Category
First Hand Experiences
Former Christian Scientists tell their own stories of believing, questioning, and leaving.
My mother did not tell me about menstruation.
Former Christian Scientists describe growing up without being told about menstruation, and being taught that periods and cramps were error to be prayed away.
I was the beneficiary of dumb luck.
A former Christian Scientist recalls childhood coughs and earaches treated only with prayer, and a retired trauma counselor’s verdict that this was neglect.
I was really struggling with the injustice of having this Error-fuelled injury
An anonymous contributor describes a pulled muscle in childhood, a mother who offered no help beyond Christian Science, and a PE teacher who explained how to recover.
My mother’s response: "It’s like you've given up."
A former Christian Scientist recalls a severe teenage sunburn treated only with prayer, and their mother's reaction that they had given up.
I imagine what my mother would have done and then do exactly the opposite
A former Christian Scientist raised in the UK recalls untreated ear infections and a mother afraid of social services, and how it shapes the way they raise their son.
My Departure (Jeremy)
Jeremy, raised in Christian Science, describes his mother dying with an abdominal tumor and his father with undiagnosed heart failure and strokes, and how it ended his belief.
My wife will nudge me, "hmm, are you doing your prayerful work?”
Elizabeth describes how Christian Science habits of ignoring symptoms linger after leaving, including over a broken arm, and how a wife’s nudges help.
In fact, they are radiant with health and full of energy on the inside
An anonymous former Christian Scientist recalls teenage questions about heaven passed to a practitioner, and wonders why Mary Baker Eddy said so little about the afterlife.
I blame a belief system that tells parents that doctors make things worse.
A man born with clubfoot describes how his Christian Scientist parents prayed instead of seeking treatment for three years, and what that cost him.
Buddhists Believe in Prayer
Former Christian Scientists who turned to Buddhism describe how they now think about prayer, belief, and the differences between the two paths.