We’ve all felt judged by others, at times. And it doesn’t leave a very good taste in your mouth, especially when you’ve been trying so hard to do the best you can.
Some friends I know have felt judged at their church. I can imagine that this scenario would leave you feeling pretty desolate. It must be especially disappointing if you have prayed for healing of a physical or mental illness, dearly hoping that prayer is the answer, and healing is slow or doesn’t occur. And then to be judged by fellow church-goers suggesting you must be doing something wrong or be a ‘sinner’ must be soul-destroying.
I think I’d be one of the many who were voting with their feet and moving away from organised religion, if that had happened to me … and if I hadn’t yet learned about Christian Science.
In my blog post of 28 September, Is mental health genetically-based? I referred to a research paper by Clare Wilding that was published in the Medical Journal of Australia. As I mentioned in that post, her paper, Spirituality as sustenance for mental health and meaningful doing: a case illustration, told about an individual named Bonnie. Spirituality had made a huge difference to his experience, turning him away from thoughts of suicide and giving him peace, but he did also eventually turn away from organised religion. He was left with a bad taste in his mouth because he had prayed and not been healed, and he felt judged by the people at the church he attended. That got me thinking.
I’ve been so relieved to discover that Christian Science has no relationship to faith healing or praying to a man-like God who may or may not grant our petitions. Christian Science provides a clearer view of God and our relationship to Her/Him, and reveals a consistent and perfect law governing man and the universe, which leads to consistent healing.
I guess you could consider prayer this way. Imagine if you were trying to calculate your income and expenses, and thereby balance your budget using maths. Because of errors in your calculations you then go into debt. Who was wrong? The maths or the man? It’s obvious that errors in your calculations were the problem.
And it’s the same with prayer – going beyond faith, to understanding.
Dr Laurence Doyle, SETI Institute
Astrophysicist, Dr Laurence Doyle, says that he is often asked how he can be an astrophysicist and a Christian at the same time. And replies that if Christian Science was about having blind faith then there might be some contradiction.
We don’t need to give up. The divine law of Love is always there. We are the ones learning in a life-long journey, discovering what is real. And the evidence is – that the sums do add up.
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