Category
First Hand Experiences
Former Christian Scientists tell their own stories of believing, questioning, and leaving.
Gender and Christian Science
Jodi describes the Christian Science teaching that God is neither male nor female, and being shocked by the church’s and Principia’s stance on gender and gay people.
Love
A former Christian Scientist looks at “Love” as a synonym for God in the weekly Bible Lesson, and how Christian Science shapes ideas about love, sex, and family warmth.
A Secular Christmas
A former Christian Scientist describes the holidays after a divorce and a move: an early family celebration, cookies for neighbors, and a quiet winter solstice.
My Journey Out Of Christian Science Following Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis
Raised in Christian Science, the writer describes a 2003 psychiatric crisis, a bipolar diagnosis, three months in a hospital, and how medical treatment led away from the church.
Kaleidoscope of Christian Science
A former Christian Scientist uses a kaleidoscope to show how members’ experiences overlap and differ: untreated injuries, heart problems, emotional invalidation, and abuse.
Filled up Full
A former Christian Scientist and parent reads the children's book Filled Up Full, found in every Reading Room, and explains why she disagrees with its message about thoughts.
"mother-love includes purity and constancy"
A Mother’s Day collection of first-hand stories about growing up with Christian Science mothers, plus articles and books on unloving or emotionally neglectful parents.
We Celebrate because Celebrations are Fun
A former Christian Scientist considers why their family celebrates Easter, birthdays, and other occasions after a church with no rituals or holidays. Shared from kindism.org.
Christian Science & Terminal Cancer
Geoffrey D. Roberts describes his father relying on a paid practitioner after a cancer diagnosis, getting treatment too late, and dying in June 2020.
Thanksgiving 2021
Ex-Christian Scientists give thanks for leaving, with testimonies on medical care, mental health, and community, in place of the church’s Thanksgiving service.