When people leave Christian Science there are five questions that pop up again and again. We can only answer these questions for ourselves. By sharing these answers, we hope to shed a little light into the murky depths of Christian Science. Find all the answers to the Five Questions on the FiveQuestions tag.
The following answers are from Chrystal, a member of the Ex-Christian Science Facebook community.
Why did you attend Principia?
I fell in love with the “School of Nations” when my Principia graduate step-mom toured me around the campus when I was a little kid. I never even considered any other college.
Did your experience at Principia impact / influence your views of Christian Science?
Not really. I went to most of the Chapel services, and was an active member of the Christian Science Org on campus. I went to a lot (most?) of the lectures on campus. I went to the talks by Laurance Doyle, too, who I revered like a “god.” I loved going to hymn sings & was frustrated when the student body would heckle the organist, John Near, & request (and then sing so disrespectfully) “The Clanging Bells of Time.” I was even Metaphysical Head of my house for a year. I figured that was a prerequisite to one day becoming a Christian Science Practitioner.
I was frustrated, though, that there seemed to be a lot of “popularity contests” going on, and I was actually happy that the people who were Readers at The Chapel services were actually some of the most popular.
If you had a “do-over,” would you attend Principia again? Why or why not?
No way. I have noticed over the years that the large majority of folks I know who have graduated from Principia College cannot find a normal career job anywhere. It may partially be because of our generations (Gen X and Millennial generation), but I also feel it did not prepare me at all for real life. The amount of judgement the Christian Science Community (and especially the Principia community!) stabs each other with–I wouldn’t wish that on ANYONE. They have their head in the clouds and they are completely oblivious to the normal human experience.
Would you recommend Principia to a young Christian Scientist?
No way. Not at all. Not even as a day trip – architectural tour. The place is dangerous.
Share one positive and one negative experience.
Only one? I will share 2 of each. I figure no one will mind, right?
Well, one positive is that I got to work with a stage crew a few times on a few productions at Principia College. I enjoyed that so much. I loved the color and creativity.
One other positive experience was staying at The Guest House on campus. I even complimented the staff there who thanked me and said, “we’d like to think we have made The Guest House the best parts of the Principia experience.”
(I did also like one club I joined and the smart students in the club, and a most of a mini-abroad experience I got to do over one of our holiday breaks.)
One negative was nearly being date raped. I cried to some girlfriends about it. I never turned him in and didn’t know a procedure and had no handbook to know what to do about it. So I just cried. In Christian Science we are taught to “love the bully,” “love your attacker.” “He is an innocent child of god.” “If you believe you could possibly come to harm, that’s why you came to be harmed.” I victim blamed myself, in other words.
Later, he did something to another gal, who named me and a few other gals. All of us went separately to the administration (at the administration’s request) and told them our stories. The male student was kicked out. I saw him years later at a sibling’s graduation from the same college; he had been re-admitted and he graduated with my sibling. It freaked me out to be on campus with him again all those years later. Why would a school let back a known rapist? Didn’t they check their record books to see if the people who helped get him kicked out might be on campus with him again, years later, and it might affect them? I wanted to enjoy the graduation weekend with my family, and I spent most of it feeling triggered by this person on campus. I was constantly afraid I’d see him, and I was constantly hiding behind pillars or trees and things. He walked right by me in the audience after he walked the stage for graduation too. I have never told my sibling any part of this story. (Should I? Probably?! I don’t even know! I continue not to tell him, because I am supposed to forgive this man? Help him remain innocent? That’s disgusting. I know they are still friends on Facebook, and it triggers me so much – I feel this man spies on me through my siblings’ Facebook feeds, even though I have blocked this person on my own Facebook.)
Another negative has to be the time I was caught on campus during one of the too frequent measles epidemics. I was worried that a few students would die. None of us even knew who was sick and thus quarantined at Eliestoun House up the hill. The campus was quarantined. It is my best guess that no one died that year, but I wasn’t given any information other than that the campus was quarantined and a few students had the measles.
Unfortunately, I could probably write an entire book about the negative experiences I had at Principia. I can’t say I want to, and I don’t think anyone would like to read it. So, I will stop here.
