even the Athiests

Posted in Christanity, ethics, in the News by

This isn’t really a post, just something I came across and felt was worth sharing: I love Pope Francis. I’m not Catholic, or ever planning to be, but the guy is just awesome.

via the Guardian

Pope Francis says atheists can be good

- Just do good, and we’ll find a meeting point, says Francis in marked departure from Benedict’s line on non-Catholics -

Atheists should be seen as good people if they do good, Pope Francis has said in his latest urging that people of all religions, and none, work together.

The leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics made his comments in the homily of his morning mass at his residence, a daily event at which he speaks without prepared comments.

He told the story of a Catholic who asked a priest if even atheists had been redeemed by Jesus.

“Even them, everyone,” the pope answered, according to Vatican Radio. “We all have the duty to do good,” he said.

“Just do good, and we’ll find a meeting point,” the pope said in a hypothetical reply to the hypothetical comment: “But I don’t believe. I’m an atheist.”

Francis’s reaching out to atheists and people who belong to no religion is in marked contrast to the attitude of his predecessor, Benedict, who sometimes prompted complaints from non-Catholics that he seemed to see them as second-class believers.

The HuffingtonPost has more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/pope-francis-good-atheists_n_3320757.html

“They complain,” the Pope said in his homily, because they say, “If he is not one of us, he cannot do good. If he is not of our party, he cannot do good.” And Jesus corrects them: “Do not hinder him, he says, let him do good.” The disciples, Pope Francis explains, “were a little intolerant,” closed off by the idea of ​​possessing the truth, convinced that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good.” “This was wrong . . . Jesus broadens the horizon.” Pope Francis said, “The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation”

“The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can… “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!”.. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

And, as always, if you want to retain any faith in humanity, don’t read the comments on either the Guardian or HuffPost stories.

leaving the Mother Ship (part 3), writing the letter

Posted in Christian Science, Church, Spiritual Growth by

This is the third post in a series about leaving TMC. Previous posts about leaving TMC Part 1 and Part 2. For all posts see the tag “leaving.“

There appear to be two ways to contact the Clerk (aka the person in charge of membership rosters) of TMC: e-mail (clerk@christianscience.com) and snail-mail:

Clerk
The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Membership, P06-10
210 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115-3195

As becoming a member requires a ream of paperwork to be mailed in, it seems fitting that a actual letter should be mailed to voluntarily withdraw from the institution. Some how a formal letter seems appropriate for this sort of thing. This means I need to find envelopes and stamps.

The ExMormon website has some excellent guidelines for how to phrase the letter, I find the wording to be a bit strong in spots, but I understand the sentiment. I don’t think leaving TMC will be as complicated as leaving the LDS movement (they tend to shun any publicity that they don’t create), but we shall see. Personally, I plan to keep it short and respectful.

I don’t think there is anyone the Church could/would send by to try and talk me into changing my mind. I’m not a local branch church member, the CSP I talk with is several states away (and a personal friend, not just a CSP), and I’m not part of any association so there’s no teacher to try and talk me out of it. My MIL and some of her stauncher CS friends have tried to convince us to check out a local lecture or two, but by and large they’ve recognized we’re not likely to return to church.

Feel free to use the following letter as a template to write your own letter to the Clerk.

Real & Appropriate Address

Clerk
The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Membership, P06-10
210 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115-3195

Random Month Date, Year

Dear Church Clerk,

I hereby voluntarily withdraw my membership The First Church of Christ, Scientist, effective immediately, and request you to remove my name permanently from your membership records.

I wish no further contact from the Church except to confirm that my name has been removed from your records. I expect to receive that confirmation within a reasonably short time.

My full name ——- .

My date of birth is ——- .

My residence address is ——- .

Thank you for taking care of this in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Kat @ Kindism

Now that I think about it, I may leave out my date of birth, somehow it seems appropriate to omit this information. I should probably also tell them about any other names I may have used (maiden name/married name, World of Warcraft avatar’s name, etc).

