthews.com

Christian Science Healing
Miles Harbur CS
Spirit-mind-bodyPractitioner/Healer
www.MilesHarbur.com

Does anyone know if these people are CS Journal-listed? Are CS practitioners now allowed to advertise their services or have they always been allowed to do so?

Shields and Matthews appear enough web-savvy to advertise on misdirect sites like Csmonior.com, www.cmsonitor.com, and www.csonitor.com. I think I recall their links being deleted from various CS-related articles on [url=http://www.wikipedia.org]Wikipedia[/url].

Do Go Be Man
<><

A Story I Would Like To Share

jesusmyhealer — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 04:34:42 GMT

I went to a CS lecture or whatever you wana call it one night coz my mum forced me and plus I was interested to meet other CSist she had been hanging around with. I wanted to meet face to face the people that corrupted my mother and destroyed our family.

To cut a long story short, to my amazement the CS lecturer wore sight glasses and suffered from some sort of disease whereby he "shook" now I'm no expert or doctor but he obviously had something which makes you shake.

He kept hiding his arms behind his back through the entire lecture, poor bloke was obviously embarrassed or didnt want us to see his problem.

So I thought to myself "very strange, a CSist who wears glasses and has a shaking disorder". I thought that all CS believe there is no disease, illness that all is perfect etc. etc.

So at the end of the lecture I approached 3 different CSist and asked them why.

The answer from them all was so pathetic that I cannot even be bothered typing it however, not one of them gave me a serious, mature response.

Oh I have to tell you what one said to me "Don't get too close to me dear I have a cold".

That was the icing on the cake.

PS. I hope a current CSist is reading this coz I would love a legit answer regarding this man. Why is he not cured?

An Imposition

Do_Go_Be_Man — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 11:34:41 GMT

The following message was sent to me and others connected with The Christian Way. It may interest other contributors to the forums.

Do Go Be Man
<><

-----

You may recall [i]that The Manual of the Mother Church[/i] refers to any attack on CS as an "imposition." This rather forceful "imposition" aired on a California radio station last week. I commend to you taking a few minutes to listen to it.

[ORIGINAL RECIPIENT]

-----

[ORIGINAL RECIPIENT]

You can listen to CJ Hyatt's program on injuries to Christian Science children by going to this URL

[url]http://www.capradio.org/programs/insight/default.aspx[/url]

Then at the left on Recent Shows click on June 14 and then click on Listen at the lower left of the new screen.

Rita Swan
[url=http://www.childrenshealthcare.org/]CHILD Inc.[/url]

This post will be deleted

thessalonian — Thu, 24 May 2007 05:46:14 GMT

Because the mods are censor police. They don't wan't any indirect comments at all in a thread. Of course they edit out anything about Catholicism these days.

I'm outta here and this board will die a slow death because of censorship. It's a dead board as it is. 1 post a week is about it.

If you want to talk go to www.phatmass.com. You will find me there, where they don't censor everything. Bye and God bless.

3rd church seattle. closed? moved?

B!X — Sun, 07 May 2006 08:57:42 GMT

Does anyone know what's up with 3rd Church, Seattle?

The building there in the U dist is totally empty. TMC site directory (and I assume the current Journal) still lists that loctn etc. Do these things happen so quick that they can't even get the listing accurate in a timely manner?

Does it seem strange to anyone else that when these churches close, especially when there are other churches in the area, that there isn't any posted referral to a nearby alternative? I noticed this when 6th church closed as well. Gee. wonder if this lack of outreach attitude has anything to do with the closing?

As I recall, 3rd church used to be one of the 3 largest Washington churches (along with Bothell and Bellevue I think) whose Readers selected the CoP.

Linda Kramer's interview on CS

Linda — Tue, 08 May 2007 18:41:59 GMT

I was recently interviewed by Fran Sankey on his "Test all Things" radio program. Fran has posted the 26 minute interview at www.towertotruth.net [url=http://www.towertotruth.net/audio.htm#radio][b](click here)[/b][/url]. We talked about a variety of topics including doctrine, my conversion experience, the question of healing, and CS thinking patterns.

What are practicing Christian Scientists doing here?

birdstrike — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 15:31:45 GMT

I'm new here of course, so please bear with me as I learn the rules.

But I must say that I'm quite suprised to jump into a forum for "Ex-Christian Scientists", and immediately be engaged (and then dis-engaged) by practicing Christian Science apologists!

