CS Practitioner was wondering if Mrs. Eddy would use the internet. I think the responses from Helen and EJ were pretty much like mine. It is probably not likely that she wouldn't, but her refined spiritual sense of things might well see dangers invisible to me. I think one can safely assert, however, that she would not produce a reported vapidity like spirituality.com, if it still labors gamely on.
The question leapfrogged two immensely important 20th Century media: radio and television. Who knows what use, if any, she would have made of them. Mary Baker Eddy is firmly and irrevocably rooted in the world of print, which has a permanence and solidity none of the others does--at least for me. I also think it is safe of say she would not have been a blogger. Where would she get the time? E-mails? Hmm. Facebook, Twitter, texting? I can't see it, but who knows, she might have become a maven of cyberspace.
As some readers may already know, Ann Beals of The Bookmark has sent out an urgent plea for donations. For many, especially officials in Boston, she is about as popular as the idea of women in the priesthood is to the Pope. One may differ strongly with some of her metaphysics, but I for one would be loath to be without the wonderful writings she offers from the pens of Greenwood, Tutt, Wilcox, Simon, Seeley, et al., the Student's Dictionary, those splendid Bible Lessons from 1898-1910, etc. Most of the items she offers, whether regarded as a sheep or goat, are available nowhere else to my knowledge. I'm aware that for many The Bookmark is a very thorny issue, but I would rather feed on some honey-dew from Ms. Beals' Xanadu than choke down a desiccated and unappetizing snack from the CSPS vending machine. If one doesn't feel he can, or wish, to contribute he can perhaps consider getting anything of interest to him (or her) while the opportunity lasts. It might also help alleviate the financial need as well.
Finally, the lovely closing lines to "Leaves of Grass" by the great American poet Walt Whitman. That most sensuous and materialistic of troubadours is speaking of himself, but I find the lines more touching if I think of them as coming from my heavenly Father-Mother God.
Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you.
18 comments:
A superior offering, Christian--once again. Could not agree with you more, on all fronts.
Evening, Christian. At least it still is here. While many of my acquaintances wouldn't touch the Bookmark with a 20-foot pole, I myself have been helped greatly by some of the material I've ordered. So glad it was available!
Well put, on the rather thin fare that has been available from officialdom. I haven't ordered anything from the Bookmark, but I would have no hesitation to do so, I don't think.
Enjoy the way you express yourself, Christian. Quite fresh, in my opinion.
I can't imagine Mrs. Eddy blogging! When would she have the time? But would probably use the Internet in some way to get her message out. Of course, the Net has a lot of trash on it, but so do bookstores where her book is available. So...
Can't believe Mrs. Eddy wouldn't make use of the Internet. Of course there's a lot of garbage out there but there was a lot of garbage in the newspaper business when she founded the Monitor. And it was partly because of that garbage that she wanted the Christian Science view represented to counter that garbage. Likewise I can't believe she would not have wanted to have Christian Science represented on radio and TV to counter the garbage as well as to reach people where they are. But she would have wanted pure Christian Science written and produced by true metaphysicians understandingly schooled in the finer points as opposed to the watered down fawnings and grovelings coming from Boston these days. Don't you just wonder how the TV station would have turned out if it had been kept in line with pure Christian Science?
Really enjoyed reading this, blogger. As to things ordered from the Bookmark, we got those marvelous Bible lessons some time ago when we just weren't finding those from Boston to be what they should be. So, my wife and I are supporters of what Ann Beals has been doing for the Cause.
Good job, Christian -- as always!
Love the way you end this essay. Beautiful lines, these.
Thanks for all you are giving out, Christain.
Excellent blog post. Such clear thought, expressed in a quite fresh way. Always a pleasure reading the Broken Net.
Enjoyed reading your "This and That". You do have an interesting website, and your commenters are up and at it as well.
Thanks, Writer, for giving out such creative essays. No wonder you're widely read (I suspect.)
Good blog post, blogger. And congratulations to Concerned for starting a blog. More CS's should be doing this, I feel, to get the word out about just what our religion has to offer people. And how do we get to yours, Lowlywise? Do you have a title?
Thinking about the service Ms. Beal has provided to the Field, if it closed down tomorrow, countless CS's across the land (and abroad) have been mightily blessed from getting to read really high level metaphysics from those early workers who would never have tried to make CS palatable to the masses. Can we imagine any of them watering down what our Leader worked so faithfully to give us?!
With due respect for the previous commenter, I was taught to not go off into stray pastures where metaphysics is concerned. So I stay with what MBE has presented, not that I find the current periodicals, in fact for some time now, very satisfying. Just my 2-cents' worth on this.
Love your essays, Christian. Keep up the blogging. We need you out here!
I agree with your point about our Leader being firmly rooted in the world of print. She is to me, certainly because of her masterpiece, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures". There is nothing to me like having this book to read, ponder, study--be healed by!
I'm new to your website, and I agree with the friend who mentioned this to me, you do write very well.
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