Back in May, when I wrote about Ms. Eddy and alcohol, I came across a parable that was largely overlooked by my Sunday School teachers, it comes from Luke 5:36-39 and it talks about wine. "And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if … Continue reading what their itching ears want to hear – new wine-old bottles, Mary Baker Eddy & Luke 5:36-39
Category: Christanity
Psychological Harms of Bible-Believing Christianity
Before you go jumping up and down screaming “that’s not Christian Science” take a step or two back and go re-read my blog and the blogs/books/articles of others who have left. Christian Science qualifies, they just use different language to manipulate.
By Marlene Winell and Valerie Tarico
“I am 30 years old and I am struggling to find sanity. Between the Christian schools, homeschooling, the Christian group home (indoctrinating work camp) and different churches in different cities, I am a psychological, emotional and spiritual mess.” –A former Evangelical
If a former believer says that Christianity made her depressed, obsessive, or post-traumatic, she is likely to be dismissed as an exaggerator. She might describe panic attacks about the rapture; moods that swung from ecstasy about God’s overwhelming love to suicidal self-loathing about repeated sins; or an obsession with sexual purity.
A symptom like one of these clearly has a religious component, yet many people instinctively blame the victim. They will say that the wounded former believer was prone to anxiety or depression or obsession in the first place—that his Christianity somehow got corrupted by his predisposition to psychological problems. Or they will say…
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No True Whatevers
I love the "No True" argument, it is perhaps one of my favorites.
What I’ve been reading: Cold Case Christian Science
A Brief Overview of the Christian Science Worldview via Cold Case Christianity http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/a-brief-overview-of-the-christian-science-worldview/ 13 Important Questions for the Christian Science Worldview via Cold Case Christianity http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/13-important-questions-for-the-christian-science-worldview/
What I’ve been reading: Faith Healing & Court Scrutiny
A Judge Makes Critical Decisions In 'Children Act' via NPR (http://www.npr.org/2014/09/06/346299231/a-judge-makes-critical-decisions-in-children-act) Faith-healing comes under court scrutiny via The Freethinker (http://freethinker.co.uk/2014/09/05/faith-healing-comes-under-court-scrutiny/) Tenn. Supreme Court Hears Faith Healing Case via ABCNews (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/tennessee-supreme-court-hear-faith-healing-case-25247427) CHILD's Press Release on the Tennessee Case (http://childrenshealthcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/TNpressrelease2.pdf) CHILD's Crank amicus brief / Tennessee Case
what I’ve been watching: Coersion for Christ
Kidnapped For Christ Official Trailer the NYTimes piece The Kids Aren’t All Right, and Neither Is the School ‘Kidnapped for Christ’ Investigates a Boarding School via Awkward Moments Children's Bible CHILD COERCION IN PROGRESS via Stop Religious Child Abuse https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=754250287950673
renew a focus on our primary resources for spiritual growth – shut down the questioning
It seems the "Circle of faith" community at christianscience.com is closing down. While I never spent much time there, I did enjoy the idea that The Mother Church would permit "open idalogue among Christian Scientists, their fellow Christians, and people of other faith traditions." The reason given? we feel this is an opportunity to pause … Continue reading renew a focus on our primary resources for spiritual growth – shut down the questioning
Hey, Christians. Feeling Persecuted? Don’t Be Evil!
Some light reading for your weekend.
In the debris of the Hobby Lobby ruling, the Atlanta Banana published a satirical news report: Little Caesar’s Pizza had been granted the religious freedom to feed Christian employees to lions.
Never mind that the trope of Christians getting fed to lions may have been made up by early Christians themselves; the Little Caesar story was almost inevitable. Faced with a barrage of conscience claims, frustrated secularists are wondering whether there’s any limit to the privileges some people will claim in the name of “religious freedom” or any limit to the exemptions and entitlements they will be granted by co-religionists in positions of power.
Turning frustration into humor is a time honored tradition, but serious Bible believers are unlikely to find the Little Caesar’s story funny. The notion of martyrdom as the apogee of faith is as old as the Catholic Church. To quote Christian History for Everyman…
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What I’ve been reading: close to home
I was not supposed to happen via Home Schoolers Anynomous (http://homeschoolersanonymous.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/i-was-not-supposed-to-happen/) My sincere request for you to stop telling me you're praying for me via Unpacked Thoughts (http://unpackthatthought.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/my-sincere-request-for-you-to-stop-telling-me-youre-praying-for-me/) Image via the internet somewhere. Full disclosure, Benny Hinn is/was one of my favorite televangelists... "he touched me!"
The Narcissism of The God of My Wants
We are taught that we should not covet material wealth, nor should we make false gods/idols out of material possessions, however, vast material wealth is seen as a reflection of vast Spiritual advancement.
The Christian Scientist’s willingness to rely on God to provide – to those leaning on the sustaining infinite today is big with blessings! – is met with remarkable demonstrations of supply. Interestingly, the supply demonstrated is often material which is, by Ms. Eddy’s own definitions is unreal, erroneous, evil and often associated with death.
Christian Scientists should be working to overcome the material (the lusts of the flesh, the need for food, sickness, disease, death, etc.), while simultaneously being comfortably surrounded by material things, and having adequate sources of income to provide comfortably for themselves and make generous donations to the Church.
If you’re confused, don’t be, it never made much sense to me either.
If I see one more person give praise to the almighty over something they received, I may blow my lid.
To see one more individual living in a nation as privileged as the United States give praise to god for a new car, house, phone, clothes or job may just push me over the edge.
I had a friend very recently tell me about how god blessed them with a new house. That Jesus himself gifted it to them. In that moment, it took some inner Herculean strength to not say some things I’d later regret.
Please allow me to try and put what my friend was saying into perspective, while god/Jesus (Gesus) is spending so much time blessing you with riches and your wants, there are people all over the world suffering horrible deaths because god can’t be bothered to give them simple things like food and water. While Gesus…
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kind-ism 