 Posted Thursday, April 24, 2008 9:49 PM
|
|
|
|
It all started innocently enough, but before it was all over I was looking for another church to attend. You see..I was attending church about five months ago, and the pastor's message that Sunday dealt with God's purpose for our lives. I remember one particular sentence of his which, simply put, said, "Don't be so involved with yourself and your own life that you wind up missing God's purpose for your life." He went on to say that God can take negative experiences from our lives and use them, when we reach out and help others who are going through similar circumstances. Sometimes the things we think were the worst experiences in our lives turn out to be just the thing God can use. As he was talking, I was reflecting on the Sunday past - when I attended Christmas services with my mom and brother (both Christian Scientists) at a Christian Science church here in Phoenix. They both had come in from out of state, and even though I hadn't been to a Christian Science church in 38 years (my wife and I are both Christians), I thought it a nice gesture for all of us to go to church as a family. Though I grew up in the Christian Science church, I was still absolutely baffled at their teaching that Sunday - amazed that nobody noticed that the Bible quotations were all taken out of context and made to fit the corresponding Science and Health passages.
The point of this story is that I took the sermon from my church to heart, thinking that I could use my experiences as a former Christian Scientist to try to help my family and others out of this cult. I started to research Christian Science history. I bought and read Georgine Milmine's book, "The Life of Mary Baker Eddy and the History of Christian Science", "According to the Flesh" by Fleta Springer, "Mrs. Eddy - A Biography of the Virginal Mind" by Dakin, "Mary Baker Eddy - The Truth and the Tradition" by John Ditttemore, "Christian Science" by Mark Twain, and " The Christian Science Myth" by Walter Martin. I also purchased and have yet to read: "The Quimby Manuscripts" - first printing (suppressed edition) by Dresser, "Mrs Eddy - Purloins from Hegel" by Walter Haushalter, "Complete Exposure of Eddyism" by Peabody, "Christian Science - The Faith and it's Founder" by Powell, and "Mrs. Eddy As I Knew Her In 1870" by Bancroft. Lastly, I have applied to the Library of Congress to procure a complete copy (141 pages) of Adam Dickey's biography on Mrs. Eddy (the approved version only has 53 or 54 pages).
I studied witnessing techniques as they related to cults and learned that it was best not to "bash" Mrs. Eddy, but to try to get Christian Scientists to read something other than the "approved biography" of Mrs. Eddy. With this in mind, the idea occurred to me to buy up a LOT of Georgine Milmine's books and see if I had any luck distributing them to Christian Scientists after church. Somewhere in the process of all this, this thought occurred to me: suppose someone read the book and afterward became thoroughly disillusioned with Christian Science - but didn't know where to turn from there? I mean, if someone was truly interested in learning more...I couldn't just leave them hanging. So this is what I did. I purchased a stamp and stamped each book: "WHEN YOU HAVE FININSHED READING THIS BOOK PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT ...". I then drafted up a "response letter" to send to them which stated in a very kind and direct way why I had passed out the book, and gave some simple biblical truths about Jesus..His love for us and His ministry - about sin and spiritual death and how Jesus had atoned for our sins on the cross. I then wanted to refer them to one of several churches on a list (which I intended to draw up) where they could contact the Pastor and thereby come into a more complete knowledge of God's saving grace. I also made it known that I was in no way affiliated with any of these churches and was acting on my own.
