Friend of mine dated a Christian Scientist. They came to visit, and my cat bit him. His hand swelled up, but he refused to go to urgent care. She said he had never been to a doctor or dentist. He got better, but I was seriously scared - cat bites can be really dangerous!

Anonymous wrote:I'm guessing both groups are pretty private and don't go door to door to recruit new members or even identify themselves in everyday conversation.

The Scientologists stand outside their building in Dupont and try and lure you in to see a "free movie" or get a "free personality test". They're very evangelical.

Anonymous wrote:Interesting...never heard of the stress test or personality test you mention regarding Scientolgogy. Did they come to your door? Have you actually done it?

They are in places where they can find large numbers of people. They used to be on the Mall all the time and they set up at various places like that.

Anonymous wrote:agnostic who has always enjoyed reading the Christian Science Monitor as a news/journalism source.

does this make me weird?

No, because it's an awesome news source.

Drat! I was hoping this was true. When I toured the Mt. Auburn cemetery in Cambridge, MA, I was shown Mary Baker Eddy's large mausoleum and was told that she had had a hard line telephone installed so that when she came back to life she could contact Christian Science headquarters in downtown Boston. A Christian Scientist told me that headquarters paid the monthly bill for the hard-wired phone (this is well pre-cell phone). I Snopes'd the story. Not true but widely repeated. http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/phone.asp

Christian Science is one of the few major denominations to be founded by a woman - Mary Baker Eddy. It also published a fantastic newspaper, the Christian Science Monitor. It's now online only. I don't know anything about the religion, but I always liked the newspaper: very non-sensationalist, covers the issues clearly.

Apparently they are also very low-key in their proselytizing, if they even proselytize at all. I've never heard from or met anyone who is Christian Scientist, although I do see there reading rooms. Personally, I like their low-key approach. Other denominations should learn from them.

agnostic who has always enjoyed reading the Christian Science Monitor as a news/journalism source.

does this make me weird?

It seems to me that many Christian Scienist beliefs are now packaged as holistic wellness practices. My parents were very into diet and herbal remedies, whole foods etc. growing up. We never shopped at regular grocery stores - only farmers markets. Only meds in the house were aspirin and possibly cough drops (herbal). They did take us to the Dr.on occasion but they were way more uptight about the food coloring and preservatives, chemicals and plastics (and they find todays antibacterial frenzy very amusing....). People always asked if I was a Christian Scientist growing up ... We were Lutheran actually, but lots of CS practices....

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone ever met someone who is a Christian Scientist or a Scientologist?

DD is a Scientologist. He has aggressively tried to recruit me and other family members who have disposable income.

DH and I used to laugh that they were following us. Until last year, we have never lived more than a block from a CS church or reading room.

(And, yes, in every case, they were there first. So we were stalking them. But it sounded funnier the other way.)

Anyone is welcome in a Christian Science Reading Room. There are many Reading Rooms all over the world -- not only the one at downtown Bethesda. It's a welcoming place for those who would like to ask questions and learn a bit more about this Christian religion. It is a religion based on The Bible, especially the teaching of Jesus. There is always someone in the Reading Room to answer questions and share of their experiences with this joyous & uplifting way of life. And there is a quiet room in each reading room for study of the materials about this religion. Stop in for a visit!

Anonymous wrote:Anyone ever go inside one of those reading rooms? I was surprised to notice one in downtown Bethesda.

Yeah, I pass it every day on my way to the metro. Never been inside, though.

Anyone ever go inside one of those reading rooms? I was surprised to notice one in downtown Bethesda.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My only knowledge about Christian Scientists is they are the ones who refuse medical intervention when they or even their children have diseases. So, like, if they have a 4 yo with leukemia, they won't treat it. Back in the 1980s there were lots of news stories about court interventions in cases like this but I can't remember many incidents since.

Apparently this is changing, and the "official" position is that Christian Science healing should be supplemental to medical treatment, not in place of it. There were some tragic deaths (and prosecutions, thankfully) up until the 1990s, when I think this new position started to come around.

I know two Christian Scientists and this really isn't the case across the board. This is like saying no Catholics of varying degrees of devotion ever use birth control. The CS's I know will absolutely use medical intervention if necessary and they will combine that with prayer. They vaccinate (though the spouse is not CS).

That's why I said it was the "official" position, and it has changed. There have been many cases of Christian Scientists dying from treatable diseases, but in the late 90s-early 2000s, the higher-ups started to clarify and there haven't been many newsworthy cases since. This could also be due to the prosecutions--CSes may now feel like they run the risk of prison if they don't seek medical attention for their children.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My only knowledge about Christian Scientists is they are the ones who refuse medical intervention when they or even their children have diseases. So, like, if they have a 4 yo with leukemia, they won't treat it. Back in the 1980s there were lots of news stories about court interventions in cases like this but I can't remember many incidents since.

Apparently this is changing, and the "official" position is that Christian Science healing should be supplemental to medical treatment, not in place of it. There were some tragic deaths (and prosecutions, thankfully) up until the 1990s, when I think this new position started to come around.

I know two Christian Scientists and this really isn't the case across the board. This is like saying no Catholics of varying degrees of devotion ever use birth control. The CS's I know will absolutely use medical intervention if necessary and they will combine that with prayer. They vaccinate (though the spouse is not CS).