A couple of decades ago, give or take a few years, the chief operating officers of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, LLC, in Boston seem to have come to the dismaying conclusion that business was down and getting worse. The high price (i.e., standards) of their merchandise did not even attract many nose prints on the display windows from curious passers-by.
They apparently then decided to drag poor Kaspar Hauser out of his dank dungeon once again and try singing the praises of darkness and dry black crusts to those who suffered violent retchings from trying to digest Science and Health and who were also intensly pained by the light of divine Principle. Since all are welcome to join Kaspar in his dungeon and there are no annoying entrance requirements, it would appear many have gladly joined him there in what has become a new and improved Christian Science church. One has but to peek his beak inside the dungeon door et voila! faster than he can say "church manual" he's a member in good standing.
To tidy this brief entry up a bit, there remains one nagging question: What few crumbs now remain of Mary Baker Eddy's Church of Christ, Scientist to make membership therein worth the bother?
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15 comments:
Well done, blogger. Thank you so much for using your talent to speak up for the high standards of Christian Science, despite what too many branch churches these days are doing, in line with TMC's no-standard policy on joining. You are so cutting-edge on issues that concern the well-being of the Cause our Leader gave to the world.
God bless you!
Another winner, blogger. Tell me, is there any truth they've offered an honorary membership to the Pope?
A very clever (and I mean this in a complimentary way) use of the Kaspar Hauser account in our textbook. I can see why more and more CS's are opting out of church membership when they will take anything that walks in off the street. Why join when there are no standards to live up to?
Love the way you begin with Christ's words, then weave them into your blog. Very expertly done.
Many thanks to you!
Another much needed entry. Thank you! Let me share an experience that bears on what you've brought out: my sister, who is not a Christian Scientist, subscribed to the periodicals for a time. Then one day, she told me, I'm dropping the magazines. They're no different than what one finds in the world, so why bother? There is a parallel re: church membership, in my view (and apparently that of many other people.) When a branch church, or TMC, is degraded to the level of the rest of the world, and no standards are adhered to, why should people want to be a part of it? Our Leader points out in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" on page 45l that "Christian Scientists must live under the constant pressure of the apostolic command to come out from the material world and be separate."
Do those who respect her as Discoverer and Founder of CS, and our forever Leader, need anything clearer than this vis-a-vis church membership standards? What sincere student of Christian Science can think otherwise?
A very good blog post, blogger. Precisely why I no longer attend a branch church. I'm far better off staying with the Holy Word of God, and the pure writings of Mary Baker Eddy. It just got too polluted for me, couldn't stand all the compromising with worldliness--just to get in a warm body and hopefully some contributions.
Wrong, wrong!
In our branch church, a homosexual stirred up the membership by insisting on being a member while justifying his lifestyle. This has split the church. Some members say, it isn't compassionate to leave him out of Sunday School teaching, etc. Others say, he may attend of course. But after he's healed of his perversity. One even inferred that Jesus would be kind and say it is all right. I tell you, to infer that the woman who founded Christian Science would waive all standards is bad. But when it comes to Christ Jesus! This I cannot object to strongly enough.
Our Lord and Master, who overturned the tables of the moneychangers and drove them out!?
No, taking an anything goes attitude is wrong. I don't care what any worldly people say. This is what I think.
Thank you for speaking up on this!
I agree with Betty's comment previously, the much needed entry part, as well as that quotation from our Leader on staying apart from worldliness.
Thank you for blogging...
You do manage to address important issues concerning the Church in a most original way. Enjoy reading what you write!
Good for you, bringing up this issue. Just more of the downgrading of our Cause, which fortunately does not affect those of us who intend to stay with the Bible and the teachings of Christian Science.
Thanks!
Some years ago as a Lecture Committee member, I asked the committee what was our goal for the lecture. Everyone stared at me incredulously and someone said rather disdainfully, "To get people to come to our church, of course!!" Everyone else nodded sagely and looked at me rather sadly, so I asked, "And why would they want to do that?" Things really went downhill from there, especially when I asked, "So our goal isn't to have someone be healed or find Truth by coming to the lecture?" The general response was that, yes, that would be nice, but people could call a practitioner to be healed. They were "giving" a lecture only so they could "get" new members! I don't belong to that branch any more.
My point here, I guess, is that TMC's (and branch churches) "gimme, gimme" apparently isn't just about money, it appears to be an attitude of total "gimme, gimme" and absolutely no giving either first from genuine love as Jesus did nor even in return for what is given them.
Terrific comment above this one. If this doesn't highlight just what is missing in the official "outreach" policy of TMC! Not giving as the Master, Christ Jesus, taught it and lived it, but what can I get from the public?!
No wonder the movement is dying, if not already dead.
I find your title from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew 6:23) such an inspiring way to begin. Naturally, given whose words these are!
Wonderful blog posting.
I hope you know just how much we need you blogging! Only someone with a deep love and respect for Christian Science could be doing what you are, albeit in a funny, delightful way.
Keep posting, will you?
A very fine blog you've got here. We sure do need people like you who love Christian Science and have the talent to express what we're all feeling.
Thanks.
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