I’ve been noticing a trend in questions recently and thought I should address them all in one post. If I missed any questions you may have had, leave a comment or e-mail me.

Are you still a Christian Scientist?

• No. I have not relied exclusively on CS for healing for a number of years, and have not considered myself to be an “active CS” for even longer. After 10+ years of membership, I finally got around to “voluntarily withdrawing” from the Mother Church. I self-identify as agnostic/atheist.

Why are you doing this? What do you hope to achieve?

• From Questions:I started this page because I needed a place to think about my experiences in Christian Science and related CS-institutions, the process of leaving, and musings on the topic now that I have left. I’m not an expert on Ms. Eddy, or parenting, or religion, or navigating the healthcare field. I’m not trying to write a book, or start a revolution. I’m just someone trying to figure out what I just spent the last 20+ years of my life believing and make sense of things.

  … after so many years of being told what and how to believe I have a lot of thoughts to clarify. I would like to use Kindism to share my experience leaving Christian Science (and later my rejection of generic Christianity as well), and to chronicle my journey as I seek whatever it is I’m looking for (I’m still not sure).

• I’m still not totally sure what my end-goal is, I’m not actually sure if I have one. I know I felt very alone when I first left CS, no one else could quite relate to what I had been through, and as I’ve blogged more, I’ve learned I’m not as alone as I thought I was. There are other people out there struggling with the same issues I am – I’m just writing about it. I hope this blog has made a positive difference in someone’s life, and inspired them to think more deeply about the religion they are participating in &/or have been part of.

Have you read [insert title of book about CS problems/Ms. Eddy’s biography/some other CS-related work]?

• Probably not. I bought most of my contentious CS lit while I was still a CS, and some of it during my time at Principia. I have a few, choice works, including (but not limited to), God’s Perfect Child by Fraser, and the very unauthorized Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy by Cather. Unless I already have the book, or can easily get it through our local library, GoogleBooks or some other (ideally free) source online, I am unlikely to have read it. I do link to a few books under “Resources” and I try to update it periodically. There are many, many books about Christian Science, both for and against, and I don’t have an infinite amount of time, a life beyond my blog, and a growing stack of projects and reading as it is. Searches for CS Lit also frequently turn up the New Thought Movement – which is entirely new territory for me (except for the Quimby, and what I retained of reading about early CS History is vague at best, although I suspect if I was to delve into it, I would have enough material for a novel or two).

You link to CS-positive literature/websites.

• Yeah, so? I think some of the CS-positive bloggers/websites have something to offer. Most websites that link to full-text copies of Ms. Eddy’s works are also generally CS-positive — not everyone is blessed with boxes full of Authorized CS literature that they can peruse at their leisure. I think Ms. Eddy and CS can offer interesting insight and inspiration (although they should NEVER be relied on as the sole source of healing), as can a  number of other religious and cultural traditions.

If I e-mail you, will you share my name &/or e-mail address and “no longer CS status” with the internet?

• No. I blog anonymously, many of my family and friends are unaware of my “out-of-CS” status and some are unaware that I was associated with CS in any way at all. I have family and friends who are still entrenched in the religion, and I have friends who are out with family who still hold fast to their CS beliefs. “Coming out” about one’s “no longer CS” status is a deeply personal decision and I firmly believe that everyone should make that decision on their own, when they are ready. I will NOT share names/e-mail address/other contact information.

I have a situation &/or problem and I need advice about it.

• I’m flattered, but honestly I’m not an expert. I’m still trying to figure out what “leaving CS means to me” and how it all works now too. The best I can do is share my experiences and whatever insights I may have gained along my journey – a fair number of which are chronicled in this blog.

I want to help &/or contribute in some way, what can I do?

1. Leave comments or e-mail me. It is nice to know that there is someone out there who reads this other than my BFF.
2. Submit a guest post – have a Sunday School, camp, or Prin anecdote, tale of woe, work for a CS-related institution or want to share some other part of your CS story? Have some thoughts to share about a CS-related blog post? I’m open to ideas as long as it relates to CS in some way. You can leave a comment or e-mail me kat.at.kindism (at) gmail.com (yes, that is a complicated e-mail address, it cuts down on the spambots).
3. Spread the word. When I started this blog I felt like I was the only one out there, now I know I’m not.

If I missed any questions you may have had, leave a comment or e-mail me.