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Interview on Ananias -- an outreach by former Christian Scientists

Linda — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:43:58 GMT

Ananias is a Christian outreach to Christian Scientists by former Christian Scientists. The site is edited by John Andrews, whose family has been VERY influential in the Christian Science community (a family member started the Adventure Unlimited camp in CO, and other family members have held teaching and administrative postions at Principia). John served in the Colorado Senate 1998-2005 and, among other things, does a lot of political writing.

John recently interviewed me via e-mail. The interview is titled [url=http://ananias.org/2008/08/11/an-interview-with-linda-kramer/]An Interview with Linda Kramer[/url] and can be viewed on the blog (www.ananias.org).

Bible and Other Reference Software

Do_Go_Be_Man — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:40:21 GMT

Would anyone like to share their experience with Bible and other reference software?

I'm thinking about getting a PDA (Palm probably) and would like to get ESV Bible software for it. I'm also looking around for a package for my computer that includes cross referenced ESV, Greek, and Hebrew.

Do Go Be Man
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Polio: An American Story

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 15:10:01 GMT

I always check c-span's booktv.org site on weekends to see if there's anything interesting (other than political writers). Last weekend there was a lecture/Q&A by David Oshinsky the author of this book. What a revelation! I have trouble with the medical community in general and this brought home how wonderful medicine can be when the government stays out of it. I have the book reserved at the library and haven't read it yet, but since I have a personal story connected, I did wanted to comment. I lived through the polio scare as a child and, of course, it wasn't treated as such by my parents. This is the only time my mother 'gave in' when asked to donate to a medical charity. You have no idea how out of character this was for her. Little cards were distributed at school to fill in the openings with dimes and quarters for the March of Dimes. I remember like it was yesterday. Of course, FDR was the great administrator along with his personal lawyer who kept the 'march' going. This story alone is enough to make one weep. Of course, regrettably, he died some years before the Salk vaccine. There were 'survivors' in the audience, some suffering from post-polio sydrome, some ancient nurses who described the old 'iron lungs,' and even a few laughs along the way, but the main emphases in the book are on the vaccine and immunizations 'discovered' by Salk and Sabin (who, btw, 'despised each other...which brought the biggest laugh). The Sister Kenny treatments were discussed in detail, but the most important aspect in this particular lecture was how successful the March of Dimes became and the importance of it in saving millions of lives. I remember the caution expressed about swimming, large crowds (movies, especially), and to watch 'symptoms' of every kind in your child. Of course, my sister and I were allowed to attend movies, swim whenever, and didn't worry about crowds anywhere and I'm sure these people who joined in these activities were not all Christian Scientists, so there you are. The polio in Africa is predicted to be eradicated by 2010. Let's hope this proves to be true.

I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

Do_Go_Be_Man — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 18:33:27 GMT

I heard an interview on the radio yesterday regarding a book that I believe has some relevance to our discussions of CS - [url=www.gnpcb.org/product/1581345615]I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist[/url]. It is available in hard copy with a free PDF and downloadable MP3s that I'm listening to now.

The authors believe that it takes greater faith to be an atheist than to be a Christian because there is greater evidence to support Christianity.

A couple of comments that caught my attention included responses to typical non-Christian statements:

"There is no truth!" "Is that true???"
"Christians are so narrow-minded and judgmental!" "Then why do you judge us so narrowly???"

The statement made famous by the late Dr. D. James Kennedy is also discussed.

A professed atheist was asked, "If you were to die tonight and stand before God, and God were to ask you, 'Why should I let you into my heaven?' what would you say?"

"I'd say, 'why shouldn't you let me into your heaven?'"

Later, the evangelist asked, "if we knocked on your door seeking to come into your house, and you said to us, ‘Why should I let you into my house?’ and we responded, ‘Why shouldn’t you let us in?’ what would you say?"

The atheist responded, "I'd tell you where to go!"

The evangelist answered, "That’s exactly what God is going to say to you!"

If the atheist arrives in Heaven and does not meet God then he might have a point to make. If, however, the atheist finds himself being asked by God about whether He should allow the atheist into Heaven then the point is otherwise made.

The book deals a lot with the concept that mutually exclusive religions cannot all be all true - Can All Religions Be True?

Do Go Be Man
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Adding Bible Verse Links To Messages and Other Tips For Forum Posting

Do_Go_Be_Man — Sat, 10 Apr 2004 10:17:10 GMT

In another thread, JeanW said,

I haven't figured out how to do the links to Bible translations yet . . .

