 Posted Saturday, April 05, 2008 5:50 PM
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Hi Everyone,
It's been a while since my last post -- so long I can't remember when, actually, but I've been reading and as always continue to be grateful for all of those who contribute. The original poster of this thread made reference to a certain post (they included the exact location on the site, which was very helpful) and I just read it.
I love the way this site helps me deal with difficult emotions. Just reading it sometimes I can so relate and feel such sympathy and compassion for others who have left CS and had to deal with the ensuing struggle to re-adapt to life. I imagine, after reading that particular post, that perhaps the writer has been dealing with such a struggle. In any event, I found this paragraph which really stood out to me. Wow!
If one were to commit to following another persons' interpretation of the Bible, it would be advisable to find out as much about this person as possible - their credentials, where they studied theology, etc. - along with a close scrutiny of their life, to see how these things stack up under the microscope. Jesus said, "you will know a person by their fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit". On close examination of Mrs. Eddy's "tree", we find that she had the arrogance to find fault with Jesus: "Had the Master utterly conquered the belief of life in matter, He would not have felt their infirmities" (Science and Health - 1875 - pg.130). "Had wisdom characterized all His sayings, He would not have prophesied His own death and thereby hastened it or caused it" (miscellaneous writings - 1897 - pp 83&84). "The idea given of God this time is higher, clearer, and more permanent than the one given eighteen centuries ago (letter from Mrs.Eddy to student). With this last statement, Mrs.Eddy exalts herself above Jesus. The Christian Science Journal added to this by saying, "a woman perceived the nothingness of matter, though Jesus did not, and she was able to interpret the feminine idea of God, which is essentially higher than the masculine, because it was the last and therefore God's best idea. That's nice....the last time someone wanted to exalt themselves above God...was Satan!!
I am a 2nd generation ex-CSer, born and raised into the church and left about a decade or so ago, at the age of 30-something. My whole life was dedicated to CS until the time I left, and as many of you who also left CS know, that is the way it is for Christian Scientists.
My reaction to Mrs. Eddy's statements as shared above now that I have left CS and become someone who loves and honors Jesus Christ and sees him from the perspective that Christianity offers is to shudder and cringe inside. I can't help but stand in awe at how badly Mary Baker Eddy has mislead so very many people through her writings and through her "church". The physical suffering is major, yes, I don't mean to down play that at all, but the EMOTIONAL pain CS causes is incomprehensible to those who do not have first hand experience of it. What a twisted view of the Bible she presented! This site is so very important in helping the individuals deceived by CS. Christian Scientists still in the throes of its study perhaps will not see it's relevance, but that is fine. God can still use the site in their lives when the time is right. What they read here will remain with them, even if for now they don't appreciate it or like it.
My only response is "Mrs. Eddy Bashers, UNITE!" (I say that with a smile.) I don't mean it in a mean way, but rather that it is so very important to reveal the truth of what she really did say. So many Christian Scientists are not exposed to or familiar with statements like those listed in the quoted post above. They are not mentioned in CS churches, in articles, in day-to-day CS life, but are kind of kept on the shelf, covered under all the other CS jargon. And, sadly, when one is not familiar with TRUE, Bible-based Christianity, such comments don't seem to be very offensive in and of themselves, particularly when read in context with her other writings.
I'm so happy to be free from Christian Science.
Grace
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Posted Monday, April 14, 2008 1:01 PM
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| In response to Gentle Dove: I wholeheartedly agree with you. Even my mother, one of the leading "Scientists" of the modern era, laments her inability to heal her own children. I was accused of not having enough faith to "heal" athlete's foot at age 7. This despite the fact that caught early enough this disease was easily treatable over-the-counter. My mother forced the local ER to rebreak and reset my broken leg (at my age 12) without anesthesia, because it was "against or religion". She was a fledgling Practioner at the time. I was forced to "walk-off" three ankle sprains, and was forced to suffer with broken bones on several occasions without any comfort but prayer. To this day my mother claims that the "healing" of my broken leg was s miracle, despite the intervention of the medical community and 6 weeks in a cast. I've also noted in my mom's book, "Healing, a Spiritual Answer", that she stetches the truth on a couple of her cases of alleged "healing". I remember "Diane's" story much, much differently. I was there when it happened, at age 15, and I can tell you that there was far worse then the "momentary discomfort" my mother writes about. Diane left Vail to seek more competant MEDICAL treatment from a specialist, instead of the "miraculous healing" ascribed to by my mother, and was in a cast for quite a while. She also includes various people without their permission, including me and my sisters, and was forced by senior church staff in Boston to amend several statements that she made about the CS Church in her book's first printing. Basically senior Church officials were unhappy that mother had linked tenants of CS healing in her practice to the teachings of senior church leaders. I can't understand why that made them unhappy. They are probably worried about the legal ramifications. My dad threatened a lawsuit to get his name and actions removed from her book. Talk to "all in one" about my story: I mistakenly sent it to them labeled as a private message believing that the entire group would have access to it. As a novice user I have no idea how to move it into the public viewing arena. Does anyone know how to relabel a private message public? Mark (new)
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Posted Monday, April 14, 2008 1:16 PM
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Mark,
Not being familiar with it, I tried to find information on your mom's book. Can you provide a link?