Now to put this in a word doc, put in my real information, print it out, find an envelope, address it, mail it and wait. I’m not going to bother with priority mail, or delivery confirmation. Maybe I have too much faith in them. I don’t know. I wonder what will come of this.

leaving the Mothership (part 2), voluntary withdrawl

Posted in Christian Science, Church by

This is the second post in a series about leaving TMC. Previous post about leaving TMC Part 1. For all posts see the tag “leaving.”

So how does one actually leave the Mother Church?

Unsurprisingly  there is very little information about how to leave the official site. There are several pages dedicated to TMC membership as well as how to join a branch church, although it should be noted that “membership requirements are unique to each branch and do not imply or require membership in The Mother Church.”*

In short, TMC’s website has lots of information on how to join. How to leave? Nothing.

How convenient.

The Church Manual is just as unhelpful:

Article VII

PROBATIONARY MEMBERSHIP

Members who once Withdrew. Section 1.
Individuals who have heretofore been members
of this Church, or were members of the Church
of Christ, Scientist, organized in 1879 by Mary
Baker Eddy, but who have voluntarily withdrawn,
may be received into this Church on one
year’s probation, provided they are willing an

anxious to live according to its requirements and
make application for membership according to
its By-Laws. If, at the expiration of said one
year, they are found worthy, they shall be received
into full membership, but if not found
worthy their applications shall be void.

It goes on to address members who have been dismissed, etc. The manual also discusses all the different things you can do to be dismissed, but apparently dismissal rarely happens and most people end up simply being members who are not “in good standing.”

While this blog might tip me over into “not in good standing” that would take time, effort, and I’d have to tell them who I am. I’ll pass. I guess I’ll have to “voluntarily withdraw” my membership.

Hopefully, I can keep things simple: I’m not a branch church member (never got involved with them), nor do I have a “teacher” to break up with (I never took class instruction – more on that later). I don’t have to report my TMC membership (or lack there of) to anyone. This should be easy… right?

*It must be nice for TMC to be able to point to local churches and say “nope, they’re just crazy” if/when they go against any “official” practices. They stay pretty quiet about any number of issues, the big exception is perpetually lobbying to get CS “care” covered by insurance/Medicare and Medicade.

To the best of my knowledge, TMC has no official policy on homosexuality (CS churches don’t marry people, so “gay marriage” is a bit of a non-issue), or any of the views/policies practiced at Principia or the summer camps- they’re not an “official” TMC entity, they’re just founded on a person’s interpretations of the teachings of Christian Science. Some of the branches/”inspired” entities often tend to be more conservative. It must be hard for TMC, on one hand they’re trying to convince the public they’re OK with CS going to doctors, while on the other hand they’ve got all the CS camps and Principia saying NO MEDICINE!

placating the masses & getting govmt. money

Posted in Christanity, Christian Science, Church, Church Literature, ethics, in the News, interesting, medicine, morality, prayer, Principia, Religion, resources, Science & Health, Spiritual Growth by

It is my turn to be inspired by a fellow blogger: Emerging Gently has a piece entitled Christian Science AND Medical Care? which inspired me to actually read the NYTimes piece instead of just skimming over it and sighing heavily at TMC’s attempt at relevance.

Back in 2010 the NYTimes ran a piece entitled: Christian Science Church Seeks Truce With Doctors, which is nice and all, but once you actually read the article any well-versed former-CS will note the usual side-stepping of issues, fuzzy-feel-good public placation, and total bogus-ness of what TMC is saying.

