childhood memories
My Parents Tried to Raise My Cat From the Dead
Jodi recalls the night in 1983 their Christian Scientist parents sang hymns over their cat after a car hit it, trying to bring it back, and the grief Jodi was left to carry alone.
Easter Baskets Confound Me (re-post)
Chrystal, a former Christian Scientist, reflects on never having an Easter basket, the church’s rule against celebrating Easter, and her Quaker values.
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.
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.
Released: Walking from Blame and Shame into Wholeness
A review of Peggy Cook's memoir Released, about untreated childhood clubfeet, her mother's untreated cancer, and the surgery she sought at 37 after leaving Christian Science.
Leaving Christian Science: 10 Stories of New Faith in Jesus Christ, Interview with Lauren Hunter
An interview with Lauren Hunter about her book collecting ten stories of people who left Christian Science and became Christians, and what the stories share.
The Polarity of Christian Science
Chrystal describes how Christian Science taught her to see everything as good or bad, how her parents’ divorce reinforced it, and learning to see shades of gray.
Unashamed ExCS
Content warning: rape. A former Principia student describes a date rape, being made to stop antidepressants, an overdose with no medical attention, and being barred from campus.
He told me to try a Bible-believing church just once
An anonymous former Christian Scientist describes growing up in the church, leaving after a child’s death and failed healings, and finding a Presbyterian church.
Chrystal's Story - Matter (AKA: The Human Body) Isn't Real - Middle School & High School
From Chrystal's series: opting out of health classes as a Christian Scientist teen, a deep foot cut at a Christian Science camp, and a likely dislocated toe never seen by a doctor.