Again, I need to walk the line between welcoming you, appreciating your contributions, and noting that you are sharing points of view that may not represent those of the forum host, moderators, or other participants.
Do Go Be Man
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Posted Monday, April 14, 2008 7:09 PM
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| Welcome IleftCS! I look forward to reading more of your posts. I hope you find this site as helpful as I have. I am so sorry that you have suffered so and I think it is important to let your story be known. The victims of Christian Science must NOT stay silent.
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Posted Monday, April 14, 2008 10:04 PM
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| The full title of the book is: Healing, Wilt thou Be Made Whole? A Spiritual Answer, by Jamae W. Van Eck. There is an original 1st edition copy signed by the Author on Alibris for $200.00. Amazon.ca (Canada) has 2 copies of the 1997 edition for $3.45 CNDN Funds. There are other copies on other booksellers. Look up her name on a list of CS Teachers in CA. A 1996 First Edition is the one that the Church and a few other people made threats over. Anything published after 1996 is not an original First Edition. I would want her not to find out that I have contacted you. I'm sure that there would be fireworks. My stepdad died less than a year ago. (Bart Van Eck). Someday I hope to be able to write a book, but it probably will have to wait until after her passing. Between my first and second trips to Hazelden several copies of her book found there way into their library. My counselor there told me that different patients had brought copies and my mother had mailed at least one copy. My counselor was Jim Atkins, and Hazelden is 800-257-7800, though you would need a release to talk to anyone there. I was there first in August of 1996, and again in October of 1997. Mark
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Posted Monday, April 14, 2008 11:43 PM
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| I would be willing to mail you one of my copies of the book, but I'm keeping my 1996 First edition copy, which I consider somewhat more accurate. I never knew why the Church wanted to supress the references to them until recently reading from these various ex-CS sites. Mark
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Posted Sunday, May 25, 2008 4:50 AM
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| I'm new to this forum...just last night...and couldn't wait to read some more this morning. I've just read all the posts on this thread and agree 100% it's not "trashing" it's "stating the facts". I grew up in a CS home and it wasn't easy. Most of it has faded from memory but hearing some of the old sayings bring back memories....like "sheperd show me how to go" that was mentioned. I had to laugh on that one. I can't imagine what it would be like to be an adult in CS and have to reckon with the real Truth....that Jesus died on the cross for sins that we couldn't pay. Luckily, I was rebellious in my early years and recoginized "there was no life, truth or intelligence in CS" . See, the early effects of my brainwashing from my parents are still intact. Nah, not really...just recalling some of the axioms. What gets me now is their healing methods and how they take credit for their own healings instead of giving glory to God- the true Physician. My wife experienced a miracle a few years back which I will tell another time and it came about through His mercy. If you read the New Testament of all of the healings and miracles Jesus performed you will see that the participants all humbled themselves before Him and asked for His mercy or believed Jesus could heal them(faith). Not one took credit for their own healing or by denying something was wrong in the first place. Honestly as I'm writing this I can't believe MBE used the Bible in the first place as her theories don't even remotely agree with the written Word. If I had to describe CS in one word it would be ....denial with a small d...MBE liked to capitalize words too much so I say small d is appropriate. I can't believe there are any adults off the streets who would give CS a try unless they are related to the ostrich. Hey, I was born into CS ...I had no choice....what's your excuse? Inzane99 
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Posted Sunday, May 25, 2008 11:35 AM
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| Dear Inzane99, Hi, glad you made a post. My excuse for being involved and still reading CS material etc. is that a portion of my family was CS. It did affect me profoundly. What's interesting in my case is I was raised Presbyterian and I became a medical nurse. Therefore I have experience in both approaches or standpoints, as one might put it. So, I think I bring a unique perspective on all of this. You can read about me under Intoductions: new member coming to terms with grief. Considering I have a psychiatric nursing background and many years in neuroscience, and family experiences, I think I can understand how CS can be used as a comfort, like a blanket. Call it denial if you will, but a lot of us are in denial constantly. I know I am often in denial of God's existence when I don't understand something, but I pray and trust because I know that I have felt loved in the most complete sense by God. Is it possible that anything understood in an incomplete manner could result in failures? This is certainly true in medicine. I wonder if it is true in Christian Science. That does not make it someone's fault for not understanding it, anymore than my Doctor would blame me for not understanding a chronic disabling condition I have, that at this point medical science has many, many questions to ask and many of us are offering ourselves up as "lab-rats" because we are in so much pain. And by the way I 've had the condition for over 30 years and had to reclaim my life constantly, even under medcal care. I do like so much that you stressed it is God who does the healing or miracle and that we need to give credit to, and be grateful to God for that. I read that you were looking forward to seeing what posts there might be soon , so here is one.
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Posted Monday, May 26, 2008 11:33 AM
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| Do Go Be Man, I apologize for making assumptions of my e-mail being dropped. After going through the threads I found the original post I responded to. I guess I got confused because inzane99 posted on my grief posting as well, so it looked like mine was dropped. It's good to know that we're all human and make mistakes and God still loves us. If anything, I've renewed that understanding this AM because one of my core issues has been feeling that I am left out or separated somehow. Sincerely Rosebud3
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Posted Monday, May 26, 2008 1:30 PM
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