The short version
- About Kat: Kat is a former Christian Scientist, Principia College graduate, and full-time Domestic Goddess/Engineer. In addition to thinking critically about Christian Science, she enjoys long walks in the woods (usually with her kids), long walks on the beach (usually with her kids), and dark romantic comedies (after the kids have gone to bed). Depending on the day, she believes in the Celestial Teapot, the Sparkly Pink Unicorn, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. For more about Kat and her critical/thought provoking musings on Christian Science, religion, philosophy and occasionally parenting, you can visit her site, Kindism.org
A little bit more
Mary Baker Eddy is famously quoted for saying “The time for thinkers has come.” Which is great, unless you’re thinking critically about Christian Science.
Growing up my father encouraged me to think, read widely on a variety of topics, and write. When I got to college I studied a wide range of subjects and I had a professor who encouraged me to write. When I got engaged we started a blog and my MIL encouraged me to write. Now I’m writing, but I’m not sure this is quite what they had in mind.
I’m OK with that.
I’m writing about what I know, what I’ve learned, what I’ve discovered, and what I feel. Writing helps me to clarify my thoughts, and after so many years of being told how to believe I have a lot of thoughts to clarify. Up until a few years ago I was a mostly, somewhat practicing Christian Scientist, the birth of my first child shook my faith, but I held on to a few remaining strands of hope that somehow I could make CS work for me.
Then I read the Bible. I’m not sure where Mary Baker Eddy got Science and Health, but I suspect we did not read the same book. The God I encountered in the Bible was not loving, or kind, or all-knowing, or even particularly nice. I can’t bring myself to believe in that God.
Ms. Eddy has assigned seven synonyms to “God,” they are Life, Truth, Love, Soul, Spirit, Principle and Mind. While I can’t bring myself to believe in “God” I feel these synonyms can be reassigned to some other, vague, possible Higher Power (if one exists).
I believe Ms. Eddy’s ideas are dangerously outdated. Christian Science should not be about suffering until one prays “properly” for healing, nor should one feel compelled to “radically rely” on prayer alone.
I do not feel one should be compelled to stay within the confines of any one religious or theological doctrine. The world has many religions and many have something to offer. People should feel free to explore other ideas about God/higher beings/the absence of God/the nature of life, and put together their own system of beliefs instead of simply reciting what has been told to them by their parents or religious elders.
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kind-ism 
Hi, thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I really love the concept behind your blog and look forward to your future posts 🙂
Thanks! I’ve been enjoying yours too, so many wonderful book reviews! 🙂
Your blog is interesting and I like the humor within the losing faith.
Thanks. According to some I’ve never managed to express the prerequisite reverence for such topics, thankfully I don’t go to their church anymore.
I’ve been enjoying yours as well, I wish I had more time to try out some of the recipes you’ve been sharing they look amazing.
Totally agree with you here: “The God I encountered in the Bible was not loving, or kind, or all-knowing, or even particularly nice.”
Writing is a great way to bring organization to your thoughts. Good luck on your journey!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hello,
I’ve written a post giving a shout-out to atheists to show some Christians that not all atheists are horrible people. Would you be okay if included this in the post:
This blogger has a very measured perspective and was a former Christian Scientist and is now agnostic/atheist. This is what they had to say in one of our conversations: “I love chatting with people with different religious views, it is a favorite past time of mine. I enjoy reading and discussing the Bible and other religious texts. The only ones I take serious issue with are the Evangelicals who are dead-set on conversion, the rest of the time I enjoy chatting about the assorted flavors of Christianity (I took a few Bible & religion classes in college), and other perspectives.”
“this blogger has a very measured perspective”
you give me too much credit, but thank you! 🙂
Not at all. Just calling it as I see it. Not to compliment but to state a fact. But take the compliment anyway- hehe.
Were you okay if I did post it?
I’m not sure if I’ll get round to it as I’m going to delete this blog soon. But just not sure when. Thoughts keep coming up and I like writing!
I’m fine with you posting it.
Why delete the blog? I’ve been enjoying it. While I don’t agree with much of what you say (we have very different theological perspectives), it has given me much to think about!
Many reasons – my own blogs are getting very neglected though, and this blog was just an experiment. It gave me what I was looking for and so much more. I’m so much richer for it, and part of it was from “meeting” people like you who give me things to think about too. Love it!
