Information, resources & support for those leaving or questioning Christian Science
By Chrystal, an Ex-Christian Scientist Group contributor. Chrystal is a pseudonym, to ensure anonymity. I remember being called in to my parents room, I might have been in third or fourth grade. I was told, “it’s time we teach you how to pray.” My parents had me get a sheet of loose leaf paper and a pencil. […]
By Sharon, an Ex-Christian Scientist Group contributor. Christian Scientists have a lack of humanity, sympathy, empathy—whatever you want to call it—in the face of death. It’s downright weird. My mother’s explanation to me about my Grandpa’s death when I was just a little girl was, “Oh, he could be down the street, or he could […]
The following is a collection of contributions from members of the Ex-Christian Science collective about growing up in Christian Science. It was very difficult to explain my religion’s beliefs to my friends. I was always trying to make it sound like a more ‘normal’ religion, in fact writing “United Church” on a form once because I was embarrassed […]
By Marie. ‘Marie’ is a pseudonym. This was originally published on Emerging Gently, and it is shared here with permission. My mom sent me back to school too soon after having chicken pox. I had come down with it during a Girl Scouts camping weekend in fourth grade. It was right after my parents separated […]
By Stacey, an Ex-Christian Scientist Group contributor. My family was introduced to Christian Science when my mom’s uncle was in the hospital and was not expected to live—I’m not sure from what. Someone said they should try Christian Science. He got better and lived a long life. There were about twelve siblings in the family […]
By Sharon, an Ex-Christian Scientist Group contributor. I can remember the most awful uncomfortable periods of silence at the Wednesday evening testimony meetings, with the first reader standing up there with THE SMILE and no one saying anything. I was just a kid, and I would think “would someone get up already!” Once, I picked […]
My Christian Scientist grandmother raised me, and was the mother role in my life, and she used to say, “It’s ok to be sympathetic , but don’t ever take it down to the level of compassion. Compassion means getting right in there with the Error and believing it.” YES!!! She said this many times. She […]
By Sharon, an Ex-Christian Scientist Group contributor. I had severe untreated burns on the top of my foot when I was nine. My cousin spilled a pan of boiling hot jelly right on my foot. I got no help at all with it—no antibacterial cream, bandaging, nothing. I was told to just ignore it and […]
By an anonymous Ex-Christian Scientist Group contributor. A lot of us were indoctrinated into Christian Science basically from the point of birth. I often wonder why my mother fell in with it, though. She was in her thirties when she became a Christian Scientist. In the end, the only thing I can think of is […]
By an anonymous Ex-Christian Scientist Group contributor. There’s a blog I really like called ‘You Are Not So Smart’. It’s also a book and there is a really interesting chapter called ‘Why Your Memories Are Mostly False’. I think the phenomenon it describes accounts for many of the Christian Science ‘healings’. Even when you leave […]