Don't get me wrong; I'm actually thrilled, and seeing how they respond to people's questions will be part of my healing process. But:

[i]Why are you Christian Scientists here?[/i]

Surely, it's not evangelization. A collection of people who have fallen away after hearing MBE for 10, 20, 30+ years would seem to be the least fruitful place on earth to attempt this, and C.S. never was big on proselytizing anyway.

Surely they must also know that their presence here could be intimidating to some. When I was practicing Christian Science, I always took the fact that C.S. was very low-key on evangelization as a sign that C.S. [i]wasn't[/i] a "cult" - but seeing C.S. birds circling over a Forum designed for people who are trying to escape from C.S. now makes me not so sure.

Don't get me wrong! Personally, I'm glad that you C.S. apologists are here. Perhaps I might find some logical answers about C.S. that nobody seems to be able to provide.

I'm pleased to meet you, of course! But why are you Christian Scientists here?! It seems so "unscientific", as a Christian Scientist might say.

Birdstrike

The Secret

SharonMarie — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 16:27:22 GMT

Has anyone read the bestseller book "The Secret"? There is a DVD and a book and it is all the rage on Oprah and a couple of other talk shows. I think Ellen Degeneres had some of the folks in the book on her show. I bought the book and as far as I can see it mirrors CS in many ways. I almost choked watching Oprah because she was gasping and in total awe of this "new" way of thinking. They claim that this is actually a thought process that is as old as time and known by all the successful people over centuries. It is a "scientific law", according to the authors that there is a "law" of "attraction". This means (according to them) that what you think about is what you get. Where have I heard that all my life?

Article: "Manipulating our Politicians - Jesuitism at Work in America"

birdstrike — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:33:50 GMT

The following are excerpts from an article entitled "Manipulating our Politicians - Jesuitism at Work in America", culled from the "anti-Romanism" section of the library I inherited from my grandmother, who was C.S. Practitioner. It is copied from THE AMERICAN STANDARD, April 15, 1924, Vol. I, No. 8.

I assert that it is a good example of the paranoia that Christian Scientists can harbor as they "stand porter at the door of their thoughts".

Of course, this Forum, it's moderators, and Christian Way are absolutely NOT responsible for this post, should anybody object:

"The secrets of Jesuitism are the most carefully guarded in the world . . .

"Whenever a Protestant comes into sufficient prominence to be a political factor, the Jesuits single him out for their attention. . . They suggest a a course of action or policy which the Catholic heirarchy desires . . . The ignorant subject of their mental manipulations . . . [has] no defense against it".

"It is possible to suggest disease, discouragement, irritation, fear, doubt, antipathy towards friends . . . until at last the Jesuitism has full control of the mind of its victims."

"The terrible total of crimes, political and civil, of which Jesuitism is the hidden author, would shock the nation were it known."

"Every Roman Catholic mentality is a magnetic conductor and transmitter of Jesuitism".

"America is in serious need of education as to Jesuitism and the occult hypnotic arts of mental manipulation which are practiced here, behind the stone walls of Roman Catholic retreats, which claim immunity from public inspection. We will be unable to solve our political, civil, social and religious problems until Jesuitism is unmasked, and every Jesuit expelled from this country, with all the rest of the alien empire, which owes its allegiance to a foreign potentate, and therefore is fundamentally unfitted to comprehend the meaning of American citizenship."

It also contains a C.S. - style primer on how to "avert" the danger by denying its power to influence a person, when recognized. It begins by: "I recognize you as a Jesuitical suggestion. . ."

Sadly, I remember our family being quite friendly with our Roman Catholic neighbors - but privately copping quite a smug attitude about being a "smart" Christian Scientist, whilst swallowing this ignorant hate-stuff hook, line and sinker.

Birdstrike

Until It Sleeps

Do_Go_Be_Man — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 07:13:44 GMT

I read recently on Wikipedia about a heavy metal song alleged to be about CS. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Until_it_Sleeps]Until It Sleeps[/url] is by Metalica members James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. According to Wikipedia:

[quote]The song itself is about cancer and how it killed both of Hetfield's parents. Being of the Christian Science faith, neither of them sought medical treatment. Believing that faith and God would heal them, both of Hetfield's parents succumbed to the disease.[/quote]
Someone deleted the Wikipedia links as irrelevant, but I think at least one may be relevant and am thinking about restoring it.

Anybody have any thoughts along this song or its relevancy to the Wikipedia article?