Here's how I do it (on a PC with Internet Explorer):

Start a reply, if you haven't already

Open a new browser window (Ctrl-N)

Go to www.biblegateway.com in the new window

Find the passage you want to quote (for example, Matthew 18:15-20)

Highllight and copy (Ctrl-C) the address from the browser Address box (for example, http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?language=english&passage=matthew+18%3A15-20&version=NIV)

[b]Moderator's note: the rest of this post has been deleted since we are now using new software for the forums. For instructions relevant to the new forum software, skip down to Do Go Be Man's post dated 10/31/2006 7:38:56 pm.

Several other posts relevant to the old software have also been deleted.[/b]

Get the wind back in your sails, creatively.

wanttoworship — Tue, 30 May 2006 19:11:04 GMT

Get the wind back in your sails, creatively. Attend this year’s International Worship Institute.

This year’s International Worship Institute covers more than musical styles. It’s about worship, not just contemporary worship. The heart of the conference is about how to lead people into worship each and every service, and how to prepare every day for worship.

WHEN: July 3-7, 2006
WHERE: Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine
MORE INFO: www.WorshipInstitute.com

Book reviews and bias

Linda — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 22:55:59 GMT

I wasn't sure where to post this thread but thought it might be appropriate in the "Resources" category since many of us rely on reviews when deciding whether to purchase a book. Although customer reviews can be very helpful, I want to point out that reviews on books covering controversial subjects tend to be either very positive or very negative. The overall rating that these books receive will not necessarily reflect the quality of the book; it may just reflect how many people from each bias took the time to write a review. This has definitely been the case with my book, The Religion That Kills, for which the amazon.com ratings tend to be either one star or five stars – people love the book or hate it. I have learned through personal experience that it’s best to read several individual reviews rather than just relying on an overall rating.

With that said, please allow me to vent . . .

I just pulled my book up on amazon.com and saw another negative review. I have no problem with negative reviews if they really address the book, but the vast majority of the negative reviews on amazon.com do not deal with my book. They attack me (my qualifications – one even wrongly saying that I was never a member of the CS Church – my motives, my understanding of CS, my professionalism, my current religious beliefs, my honesty, my mental health). A couple of reviews have been so libelous that amazon.com removed them. These negative reviewers use my book’s review section as a forum for defending and promoting CS. They ridicule the concept of mind control. They put down born again Christianity. They skew my book rating while only superficially addressing the book itself.

One woman, Lucie Lehmann-Barclay from Boston, has actually posted THREE negative reviews on my book. That’s dirty pool in my opinion. Fortunately, amazon.com has deleted two of the reviews since I suspect they don’t appreciate people who live by the “vote early, vote often” philosophy.

The positive reviews of my book tend to be thoughtful, and they indicate that my book is honest and on-the-mark. I appreciate these reviews, as they provide some balance for the ranting in the negative reviews.

I bent over backwards to make my book honest and fair, and I spent two intense and painful years writing it in order to help the many people I know who have struggled with emotional, spiritual, and physical issues after leaving CS. I felt strongly led to write this book (in fact, I couldn’t avoid it), and I told the Lord that I would use any book profits I made on CS related issues and on supporting various Christian ministries. I have been faithful to that promise.

My prayer has always been that God would place my book in the hands of people who need it. I have a notebook full of letters from people thanking me for writing and telling me that it has helped them, so God is answering my prayer.

As many of you know, the harsh title of my book was imposed by my publisher over my strong objections. I suspect that the book’s title fuels a lot of the venom spewed on amazon.com. I’ll wager that some of the reviewers have never even read my book but are simply basing their comments on the title.

As I said above, I have no problem with negative reviews if they are honest and address the book itself. My main concern about these cheap-shot reviews is that they will discourage people from reading the book when it could really benefit them. My prayer still stands – that God will get the book into these people’s hands despite its harsh title and the cheap-shot reviewers.

Open the Doors of the Temple: The Survival of Christian Science in the Twenty-First Century

tmcl — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 20:26:26 GMT

Open the Doors of the Temple: The Survival of Christian Science in the Twenty-First Century is the title of a book published in 2004 that I've been reading. Its author is Nancy Niblack Baxter, who is a dedicated Christian Scientist and long-time member of The Mother Church. Baxter's book addresses the numerical decline of Christian Scientists and what she perceives to be the reasons for this. She also offers her prescription for the Christian Science movement to become revitalized and move into the twenty-first century with renewed effectiveness.

It seems to me that Open the Doors of the Temple can be seen as a book-length explication of what John on this forum has called "neo Chistian Science."

A couple of chapter titles from the book: "Christian Science and the Medical Revolution" and "Suffering Children."