That's when the poop hit the fan! It turns out that precious few churches want anything to do with this kind of thing. The way I see it, it's safer to send missionaries to Russia, Africa, China, and any of the Arab countries than it is to spread the Gospel in your own backyard - not safer for the missionaries, mind you, but safer for the church - as a BUSINESS. One lady put it this way, " We wouldn't want Christian Scientists coming to our church distributing THEIR material - therefore we cannot support what you are doing. The very fact that our name is on your list would associate us with you - NO THANKS!" Now the way I see it, if the reciprocal were true, we wouldn't want Voodoo witch doctors, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, and Satan worshipers coming to our country trying to convert us and our children, so why would we want to send our missionaries to their countries? Why? Because no one is going to raise such a big fuss in Afghanistan that it will reach all the way back to the little Presbyterian church in Colorado, where the missionaries started out. What happened to the 1st century church ideals of spreading the Gospel? If you got thrown in jail - Like Paul - then so be it. What happened to the belief that if you put the kingdom of God first, that God would then take care of ALL the details of your life. What happened to that TRUST? When did the church BUSINESS become more important than the WORD?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not some fanatic.. if someone asked me to leave the premises, I'd politely leave and not come back..I'm employing common sense here. But, you know, something is wrong! It's our duty, all of us , to spread the Gospel and to try to bring people from the darkness to the light. If they don't want to listen.. fine - that happened in Jesus' time also. Jesus said to "Shake the dust off your sandals as a warning to them"..that you abandon them to their fate..essentially what you want to do here is just walk away. What kills me, is when pastors refuse to help - it's not just their duty, but also their job - they get PAID to do the right thing...yet they are too afraid to be on a list that would help people who WANT to know more, get that information. Even the church I was attending (the one who's message started all this) refused to answer three of my E-mails. In all, I contacted 8 churches in the Phoenix area. I offered to send a copy of the Milmine book along with a copy of my "response letter" for their approval (In fact, I will E-mail anyone reading this right now, a copy of my "response letter" so that you can see for yourself that it is kind, caring, and non-judgmental - just leave your E-mail address and I will send you a copy). At any rate, to get back to my story, only 2 out of 8 churches agreed. One church agreed outright and the other agreed after interviewing me and reviewing my material.
The fact that I'm not attending my former church anymore shouldn't surprise anyone. The thing is, I don't think it's right to attend a church that wants nothing to do with spreading the Gospel in their own backyard. Sadly, also on that list is Mike Benjamin - who heads up THIS site - "The Christian Way" and his church- Calvary Chapel Community Church. I also sent him and his church 3 E-mails and have never received a response ..and that has been 2 months ago. I'm not trying to hang this guy out to dry, but the courteous thing would be to at least respond to a Christian brother. Should a pastor think I'm doing something that makes no sense, from his standpoint, he should come to me as a Christian brother and show me where I'm wrong. But when a pastor doesn't answer three E-mails spaced over a month's time, it's not because he didn't get them, it's because he chooses to ignore them.
So there you have it - I became pretty discouraged. Basically it's VERY hard to get someone out of a cult. They want to believe what they want to believe - no matter what the evidence to the contrary. All you can do is pray, try your best, and leave it up to God - then walk away if they're not interested. The thing I never saw coming was the lack of support from the church and it's pastors. James said that words without action winds up being pretty bogus (my paraphrase) yet that's what many of the churches in the Phoenix area conveyed to me, " We appreciate your intentions, but count us OUT!"
|
|
|
Posted Friday, April 25, 2008 1:14 PM
|
|
|
|
| Anonymous, So sorry to hear that most of the churches you contacted did not support you in your project. I feel the frustration and disappointment in your post. I remember being forwarded a copy of the e-mail you sent to Christian Way last February. I don't know why you didn't get a response from Mike -- whether you slipped through the cracks or whether there was a actual decision made. (I live in Michigan so don't attend Mike's church.) I'd be interested in reading the response letter you mentioned. I'll drop you an e-mail and let you know where to send it. Thanks,
Linda
|
|
|
Posted Friday, April 25, 2008 1:31 PM
|
|
|
|
Anonymous April 25, 2008 @ 12:49:17 AM,
...when a pastor doesn't answer three E-mails spaced over a month's time, it's not because he didn't get them, it's because he chooses to ignore them.
I'm sorry that you are discouraged, but cannot necessarily agree with your assumptions including that rejection of your plan is merely a business matter or that Pastor Mike has snubbed you.
All of us, including you, have to make choices regarding on what we spend our time. I typically get almost 200 e-mails in a day and sometimes have to only address those messages about which I can personally make a difference or are required to respond to as part of my job.
Also, with the increasing proliferation of spam mail, I often do not receive messages due to false positives on my e-mail filters. Many large companies and Internet service providers receive millions of spam messages each day. There are bound to be a few false positives that get filtered.
I encourage you to reach out in any way that you find effective. While I appreciate your intentions and willingness to reach CSists, I would not personally choose that approach for various reasons including expense and direct exposure to unwilling audiences in an ineffective group environment. What works for you would not necessarily work for me or others. Having posted your efforts, perhaps others will want to join you. I caution you, however, in making assumptions regarding those who choose to pursue other courses.