Do Go Be Man
<><

The CS Hymnal & spiritualized lyrics

followingHim — Tue, 23 Dec 2003 23:21:00 GMT

At the time of this thread's start, it is Christmas, and, in spite of the ACLU's efforts, Christmas carols are in the air. Sure, stores tend to use just instrumentals (less offensive), but I still hear the lyrics here and there. The authentic lyrics. I decided to check out the old CS hymnal, since I remember singing a few of them years ago.

I was astonished to find that there are just three of the traditional carols in it! "Joy to the World" (164,165,417), "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" (158,159), and the great Boston divine, Philips Brooks' "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (224,225). Add to this meagre number, three CS-originated carols: "Angels At the Savior's Birth" (11), "Blest Christmas Morn" (23-28; six melodies!!), and "To Us a Childs of Hope Is Born" (362). Not much hymnody to beef up Advent, is it? A poster on another thread lamented "how little Christmas" there was in the CS church leading up to December 25. The hymnal appears to be a factor.

I received some e-correspondence from a party who was astonished at how "Holy,Holy,Holy" was altered in CS, so I decided to check out the three familiar carols. I wasn't too surprised at what I found: adulterated, "spiritualized" lyrics. Particularly problematic is the fact that because of the secularization of our culture, few people know the subsequent verses of these carols-many don't even know the first stanza, and just sort of humm along, joining in with only the most familiar lines and phrases!! Thus, many people will not be alert to the hatchet job done to these hymns in CS, since they "sound right." Consider what they did to "Little Town of Bethlehem:"

Stanza 1: identical in a Congregational and the CS hymnal. But consider stanza 2: [I had to use long elipses (.....) to separte the original (left) from the CS (right); otherwise the lines would collapse in on each other.]

Original..................................................................................CS

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above.......................O morning stars together Proclaim the holy birth,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep Their watch of.love.............And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth;
O morning stars, together, Proclaim the holy birth!.......................Where charity stands watching And faith holds wide the door,
And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth.......The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more.

The CS re-work seems to be a cut-and-paste job on the original, taking familiar phrases out of context and changing the original intent to conform to CS doctrine. For example, "the eternal Christ" in CS could not possibly co-mingle with human flesh, therefore, Christ was NOT born of Mary. Note how phrases from line 3 in the original show up as line 1!

Stanza 3 ("How silently, how silently...." identical in both.
Omitted is stanza 4 (my favorite)--

O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us,we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in; Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.

Also worth examining is Isaac Watts great hymn, "Joy to the World!"

Verse 1: the same in both.

Verse 2 ("Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns;...") is ommitted in CS.

Verse 3 (#2 in CS):

Traditional.................................................................................................CS
No more let sin and sorrow grow, Nor thorns infest the ground..................No more let sin, and sorrow grow, Nor thorns infest the ground,
He comes to make His blesings flow Far as the curse is found......................Wher'er he comes, his blessings flow, and hope and joy abound.

Note how CS uses a lower-case pronoun refering to Jesus Christ. And, of course, they are uncomfortable with the concept of a "curse."

Verse 4, the same as verse 3 in CS.

Well, I think I've got my point across. There are a lot of wonderful carols out there that CS would never touch. May I suggest that throughout the Christmas season, sing the carols, all the verses, and pay careful attention to the words. Share them with your CS family and friends! There's a lot of good doctrine and teaching in them! May I conclude with this meditation: the 2nd verse of "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing:"

Christ, by highest heav'n adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come,
Off-spring of the Virgin's womb:
Veiled in flesh the God-head see
Hail th'incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.

Review of "Science and Health"

Phil — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 02:37:30 GMT

Many people on this forum will be intimately familiar with the contents of the Christian Science textbook, and will have formed strong opinions about it. I wonder if it would be beneficial if you could make your views known by posting a review of it on Amazon. The reason I say this is that most of the reviews there are positive, clearly put there by committed Christian Scientists. To provide some balance to the picture I think it would be useful if other viewpoints were made available to the general public. If you imagine reading the book from the standpoint of someone who hasn't been taught Christian Science, the book stands out as an atrociously bad piece of literature, even before you begin to think about the theological or health care content. This makes writing a review fairly easy. Reviews can also be anonymous if you wish.

