A Peace Of Dynamite Strapped To A Vest
What are they smoking over there at The Christian Science Monitor? They just put out an unsigned editorial, criticizing Israel for coming down a little too hard on the Palestinians, who have, get this..."generally lived peacefully within Israel's democracy"!! I think if, say, WASPs, in our country, were running around blowing up buses, we'd shut down a few Connecticut golf courses, too.
The Goddess asks: What are they smoking over there at The Christian Science Monitor?
Nothing. As Christian Scientists, they aren't allowed to smoke, or drink. And of course, smokeable drugs are out of the question.
Patrick at September 3, 2003 10:04 AM
Can we make the Connecticut golf courses go away too?
Lena Cuisina at September 3, 2003 11:52 AM
Nor, of course, are they allowed to go to doctors. They're nice people, but there's a logical disconnect...ergo, their opinions of Palestinians.
Cathy Seipp at September 3, 2003 2:40 PM
Actually, we ARE allowed to go to doctors. The pursuit of spiritual healing is a choice. Most of us do pursue spirtual healing. I'm not permitted to debate Christian Science in a public forum, such as this one. But the logical disconnect is on the side of those who prefer to rely on medicine, I believe. You only have to look at the embarassing mistakes committed by medical "science," their basic "hit and miss" approach to new discoveries and diagnoses, and the side effects of taking medicine to know that you're really placing your life in your own hands when you go to doctors.
Patrick at September 3, 2003 3:44 PM
Patrick --
Don't you think that spiritual healing, at its very best, involves a little more "miss" than "hit"? I watched too many friends with AIDS meditate and pray themselves to death back in the 1980s, and have seen too many friends with HIV absolutely flourish on the new antiretroviral medications that have been available since the late 1990s, to buy into your suggestion that Western medicine is an embarrassing mistake -- because it has saved the lives of people I love.
I think it's quite sad that you feel you're not permitted to debate Christian Science in a public forum. Public debate is one of the most exciting challenges of living in a democratic society.
Lena
Lena Cuisina at September 3, 2003 8:53 PM
I know nothing about Christian Science, but I believe a prohibition of public debate (or even mention) of beliefs that might be unpalable to others is common to a number of cults. If the beliefs actually make sense, the religion or cult has nothing to lose from public debate -- nobody's going to try to convince a friend to leave some organization that seems to be helping them in a sensible way.
As a person who worships only reason, not god, Santa, or the Easter Bunny, I have to tell you, if I have so much as an ingrown toenail, I'm running to the doctor to have it drained and anti-bioticized; I'm not going to invite a bunch of friends to come over and sit around wishing my toe won't fall off!
Full disclosure: While I don't worship traditional dieties, I do worship Fran Lebowitz, but I have it on very good authority that she actually exists, and may even be publishing another book in the near future.
(Amy Alkon) at September 3, 2003 9:16 PM
Wow, I just said something about Christian Scientists above. I seriously don't disrespect anyone's religious beliefs, but as it's been said, if you aren't allowed to discuss it, something could be wrong with your belief. Like how the Mormons won't let anyone in their sacred inner-sanctuary. What are they hiding?
Clarkified at September 4, 2003 8:27 AM
I don't disrespect anyone's religious beliefs either, but some of the ideas expressed by the founder of the Christian Science movement don't exactly inspire my respect, such as:
"We have no evidence of food sustaining life, except false evidence."
Mary Baker Eddy
(from "The Social Transformation of American Medicine," by Paul Starr, page 108)
Lena Cuisina at September 4, 2003 5:29 PM
You might punish the people who blow up busses. But why punish the people who are merely related to the people who blow up busses? Or who are of the same ethnic group?
Remember that the Palestinians see themselves, rightly or wrongly, as living in an occupied country. How, exactly, are they supposed to behave, then?
Furthermore, were you aware that far more Palestinians are killed by Israelis than the other way around?
http://www.fair.org/press-releases/relative-calm.html
I think, if people were shooting bombs and bullets at my home all the time, not to mention trying to cut us off from our source of food, I'd start to fight back however I knew too.
Ulyyf at September 5, 2003 10:23 PM
The Israelis don't have a mission of running all the Arabs into the sea. I think there have been wrongs done on both sides, but the basic difference is in wanting everybody who doesn't believe the way you do dead and gone. That's pretty major.
(Amy Alkon) at September 5, 2003 10:45 PM
You might be interested to visit one Christian Science church's blog, with testimonies of healings experienced by members: http://www.haywardchurch.org/blog/
Christian Science healing does work. But it is definitely true that it needs to get more out into the open. http://www.spirituality.com is another pretty decent source of related information, if you're interested.
(I've been a lifelong Christian Scientist. I've never been told or instructed not to debate Christian Science in public, although I can understand the hesitation, as there is a lot of misunderstanding and basic lack of knowledge about it. I believe that it has the potential and has changed peoples lives, often in major ways. People should be talking about it, in my opinion.)
--
Gabriel
Gabriel at November 12, 2004 10:40 PM