 Posted Wednesday, December 31, 2008 12:27 AM
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| Hi to all; While I am not a current or former member nor do I think that currently I know any that belong to cs. I do believe that God is leading me to learn all I can for the day when my ministry is faced with this group. currently I have dealt with several cults and active members. I know that with my involvement in some of these and eventual salvation through Christ I may be able to relate in away to what many of you have gone through; I know many things are very different but some are very much the same. My hope is that one day when God brings this to me that I will be well equipped to help. Buffie
Love in Christ
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Posted Wednesday, December 31, 2008 11:44 AM
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Welcome! It's nice to have you here. Both the forums and the main web site (www.christianway.org) should give you lots of information about Christian Science and its people. Let us know if we can help clarify anything.
Thanks for your interest in helping people from CS and other groups.
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Posted Friday, February 27, 2009 12:42 PM
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I know this is a long time between your topic, and more posts. Love your name! My son has a shirt with that on it - from Salvation Army. We're Roman Catholic, but have done a lot with them. Oh, and I was raised in CS, and took to it well. Just came out in 1992. That's 14 years as a member, 27 years total in it.
The things that helped me out the most are pretty simple. I wouldn't recommend you learning about CS, but if you must, Josh McDowell's Handbook of World Religions has the basic points -and points of difference from Christianity- explained succinctly and accurately.
Back to that trip out!
1) First God gave me the bit that the Bible is HIS book, and it's true. That's a big one. Without that, you're building on sand, for as far as you'll be able to get. Their first tenant (in their manual) affirms that. So you can claim it for them in their own teachings.
2) God made sure I got the point of Trinity. CS Does not teach it. They don't go for the second person of the trinity, so the whole concept is lost.
However, Isaiah's prophecy about the coming Messiah should help here... Wonderful Counsellor, Everlasting Father, Almighty God, Prince of Peace... In CS, they'd have no problem with the Holy Spirit (alias Comforter, Counsellor, Advocate), whom Jesus would send... being part of the Godhead (a term they're not familiar with.)... They have a name for God in their synonyms as Spirit. So they should be able to get that. I did, and I was only a teenager. Everlasting Father they would recognize as God, whom they easily call Father. Don't let them slip in Mother as the third, though Mrs Eddy went that way once. Prince of Peace, would have to be the Messiah, Jesus. They could get that. Here's the point... Mrs Eddy liked to refer to God as Life, Truth, Love... (all 3 of those synonyms). And she liked to link Christ,Truth. So she allowed for the Christ to be one with God, though not the man. (The heresy of dividing Jesus from Christ)... And yet they say he isn't able to be divided from his mission. As a teenager, I saw Life, Truth, Love, as the CS way to refer to Trinity. Some would have "corrected my thought," but both CSB's I'd had as Sunday School teachers loved it.
3) So if you can get the Bible to be a stable foundation of truth for them, and get somewhere on the idea of Trinity, you aren't far from having them ready to find out who Jesus really is. They're not so far away... Another book by Josh McDowell was the one that got through to me, on that: More than a Carpenter. It's little and costs less than $5. They'll ponder that one for months, if they get their teeth into it.
After they're firmly in Jesus' arms, and not likely to abandon Him, when the earthquake of Truth hits, THEN they may be ready to grapple with the actual teachings in CS which are contradictory to Christianity. You see, an honest person will grow more and more uncomfortable, sitting and listening to disses against Jesus... once they know the truth.
4) HABAKKUK (only 3 chapters long) deals with the teaching of "God is of too pure eyes to behold evil." But that is not the conclusion. It has an entirely different meaning, when you take it IN CONTEXT with the conversation the prophet was having with God. His conclusions will crack the false teaching apart.
There are others, and you can find them or they can. Lots of CS quotes from Science and Health will actually be Bible verses taken out of context - some twisted and used in ways they weren't intended, and some just used. Sometimes Mrs Eddy got the quotation marks around them and sometimes it escaped her attention. She wanted others to use her writings with attention to the context, and not to distort stuff that she wrote. We owe it to the prophets and to the Word of God, to use the same courtesy on the Bible. You can insist on that. Best if they do the research themselves, since it's easier to bear that way.
5) When talking to CS students, the ones who've been born into it aren't likely to understand your Christian terms any better than an alien language. Lots of "scientific" or "spiritual interpreting has skewed that. They won't be aware of it either. I can't tell you for sure who will be cross and who will be tolerant. It is their privilege to talk to people of other religions, and take on such challenges as you'd be presenting. Just don't attempt it without thorough prayer backing. A priest wouldn't go into an exorcism without a prayer team, and enough backup. Neither should you challenge something this big, without adequate Armor, and preparation and support. Your love and respect will go a long way toward helping you build bridges. If God is calling you toward this kind of battle, grow strong in prayer, with every opportunity God sends you. Learn all you can ABOUT God, and living a true Christian's life. Weed out anything that would hinder you from being HIS servant. Then he will have you ready to follow his leading, and take the specks out of the eyes of those you want to help. This really does apply here. And yet, it's still about lifting up Jesus, most of all.
Christian Scientists are devoted to God. They just don't have the part about Jesus, and some of the teachings straight. Many of them didn't set out to be deceived, nor do they know they have been. As for the healings, be sure in your ministry to pray for people, and teach your congregation to pray with one another, if you can. The Corps where we live has had a wonderful track record because of this. God works through willing hearts. CS people will respect you more if God has manifest himself in your life, and in your work. Challenges you've faced, with prayer, will be of interest to them. Although our gifts may differ, The fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be treasured, and used.
What I've written isn't "the only way" - it's just the way God reached me. It took time, but it left me with a sense that I wasn't leaving Jesus, or the Father... just some false teachings. It was a strong way to prepare, for a very shocking change. No one wants to hear that what they've believed all their life is a lie. That would be devastating, if they didn't already have something trustworthy to believe: Jesus. Do you see what I mean? If you would change the support walls in a person's house, you have to first put the new beams in place, then you can dismantle the old. It's much more compassionate than sending the whole thing crashing down around their heads. Could you withstand that? I wouldn't want to try it.
The thing I've found also is that when the beloved brother or sister is brought into the fold, lots of people assume the job is done, and just disappear. NOT GOOD! BAD IDEA! Although part of the journey is to be alone, part can and does need our brothers & sisters in Christ. Just the transition to medical care is traumatic, and frightening. It takes a while to detox from the teachings, too. ... or to lose the pride and find true Christian humility.
So happy evangelizing. Write me if there's anything I can do...
God Bless!
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Posted Friday, February 27, 2009 8:45 PM
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As a teenager, I saw Life, Truth, Love, as the CS way to refer to Trinity. Some would have "corrected my thought," but both CSB's I'd had as Sunday School teachers loved it. Actually, Mrs. Eddy said that too. Here's the quote: "Life, Truth, and Love constitute the triune Person called God, – that is, the triply divine Principle, Love. They represent a trinity in unity, three in one, – the same in essence, though multiform in office: God the Father-Mother; Christ the spiritual idea of sonship; divine Science [i.e., Christian Science] or the Holy Comforter. These three express in divine Science the threefold, essential nature of the infinite. They also indicate the divine Principle of scientific being, the intelligent relation of God to man and the universe." (Science and Health, 331:26-332:3, emphasis added)
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