It is a nicely written article, clearly someone at TMC PR did their work. It starts with a grim picture of CS today, and then offers a glimmer of (false) hope:

… faced with dwindling membership and blows to their church’s reputation caused by its intransigence concerning medical treatment, even for children with grave illnesses, Christian Science leaders have recently found a new tolerance for medical care. For more than a year, leaders say, they have been encouraging members to see a physician if they feel it is necessary. (emphasis mine)

“Christian Science leaders recently found a new tolerance for medical care?” Sure, maybe on official press releases. The culture of Radical Reliance is still strong at places like Principia College:

The Principia College catalog (page 9: Spiritual Reliance) sates: Students who rely on medicine beyond one term will be asked to temporarily withdraw until such usage is discontinued. A withdrawal is not a suspension and does not negatively affect the student’s record. 

I never tested the policy during my time at Prin, but it is my understanding that they’re fairly inflexible about these policies.*

Radical reliance is also mandatory to stay at a CS Nursing facility. Tellingly, Arden Wood in CA, prominently links to Advanced Health Care Directives which “allows a person to specify another adult, in the case of incapacity, to communicate or make health care decisions for him or her.” They also talk mention their group activities which include resident hymn sings and Bible lesson readings.

The CS-based summer camps (there are several) also ask that “free from the use of tobacco, alcohol, and medication?“Another clearly states that “No — staff dispense medication. Please tell us of advance CS Practitioner work being done.” Having never attended any of these camps I’m not sure what their exact policies are, but I have heard unpleasant stories of incompetent staff, and lack of basic first aid skills by counselors and CSNs alike.**

I find the next few paragraphs to be a bit more honest, they’re not saying go to doctors, they’re saying the government should give them money – and not just the federal government, they want it from state governments too:

Perhaps more significantly, they have begun a public campaign to redefine their methods as a form of care that the broader public should consider as a supplement rather than a substitute for conventional treatment, like biofeedback, chiropractic or homeopathic care.

In recent years, the church has been lobbying to convince lawmakers that its approach is an alternative way of tending to the sick, and that its costs should be covered by insurance companies and included in health care legislation.

“In recent years, the church has been lobbying” – that’s NOT RECENT. The Mother Church has basically been lobbying since Christian Science began, and now it has moved on to get Medicare to cover things like CS Nursing care (official PDF on: CS & Medicare). There is an interesting article on the CHILD website (also from 2010) entitled Church fails to get prayer-fee mandates in health care bills.***

I also find it ironic that CS wants to be lumped with “alternative” medicine. Ms. Eddy is quite clear in the Church Manual that she is very against such practices by Church Members. She’s also very clear in S&H that Jesus didn’t take drugs, and people should not try to mix the material and spiritual.

What I found most telling that the CSPs interviewed

… would not discuss the care of children or let a reporter witness a treatment session. And neither practitioner was willing to discuss the new flexibility …

That’s hardly surprising, if they mess up the NYTimes interview their jobs are on the line! I love how they explained that:

In Christian Science, they said, sickness and suffering are misunderstandings — or as Mrs. Eddy wrote, “a mistaken belief” in the “power of ill health.”

One of the practitioners, John Q. Adams of Manhattan, said a patient who came to him with a lump under his arm was experiencing “a manifestation of fear, not a lump.”

The other practitioner, Rebecca Odegaard of Boston, said that if a patient had a bleeding gash in his arm, “I would try to calm this person, and help him overcome the fear.” Such a patient is suffering anxiety over the illusion that something has injured his “true self,” when the gash has only happened to his “material self,” Ms. Odegaard said.

I’m shocked the people even told their CSPs what the ailment even was, by acknowledging the false belief they’re giving it power! Most of the time if I talked with a CSP I had a vague “situation” or “issue” (or I let my parents make the call).

As for the hypothetical arm with a bleeding gash, over coming fear is important, but it is equally important to get wound properly cleaned up! You can realize your “True Self” all you want, but if you don’t take care of your “material self” your friends and family will eventually google for “christian science deaths” (the #3 search term for this blog).

Adults are welcome to do their own thing with their health, regardless of their religion, but I’m going to side with the American Academy of Pediatrics when it comes to dealing with children and their ailments.