Don’t stop, just sale back to a post-a-day, or a post-a-week (or let some of us in on your other blogs so we can keep following you).
Oh, thank-you so much for the encouragement! Maybe I will post once a week. If I find that doesn’t happen, I think I’ll just have to delete it, but I’ll muster up my courage and give you the link to my personal blog if/when that happens. It’s a very different blog to this one – just my thoughts and my life, and not so deep or controversial.
Hi, Kat! I just wanted to wish you a most spectacular solstice! May 2015 bring you a boatload of wonderful new adventures, and may it be filled with love and laughter and things that make you smile. xoxoxo Karen the Madcap
Hi Karen,
Thanks for the seasonal greetings. We’re actually celebrating “Christmas” as we find it a nice blend of traditions (and we can make up our own as we see fit). Calling it “Christmas” also makes for less of a discussion with the family members who choose to follow different paths. We will light a few candles on Solstice — we’ve actually lit quite a few so far this season (the rain has brought power outages in our area). May you have a joyous, adventure filled 2015 as well.
Cheers, Kat
Hi Kat
I’m in Australia and our government is just going through a serious of hoops regarding a vote for marriage equality which the majority of people here support – so in doing a web search about the CS Churches attitude to this came across your 2014 blog about Principia and LGBTI rights and have a comment from left field. I was brought up to believe that what is written on pages 61 / 62 of Science and Health means that there should be no sex except for procreation. I don’t believe that is a correct interpretation because the words “if the propagation of a higher human species” don’t seem to mesh with day to day human relationships and seem to me to relate to theories of the time about selectively breed a higher human species – which of course led to all sorts of evils during the Nazi regime in Germany. I believe the author was on about warm human affection but was warning that if we want to fiddle around with foetuses it should be done ethically. I’m prepared to accept my interpretation may be / is wrong but I think it was a sensible warning about using genetics ethically which has been misinterpreted.
Have you found the lectures by Rudolf Steiner where he speaks about Mary Baker Eddy?
No. I am aware they have some overlap, Eddy (1821 – 1910) Steiner (1861 – 1925), but I am not aware of Steiner lecturing about Eddy. If you have any information on this, I am curious to hear more.
Perhaps you read an other bible than we. It might perhaps look no nice that when man revolted against God that He sent them out of the Garden and allowed them to do whatever they wanted, though they always would have to bear the consequences of it. If you look carefully in the 66 books you will notice how god never let His creation and creatures alone. Always was He prepared to be there for them and to help them. As a righteous Father He treated them righteously.
Hi Kat, The meme on the post Steiner’s verses, “Give thanks to the Mother Earth” is not by Rudolf Steiner. The closest source I could find was a 2006 book: RitualCraft: Creating Rites for Transformation and Celebration by Amber K, Azrael Arynn K.
Thanks for letting me know! I’ve seen it widely attributed to Steiner, and it is used in many Steiner-inspired/Waldorf schools.
As the study of metaphysics is intellectual and the physical healing of an individual might be viewed as a practical activity serving mankind, since through observation one experiments until one gains the foresight to see with intuition into the thought of another and to practice again and again by experiment something that could be duplicated for the same type of patient but with difference in premise to each individual situation. For the things that make up the reasons for an individual smoker for example vary widely. Those thoughts, beliefs, or held doctrines of a religious nature need to be separated from their host to be productive toward a cure. When this ability to be sensitive to thought is brought up to a degree of transference then this practice can be taught to bbn others and duplicated this the description “Science” something I can do and that same result hand by you when you are introduced to it properly. The problem with CS is they feel they have some corner on Truth and that it should not be liberally handed out, probably some throw back to not casting Pearl’s before swine. But this is the interesting thing, they. The swine dont have the slightest clue what to do with a pearl, so if you won’t get your little feelings hurt by having them, your teachings stomped under Huf then open the flood gates and start teaching th his stuff to the masses, you’ll inevitably pop some demonstrators and those can help the rest truly interested in this healing stuff. With everything going on these strange days of existence, dont you think there could be some good come out of a practice that is opposite of what the media is promoting. I mean if someone just watched what is going on and started teaching the 180 degree opposite, there would be better dispositions and a greater chance for normality to return to the masses.