Funds of disbanded CS church benefit community

tmcl — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 17:45:13 GMT

Hire is a link to an article about a trust set up by a disbanded branch church to benefit its community:

http://www.tristate-media.com/articles/2006/11/22/warricknews/news/03science.txt

Leaders in CS

Do_Go_Be_Man — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:06:43 GMT

Erol said in a message that was moved to CS - General Discussion Not Related to Doctrine | Forum Etiquette.

[quote]BTW, there are no "leaders" in the CS movement.[/quote]

Uh, I know that you and tmcl say a lot of things have changed in CS, but I don't see how this could be one. I assume that MBE is still referred to as Leader. Maybe you were trying to be technical regarding singular and plural. ... or maybe you meant somethings entirely beyond my imagination.

Claiming there are no leaders in the CS movement might also explain its often apparent lack of direction. I also doubt that's what you meant.

There is a Board of Directors for TMC and each branch church. There is a president of TMC.

In any functional organization there must be formal and informal leaders. As much as I might pray for CS to abandon dissident teachings, I do hope that someone is leading in some manner.

Do Go Be Man
<><

First Church Berkeley

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 06:25:29 GMT

American Express Partners in Preservation is a $10 million, five-year commitment to historic preservation that will increase public awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States and around the world. This commitment will help protect historic and cultural landmarks and will strengthen local communities. It is a joint effort between American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund. This year, the American Express Partners in Preservation initiative in the U.S. will focus on the Bay Area.

You can log in and vote for your choice of sites to receive $1 million for historic renovations. The top 5 winners as of today include the First Church of Christ Scientist Berkeley, Angel Island Immigration Center, Fox Oakland Theater, Pigeon Point Lighthouse Station, and Outdoor Art Club.

One of the requirements is "Community Impact: The project should have demonstrated community support, and should have the potential to contribute to tourism or community development. " I do not believe that the CS church will do this at all. I have received emails from CS friends and the nationwide CS community is logging in every day to vote for the church to win the money.

So I am logging in every day to vote for other sites. Registration is free and you can vote once a day until Oct. 31st. You do not have to live in the Bay area to vote. Please join if you feel so inclined.

www.partnersinpreservation.com

Wikipedia - Christian Science Family of Articles

Do_Go_Be_Man — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:41:46 GMT

For the last month or so, I've been engaged in various discussions on Wikipedia.org regarding the CS family of articles:

Christian Science

Christian Science Board of Directors

Church of Christ, Scientist

Manual of the Mother Church

Mary Baker Eddy

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

Scientific Statement of Being

Initially, all I did was add links to Christian Way to the external links sections of the articles. Some of the links were soon deleted and I'd add them back. One edit war went to mediation (see Balance and Critical Perspectives on the MBE talk page). Though I presented precedence for leaving the CW link, the mediator disagreed and I submitted to authority in accordance with Romans 13:1-7.

Within the discussions, it was suggested that an article be created regarding the controversies of CS. I am now in the process of outlining, organizing, researching, and writing such an article. I also invited Soapergem, who objects to inclusion of the CW links, to join us here for futher discussion.

As part of my due diligence in writing the article, I'd like to solicit the input of the contributors to the CW forums including the CSists.

I've found the threat such a simple link represents to apparent CSists to be interesting. They cannot seem to tolerate balance or alternative perspectives. Such tolerance does seem to be present among the followers of many other controversial leaders such as Joseph Smith, Martin Luther, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Sun Myung Moon, Kip McKean, L. Ron Hubbard, and Jim Jones who seem to be able to handle it. Even the article on Alcoholics Anonymous founder, Bill W, includes a link to web sites providing opposing points of view on 12 Step Programs.

Do Go Be Man
<><

Forum Etiquette

Do_Go_Be_Man — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:33:56 GMT

Moving a discussion from another thread to here where it can be discussed more appropriately away from the original context:

Erol to Do Go Be Man - October 30, 2006 4:58:57 PM:

[quote]Do Go,

Well, I guess whether a response is encouraging or respectful is a matter of opinion, to some extent. I would have thought a person might be encouraged to know that the problem was with the human implementation of CS, not with its essence. But as I said, I won't hang in on a discussion where I'm not welcome.

Erol[/quote]

Do Go Be Man to Erol - October 30, 2006 11:32:10 AM

[quote]Erol,

This is not a matter of censorship, just good taste and compassion. In many of the forums, we get right down to frankness and "brass tacks". Your response to Polarbear regarding brainwashing in this case was disrespectful and specifically not requested.

If you want to generically discuss parent-child domination, reality-resistant mind-set, and problems of the relationship between CS practice and conventional health care, pick an appropriate forum and demonstrate the proper respect for other contributors.

