Category
First Hand Experiences
Former Christian Scientists tell their own stories of believing, questioning, and leaving.
Five Questions: A's Answers
One former Christian Scientist answers the five questions most often asked of people who leave: how they joined, why they stayed, why they left, and whether they believed.
Five Questions
The five questions people ask when someone leaves Christian Science, with a link to the series where former members answer them and how to contribute.
Christian Science really screwed up my connection to ME
A former Christian Scientist describes 22 years in the religion, a slow exit after Principia College, a father's death, a mother's devotion, and picking up the pieces.
My eyesight was on the line!
A former Principia College student describes being interrogated by a Christian Science nurse, house mom, and dean after a secret ER visit for an eye infection.
I would go on trips without my glasses with the expectation of healing
Brett Buchanan describes decades of trying to heal extreme myopia through Christian Science, then laser eye surgery, and a tentative conclusion that all religions are man-made.
If I would only know the Truth about my sight, I would not need glasses
A former Christian Scientist describes ten years of untreated nearsightedness, a practitioner who told her to know the Truth, and how it limited her as a child.
Christian Science is a culture deeply tied to shame, denial, and secrets.
Former Christian Scientists describe how the church’s teachings kept abuse hidden, put the blame on victims, and made leaving a bad marriage harder.
Lucy's Story
Content warning: child sexual abuse. A former Christian Scientist describes being sexually abused at age five, her mother’s response, and her later work with survivors.
Rachel's Story
Content warning: child rape. A fifth-generation Christian Scientist describes rape at age four treated as never having happened, childhood illness, anorexia, and recovery.
Born Perfect
A former Christian Scientist describes waiting and praying from age twelve to twenty-five for puberty and a first period, until a doctor found she was born without ovaries.