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RE: Robert Y. Ellis

Linda — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:24:04 GMT

[quote]under the "date of birth" column in the 1900 census, it is written she "Refused" to tell her date of birth. [/quote]

Oh good grief. Seems rather petty that she wouldn't concede the point of her physical birth to the US Census Bureau!

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

norwegiandogmom — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:44:10 GMT

This is fascinating stuff! Sometimes it is hard for me to really believe MBE was a real person with such strange beliefs. And the strangest thing of all is that so many people bought into it! (Including me, for many years.)

Just for fun, I recently looked up the old census records to see if Mary was there. Of course she was listed. We didn't all make her up. Interesting that under the "date of birth" column in the 1900 census, it is written she "Refused" to tell her date of birth. I didn't know people were allowed to do that! Her occupation was listed as "Pastor Emeritus of the First Church of Christ, Scientist" in the 1910 census. And somehow she let her true age (well, almost) be known since her birthdate was considered somewhere around 1922.

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

SharonMarie — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:56:14 GMT

I don't know about the authenticity either, but in just looking through it, I think it mirrors the stuff my mother spouted off about pretty constantly (including control of the weather). I remember my mother told my poor sister that if she just kept her "thinking straight" she would never need to have a period. So, at the age of 12, she was pretty destroyed to think she had not been good enough.

There are many things in there that make me think they are pretty accurate.

One doesn't need to read every word, just do a search in the document on a word like Catholic, or malicious and see what comes up! Incredible!

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

Do_Go_Be_Man — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:22:08 GMT

dawn comes,

[quote]Do we know the authenticity of the material?[/quote]
I have to say that I don't know one way or the other, but looked at enough of it to be skeptical. Perhaps there is some real stuff in there. Even from my perspective of Christian Science, however, I have difficulty automatically accepting the accuracy or authenticity of all of it.

There's plenty in the documented body of Christian Science literature to support our common concerns.

Even if it doesn't prove authentic Mary Baker Eddy, however, that doesn't mean it doesn't represent the source of some of the myths of the culture of Christian Science that result in some of the worst consequences (at least here on Earth). It's been around for some time and circulated in a manner to encourage the sorts of urban legends associated with non-orthodox Christian Science.

Reading 305 pages represents more time than I'm willing to invest, but it might be interesting to start a new thread on the topic.

Do Go Be Man
<><

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

dawn comes — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:59:33 GMT

'Wow' is right! I'm surprised no one has commented on this before today! This material is very strange...full of paranoia, and obsession with the weather and Roman Catholicism.

Mrs. Eddy claimed her monthly periods left her the moment she came to see Christian Science, and she never saw that 'claim' again? Sexuality is death? There are so many bizarre statements in this collection. I am not surprised today's Christian Science 'culture' would want to distance itself from some of this.

Do we know the authenticity of the material?

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

SharonMarie — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:27:53 GMT

Wow! Just go to that web site and read some of that stuff. I did a search through the document just on the word catholic and it is unbelievable how much anti-catholic stuff Mrs. Eddy taught. No wonder I had that drilled into me non-stop.

I tried to date a Catholic boy once and you wouldn't believe what went on in reaction to that. I was threatened with boarding school and every other thing you can imagine.

Sharon

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

Gentle Dove — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:36:36 GMT

Yes, I remember being brought up with a large dose of anti-Catholism except I wasn't told it was a basement of nuns but a bunch of jesuit priests! I wouldn't be surprised if it was partially true though.

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

SharonMarie — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:19:58 GMT

Gentle Dove,

I also enjoyed the book. I kind of lost the "gist" of it at the end. But I guess he is really searching like so many of us.

I also got out of it the fact that I need not throw out every single thing about Christian Science just because of my experience with my mother. I guess I labeled him agnostic because of his declaration while watching his mother die..."There is no God".

It's an interesting book and a comforting one in many ways. I loved that he got the anti-Catholic stuff in there. That was sure something I grew up with. As a child I was relatively sure that Catholic churches had groups on nuns in their basements working against Christian Science.

Sharon

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

Gentle Dove — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:41:37 GMT

I enjoyed the book! He is so credible because he was raised in it, practiced it for many years, and served the church and Monitor. I didn't come away with the impression that he was agnostic though. I think he was discussing quantum physics in relation to the whole "matter isn't real" delimma we see in Christian Science. I wish he had discussed it more, but I can see how a topic like quantum physics could lose a reader fast. I liked his first few chapters but the later ones really dug more into the aspects of why he left Christian Science. I could relate to it so well. As we have seen people say so many times on this site. . its so good to know I am not the only one that feels and/or felt that way and I never knew so many of us are out there!

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

SharonMarie — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:42:42 GMT

I am just finishing his book. I honestly don't know how to report on it, except to say that Mr. Ellis was certainly a very dedicated Christian Scientist who took a great deal of comfort from his religion until.......

His father was murdered, and although he was somewhat estranged from him because of his fathers complete UNacceptance of CS, he loved his father very much. Then his much loved practitioner mother died a horrible, painfully drawn out death. These things turned him away from Christian Science. He, like many former Christian Scientists began a journey of searching for answers. Mr. Ellis seems to look towards quantum physics, rather than scripture and I would say has become pretty much of a religious agnostic.

If anyone else reads the book and comes up with a better report on it, I would love to read it. I need to re-read his last couple of chapters, but that is my take on the book right now.

Sharon

RE: Robert Y. Ellis

Linda — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:42:27 GMT

There's a thread entitled [url=http://www.christianway.org/forums/Topic14758-15-1.aspx?Highlight=Ellis]Book: A Collision of Truths: A Life in Conflict with a Cherished Faith[/url] in the "CS - General topics..." category. I'm still reading the book so haven't commented on it yet.

I don't know if Ellis knows about Christian Way.