Do Go Be Man
<><[/quote]

Erol to Linda - October 30, 2006 10:35:07 AM

[quote]Well, you're the moderator, but I'm a bit surprised at this message. (Particularly as I've been allowed my say elsewhere on the board, which I appreciate.) There are issues of parent-child domination that might have been explored, that occur in any religious tradition; the question why people with a particular kind of reality-resistant mind-set seem to be attracted to CS; the undoubted problems of the relationship between CS practice and conventional health care, etc. If debate is closed off on these issues, they won't get properly discussed.

BTW, there are no "leaders" in the CS movement.

OK, I won't post again on this part of the board. If I do it's a mistake, so just delete it.

Erol[/quote]

Christian Science in the news

followingHim — Sat, 08 Feb 2003 20:56:06 GMT

Occasionally, the cs church and "movement" show up in the news. We're certainly familiar with the reports of cs members, and, more tragically, their children as a result of their "treatment." cs is newsworthy in other ways, too. I propose that we use the Forum as an opportunity to keep ourselves abreast of what is going on with the cs organization, whether it be "the mother church" ("tmc," as they refer to it in Boston," events in "the Field" (branch churches, associations, personalities, etc.), ecclesiastical/theological issues, and - especially - health matters (pun intended).

Here is an article from the Lexington, Mass, "Minuteman." Don't let the title fool you! http://www.townonline.com/lexington/news/local_regional/lex_newlmchurchsb02062003.htm Since many journalists are religious illiterates, it is not suprising that the writer got the cults "Scientology" and "Christian Science" confused. (Satan will be happy if you follow either of them!) This article is about the property sale of yet another branch church, in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Yes, this is the town where "the shot heard round the world" was fired on April 19, 1775. The Battle Road and the Town Common are still popular tourist attractions. It is --typically -- an affluent suburb, 12.5 miles Northwest of Boston on the high-tech "128" belt. The town where Liberty sprang forth will have a little less spiritual bondage.

Two things are especially interesting. One is that they are not apparently closing down the branch--just looking for a smaller space. But still, cs "command central," the mother church, will undoubtedly get the $1.5m. Also, it is an excellent example of the cs gift for euphemism. Instead of saying something like, "It's a big, elegent building from a by-gone era, and our small group of elderly members feel minisucle in it," branch Chairman Albert Brown said, "the building has outgrown our congregation a bit."

Isn't that fantastic! Let's hope and pray that a bonafide, Biblically based Christian group can acquire the property!

Let's use this post for other newsworthy items regarding christian science.

the ultimate question

Anonymous — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 05:51:29 GMT

Erol,
You came to mind when I read this. Isaiah 47: 13 says in part, “You are worn out with your many consultations. So let them stand and save you----.” The King James study bible says it this way, “Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators stand up and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.”

Isaiah is talking about Babylon as a deposed queen, of course, but I thought about all of your beautifully worded, well thought out posts arguing against simply accepting God’s word as it is written. I thought about all of the things you probably have read and studied to support your way of thinking about the Word of God. You have made understanding the simple message contained in the Holy Bible so complicated for yourself.

Back in my days of doubt and rejection of God’s word as given to us in the Bible, during my time of thinking of myself as being too smart and well-educated to embrace it without the interpretation of intellectuals or Mary Baker Eddy or my own “deep thought” the bottom line finally became this: WHAT IF IT IS TRUE.

After asking myself that question I became something like a dry sponge thrown into a bucket of water. I soaked it up. I rejoiced in its simplicity. I just couldn’t get enough of reading and studying, as well as learning from other Christians what God’s word had to say to me from that perspective.

Are you perhaps needing to consider that question too?

Temperance

News & Discussion on Prominent Christian Scientists

followingHim — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 20:56:50 GMT

The "Christian Science In the News" thread has become very long, and covers a large number of issues.

From time to time, there is news concerning well-known people who are Christian Scientists, are associated with CS, or are reputed to be "Scientists." This thread is intended to focus on such people. Although my primary focus is on celebrities and public figures, I think that news about well-known persons inside the Christian Science organization (TMC officials, highly popular practioners and teachers, etc.) could also be covered here.

Anything relevent concerning well-known people in CS can be posted here, including matters related to their health and deaths.[/i

I urge people to cite sources and provide links whenever possible. This is not a forum for gossip, innuendo, and speculation!