Baxter's book discusses a number of issues that have been extensively discussed here on the Christian Way Forum.

New Biography of Mary Baker Eddy

tmcl — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 20:06:55 GMT

I have finished reading a new biography of Mrs. Eddy by the late Stephen Gottschalk, entitled Rolling Away the Stone: Mary Baker Eddy's Challenge to Materialism. Gottschalk finished the book right before his death in January 2005. While it covers all of Mrs. Eddy's life, it particularly focuses on her last two decades, and its structure is thematic, rather than strictly chronological. The book incorporates much new source material from the collection of The Mary Baker Eddy Library that has not been in print in a biography before.

I think that Gottschalk has written an outstanding biography of Mrs. Eddy, and feel that it is essential reading for anyone who wants to be up on the latest scholarship on Mrs. Eddy's life. I think that the book has great potential to enlighten and inspire those Christian Scientists who read it, as well as giving non-Christian Scientists who read it a more accurate and realistic assessment of her life than have many previous biographies.

Mary Farrell Bednarowski, a scholar in the field of women in American religious history is quoted on the back of the dust jacket of the book as follows:

In my experience, there has been no one better than Stephen Gottschalk at interpreting Christian Science: its fundamental teachings; its theological subtleties; and its place in American religious thought and culture. ... He addresses the complexities of her life with both sympathy -- by which I mean a willingness to understand her on her own terms -- and with astute, unflinching critique.

Resources for Health and Well-Being

followingHim — Sun, 17 Jul 2005 19:41:16 GMT

Many of us coming out of CS are at a bit of a loss when it comes to looking after ourselves physically. Perhaps we haven't been intructed in, and developed good practices for, the basics of self-care: nutrition, exercise, attention to ailments, treating wounds, and so on. Also, some of us may have serious health issues in which a dangerous condition has progressed to a critical state.

Whatever the case, this thread is designed for the sharing of information, resources, and--especially--encouragement for us ex-CS'ists who need guidance and information on physical self-care. Let's endeavor to share materials that are reasonably authentic and valid. Some of us may have used "alternative health care" methods and therapies, so we want to exercise care in endorsing these. Conversely, one of us may have been unsuccessful with a therapy: that doesn't mean another person couldn't benefit from it!

The point is, let's be helpful to each other, avoiding extreme or bizarre recommendations, overly emotional positions, and untenable generalizations.

Recommendations could be books, articles, nutrition and diet insights, clinics and specialists, therapies (known, new, or experiental), lifestyle insights, and so on.

Online places to look through MBE writings

rubyndora — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 09:08:57 GMT

When I left CS, I trashed all my "literature" because it really bothered me. Now as I learn more about the Bible there are times I want to be able to look something up in CS writings so that I can see how they contrast (but I still don't want any hard copies laying around!!!) Is there a place online where you can search passages by keyword? Thanks.

Online Bible Studies

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Apr 2005 19:40:18 GMT

Hi Everyone!

Was just wondering if anyone had information about on-line Bible Studies (or off-line ones for that matter). I have recently completed my first one and enjoyed it tremendously. I'm hoping there are others out there. The one I did was by Beth Moore called Believing God. She has at least one more, but I would like to try one by someone else before taking another one by her.

If anyone is interested, I highly recommend Beth Moore's study. You can find it by going to www.believinggod.com. There is a sample study to try which gives a good idea of what the study is like. It is not free -- but I think it is worth every penny and then some. I obviously cannot compare it to other studies, as this was my first. It came recommended by another cway reader (Thank you again, Renee!). The printout homework is a good reference for later and there is a great Bible resource provided which includes a number of different "styles" of Bibles as well as Strong's Concordance, a dictionary and other references.

Anyways, just thought I'd pass it along and thanks for any others you can recommend. -- Grace

Free Gadgets for Bible and Other Study

Do_Go_Be_Man — Wed, 01 Oct 2003 20:35:49 GMT

The Internet offers quite a few useful resources for Bible and other study. Thought I'd share a few that I use and hope to learn of some others.

Bible Search Engine
I like BibleGateway.com (www.biblegateway.com) because it provides easy passage and key word access to about 16 English translations of the Bible including KJV, NIV, and ESV. It also provides a large print option, audio, and foreign languages.

Dictionaries, etc.
Bartleby.com (www.bartleby.com) provides access to two versions of Roget's Thesaurus. the American Heritage College Dictionary, Strunk's Elements of Style, and several other standard reference works.

Merriam-Webster Online Language Center (www.merriam-webster.com) provides free and member access to various dictionaries, a thesaurus, and other reference works.