“Given the complete lack of scientific evidence of the efficacy of prayer in treating any illness or disorder in children,” academy officials wrote Senate leaders in October, “mandating coverage for these services runs counter to the principles of evidence-based medicine.” (emphasis mine)

If my personal experiences, and experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics aren’t enough, I can point you to the Heywood Testimony to the Obama Administration, February 26, 2010 (and more on her blog, One-Leg Liz).

The problem with using the “evidence-based” argument is that Good CS claim that CS-prayer is “evidence-based” and they’ve “had the healings to prove it.” They feel they should never give up (or turn to medicine, even though “modern medicine” has stickers and quite often results).

The TMC may be touting CS the Doctor-Tolerant version, but the reality in the churches, in the camps, college, and nursing facilities is quite different. TMC and the CS movement is not doctor-tolerant, they’re simply trying to re-brand themselves to get money. They really should be ashamed of themselves.

*“Drugs” are forbidden, it does not matter what they are or why they are being taken. If anyone has any first-hand experience with it and would like to share their story, please contact me!

** Again, if anyone would like to share a CS-camp or CS-nursing facility story, please let me know!

***Full disclosure, I can’t say I’ve followed any of this at all closely beyond the few posts I’ve made for this blog, and everything I learned for those was from extensive google searches. I have not had any experience dealing with Medicare/Medicade or any sort of other insurance in relation to Christian Science. Thankfully we have health insurance and any CSP use was a minor out-of-pocket expense.

leaving The Mother Ship (part 1), irreconcilable differences

Posted in Christian Science, Church, Crisis of Faith by

This is the first post in a series about leaving TMC. For all posts see the tag “leaving.”

The other morning in the car my husband and I were discussing the flack I’ve gotten for not withdrawing my Mother Church membership. My favorite criticism comes from the Ex-CS group in the UK, they’re a nice group, but I feel like we’re in different places sometimes.

I suppose being in MC keeps you in touch with what they are doing next, which may be an advantage. Personally, I wouldn’t give them a dollar or a pound to further their cause nor add to their membership statistics!!!!  Some of our group would perceive your continued membership as CS still having a hold over you and all your information possibly returning to MC one day.

I love how this assumes I was paying any attention to what TMC was doing even before I quit CS. Not so much. I mostly went to Sunday School, paid $1 in per-capita taxes (when they had the right address to reach me and I remembered), and went about my happy life mostly ignoring TMC and their “youth activities” after all, I’d already met/married my husband, I didn’t need to find an eligible CS-guy!

For various reasons I never went through “Class Instruction,” and never felt compelled to do so. I did interview with TMC once, for a position to be an assistant to a lecturer. The job sounded great on paper, but at the interview, it included things like “picking up dry cleaning,” apparently they’re “really busy” and can’t be bothered to do it themselves. My attitude was get a laundry service, or wear less dry-clean-only clothing. Really people.  Not so much.

Then there are those who like to remind me about the crazy that is TMC.

I would strongly recommend that you quit your membership. This institution is, frankly, batshit and criminal, and they need as little support as possible. I know those are harsh words, but I’m sure you know that they are deserved.

I’m well aware of the crazy, thank you very much, I was raised in it for 20+ years, and again with the assumed support.

I feel no great animosity towards TMC, I have a large number of family and friends who are active members, nor do I have any particular problem with people choosing to sit quietly and pray about issues that arise. On the contrary, I find sitting quietly to gather one’s thoughts and calm down to be incredibly helpful, but I also strongly recommend combining that with appropriate medical care (apparently the Mother Church has changed it’s stance on the issue but none of the “CS” institutions, nursing facilities, Principia, or anywhere else seem to have gotten the memo). If prayer is used at all, it should be supplementing medical care, not replacing it entirely.

I think TMC and the CS movement in general is DOING IT WRONG, and the fact that “Christian Science death” is the #3 search term that reaches my blog is a huge sign they are. I also no longer believe in God – at least not God as put forth in the Bible. You can read all the “inspired” word you want, but that God is a jerk, and I’m not going to worship it.