Do Go Be Man
<><
|
|
|
Posted Friday, April 25, 2008 5:35 PM
|
|
|
|
| Anonymous: Where did you ever find the suppressed first edition of Quimby's writiings? All I could find was the later one but it still had some excellent material in it. I think the first edition was supposed to have some letters from Mrs. Eddy to Quimby although the second edition had some too but not all. I am also VERY INTERESTED to hear that there is a full volumne of Adam Dickey's work. How do you get a copy from the library of Congress? Is there a file number I could reference. It would be fascinating to see the "approved" version compared to the full text. Please keep us posted! Also, I think that if you feel like you want to reach Christian Scientists in whatever way suits you, go for it. Why not give it a try. Even if you reach just ONE, it is worth the effort. There are some pretty questioning minds, but afraid to look CSer's who would welcome another perspective. So much of the truth about the church is keep silent. Many are not as convinced of the doctrine as it appears. I for one was one who sat in the pews WANTING SO MUCH to understand but there was just too much that didn't add up. Thank you GOD for Rita Swan on Donahue in the early 80's. That was the first spark of confirmation that maybe this wasn't the right road. It took several years to make the final exit but she was a true angel for having the courage to SPEAK UP and shed the light on the fallacies of Christian Science. If Rita Swan had not taken a stand, how many more children may have perished? So, go with your plan, you may not know who you may be saving.
|
|
|
Posted Friday, April 25, 2008 9:56 PM
|
|
|
|
Gentle Dove;
There are still a few of the first edition-first printing "Quimby manuscripts " by Dresser out there on the internet. I just bought another one to send to my brother, in hopes that he will see where Mrs. Eddy got her ideas from. Google "out of print books" and expect to pay anywhere from $45.00 to $100.00 for the 1921 copy. You are right, this edition has 14 facimile letters from Mrs. Eddy to Quimby. As for Adam Dickey, he died before finishing his book, but his wife had it published anyway, about a year after her husband's death. When you order from the Library of Congress, you will need a "call number". I am curently waiting for 2 things from them. 1) "Memoirs of Mary Baker Eddy" by Adam Herbert Dickey... call # BX6995.D45 and 2) "War in Heaven" by Josephine C. Woodbury.... call # YA24205YAPam . Thanks for the interest. Kim Ross
|
|
|
Posted Friday, April 25, 2008 10:30 PM
|
|
|
|
Do Go Be Man;
Rejection of my plan or concern over differing courses of action was not really the issue here. What is really at the core is this: supposing that I had someone who was WILLING to learn more about salvation through Jesus Christ, there was nobody willing to share the Gospel with them. I was not asking for money or help to distribute these books, just for someone to take over after everything was said and done.
|
|
|
Posted Saturday, April 26, 2008 4:22 AM
|
|
|
|
Kim,
Rejection of my plan or concern over differing courses of action was not really the issue here.
Unfortunately, your criticisms made it an issue and diverted focus from the merits of the plan itself. Otherwise, I applaud your efforts and glad they work for you.
As an individual and as an officer of my church, however, I'm not sure how even I would have reacted to your proposal had it been presented to my church.
Bottom line, your post contains two clear topics, the plan and your criticisms. The plan would have been best served by not criticizing those who chose not to or are unable to directly support your good efforts. I'd much rather hear about how it worked rather than how it failed.
Do Go Be Man
<><
|
|
|
Posted Saturday, May 03, 2008 8:59 AM
|
|
|
|
| I personally believe that the best way to release someone from a cult is to pray for them. This is how I was released - I was absolutely astonished by the process. I am now praying for my family, one person in particular - and have been amazed at the progress. The threads binding us to CS are so complicated and insiduous that I think only the power of God through Jesus Christ can release us - of course sometimes He will use us to say the right words to nudge them in the right direction as He brings them out.
|
|
|
Posted Saturday, May 03, 2008 8:39 PM
|
|
|
|
| Anonymous, "I personally believe that the best way to release someone from a cult is to pray for them." I could not agree more. Patient, longsuffering prayer for the heart of the CSist is the best ministry that can be offered. With regards to me, I found out (years later) some Christians I had been needling in high school, without response, in fact were responding- by praying for me to find Jesus. They didn't know that I was CS, they just saw hardness in my heart, & prayed for Jesus to touch me. God's sovereign plan for His child's day of salvation made be just around the corner or it may be a long time coming. Regardless, our primary role is to pray, pray, pray; & act as He gives opportunity. (Luke 21:12-13) zoarean
|
|
|
|