Atlas
The CIA provides an excellent, easy-to-use reference for current geographical information - World Fact Book (www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html).

Information Portal
Matt Drudge's father runs RefDesk (www.refdesk.com).

S&H, etc.
Spirituality.com provides a search engine for S&H, KJV, and Retrospection and Introspection (www.spirituality.com/dt/toc_SH.jhtml).

Do Go Be Man
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concordance availability

Grace — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:02:47 GMT

Hi again!

Just wondering if there is a concordance or some way to look up references in Mrs. Eddy's writings on line. I used to have all her books, but have gotten rid of them with the exception of one copy of S&H and Prose Works. But when I am on here I sometimes like to refer to a passage from one of her books, and can think of it in my head, partially, but when it comes to remembering page numbers, I no longer can. Would love to be able to look them up again. I gave away my concordance to her writings long ago. Now I wish I didn't.

Can anyone help me reference them on line somehow? Much obliged. . . . . Grace

"Learning to Drive" -- a novel

Linda — Sun, 02 May 2004 16:22:04 GMT

I just finished reading Learning to Drive, by Mary Hays. The main character is a young woman, Charlotte, who comes from a Christian Science family and is in the process of leaving her CS beliefs behind for the second time. I'll refer you to book reviews on amazon.com for details of the story, but just thought I'd bring attention to the book.

Learning to Drive provides an amusing, yet sobering, look into the inherently disfunctional world of Christian Science. Characters include Charlotte's mother, who died of untreated diabetes; Charlotte's practitioner sister, who fits the classic nice-but-insensitive CS personality; Charlotte's non-CS husband, from whom she separates because of the differences in their beliefs; and a host of interesting and delightfully odd friends and relatives. Charlotte is haunted by "the Porter," sent by Mrs. Eddy to help her stay on track in her study of Christian Science.

The book contains numerous quotes from Science and Health (part of family conversation and of Charlotte's thinking). They, together with the story itself, provide insight into the world of Christian Science.

Hays did a nice job interjecting humor into the story. I enjoy well-done absurdity, and there is a lot of it in the book.

The Religion That Kills

renee — Tue, 12 Nov 2002 09:04:23 GMT

I just finished Linda's book a couple of days ago. If you have not yet read it, then I highly recommend that you get on over to amazon and order it. I also read Blue Windows right before that. I think that it would benefit everyone here to read them both.

I fear, however, that the more I research and study CS the harder it becomes to see my grandmother ever becoming free from this terrible stronghold of CS. I think the overwhelming fear that CS uses to keep control over it's "students" will cripple her forever. She studied under a man named Mr. Watson, whom knew Mrs. Eddy personally. How do you loose someone from the grips of the blasphemy of having the Great Comforter in a book? Mrs. Eddy honestly believes that she brought forth the Holy Spirit in CS? The audacity and ego of her statments is mind boggling. My grandmother embraces it with all her heart. I know that she truly loves God. The Word says, "No one can come to me unless the Father draw him." Why does He not draw them? I know, they have full access to the Word. But they do not understand what they read. Mrs. Eddy has twisted these words to conform to her demented standards. It makes me angry. It breaks my heart. I wonder what "fear and trembling" Mrs. Eddy is experiencing trying to work out her salvation now.

Caroline Fraser's book

Anonymous — Wed, 08 Jan 2003 06:18:03 GMT

I've posted here before (about domestic violence) and I just read "God's Perfect Child" by Caroline Fraser. In fact, I read it twice --- in four days. I was really shocked. I expected it to be a vitriolic attack on TMC, MBE and CS, but I found it contained quite a bit of truth.

It's also left me with even MORE to think about. Actually, I loved reading it. Helped nail down some vague issues I'd been sorting to figure out.

Isn't it a violation of church bylaws to read this anti-CS literature? I'm thinking it is, but why would such a restrictive, controlling covenant be in place? Having escaped from an abusive, controlling man, I'm feeling PRETTY SENSITIVE to being told what I can and can't do (or read).

So my question is two-fold. Have you read the book and what did you think? Was it balanced and objective, or an all out attack? And why did the church condemn it so?

Secondly, is it against church bylaws to read books like this?

Thanks for the insights. I visit this site very frequently.

A book by Walter Martin.....

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Jun 2002 19:13:25 GMT

Hello All!

I was not sure where to post this but this section seems to be as good as any. I was looking for a book or it might be a tape called, "Christian Science Healing - Devilish or Divine" by Walter Martin. If anybody has any information on it feel free to e-mail me or post it here. E-mail matt@candle88.com Thanks.

MadMax