The Bible plays a HUGE role in CS, I think it is a rather morbid accounting of old stories, archaic laws and should not be used as a moral compass, premise for a school, society, or anything else. The individual referred to as “Jesus” had some great ideas, as did/do the Buddha, Dalai Lama, and countless other religious traditions. I feel the golden rule and the idea that you should be kind to one another transcends religious doctrine and that you do not need to, and should not confine yourself to one rigid religious perspective.

I feel we should all be nice to each other, and while TMC has a heartwarming “letter to former and inactive members” which

extends a loving welcome to all inactive or former members. The love of The Mother Church remains constant and unconditional to all who are or have been members.

I’ve got some ocean front property in Utah if you’re interested, but I digress.

I’m sure TMC, like God, still Love me, but unlike any reasonable God, TMC wants money, loyalty, and church attendance. I feel it is time for me to move on. I don’t want or need a God who throws problems my way so I can grow, I’m not Job. I’m not going to endanger my life by radically relying on prayer, nor do I need to be judged for seeking medical treatment. Christian Science, as embodied by TMC, and I have differences that we can’t resolve (and it has been going on for quite some time), so it is time for me to officially leave.

So how does one leave?

For additional reading, a post I inspired http://emergegently.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/die-hard-with-peer-pressure/

my Prin hoodie

Posted in Christian Science, ethics, family, Principia, Spiritual Growth, thoughts by

The other morning it was rather chilly and I was going to spend a part of they day on projects around the house. Without much thought I pulled out my Prin College hoodie, cozy, warm and already stained from projects, to wear.

I took Kid1 to school and the first friend we saw was the child with two mommies.

I felt suddenly very self-conscious. Here I was chatting with an incredible woman who cared deeply about her partner and her child while wearing a hoodie from an institution which openly, actively discriminates against homosexuals. I felt horribly ashamed.

How was I going to explain to her that yes, I had attended a conservative Christian liberal arts college in Elsah, IL, but I had reformed my ways. I was no longer particularly conservative, or remotely Christian (except at all the holidays which include chocolate or presents). I had signed a petition and blogged about Prin’s anit-gay stances. I was not the same naive, idealistic eighteen year old who stepped off Alton Limo into the warped world of Prin.

Thankfully the other mother wasn’t aware of Principia’s views on homosexuals, nor did she inquire about the obscure college printed on the front of my sweatshirt. We greeted each other with cheerful “good mornings” and we chatted about the weather as we walked to the classroom.

I felt dirty and ashamed to be associated with a college that holds such hateful views on homosexuality.

I disagree with Principia’s policies and I felt that by wearing the hoodie in public I was in some way supporting their stance. I know I’m not, I know it is just a hoodie, but it felt like I had “I hate gay people” scrawled across my back in bright orange over the silhouette of the panther’s head. I felt like everyone knew about Principia’s anti-homosexual stance and that I was being judged for having attended a school with such bigoted views.

I love my Prin hoodie, it is cozy and warm, but for now, it will be regulated to the back of an under-the-bed storage bin (or to be worn on days I don’t leave the house or associate with anyone outside my immediate family). I don’t want to be associated with an institution that has hateful, harmful views about anyone.

Error is trying to split Principia

Posted in Christian Science, ethics, Principia, Science & Health by

The following is the December 2009 Letter from the Editor from The Voice, Principia’s Upper School Student Publication. Readers will remember that until the 2009 change in the Free Speech Policy at the College, questioning and discussing the homosexual policy was considered to be “homosexual activity” (and grounds for dismissal).

The editor in question implores us all to remember the Scientific Statement of being, found in Science and Health with Key to the Scripture by Mary Baker Eddy, page 468. Here it is for those of you unfamiliar with the passage, and for those of you who have somehow managed to repress it after all these years:

There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is god, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.

The editor is very careful not to take sides in the debate, but reminds every one of the importance of coming together as a community and not letting error divide them.

Continue reading →