30 of 52 Trip Around The
Sun – The
Have traveled about 337,000,000 miles.
Thoughts
during the week:
Someone sent me this:
"Replace the first rows with plush bucket theatre
seats. The front of the church fills first."
The Ben
Franklin Documentary has been on the Public channel this week. He was immensely
interesting among our founding fathers.
When he
invented the lightning rod, it began almost immediately to save buildings
around the world from fire. Religious groups considered it an affront to God’s
intended show of power. Ben argued, “We protect our roofs from hail with
shields. What is the difference? Lightning is a natural event – not an act of
God.”
He
didn’t apply for patent for his lightning rod – but gave this as a gift to the
world. Even today, we wouldn’t think of building a tall building that did not
include this protection.
His
lightning rod was regarded among the thinking public as a great triumph of
science over superstition.
All of
these same processes of thought continue even today. The superstitious reject
speciation by natural selection (evolution) without so
much as a smattering of knowledge about it. The data has been available and
growing for almost a hundred years, yet folks stand firmly with the opinion
that it is an affront to God’s stated method of creation – the “Let it be and
it is” method. Anyone who wants to know any details about how we came to be, is
on flimsy ground – and, I suppose, likely to get struck by lightning, God’s swift sword.
Natural
processes are not our enemies – they are not our friends either – they just are.
“They
Are that they Are,” to paraphrase scripture.
The
visit:
The
This was
far from what I expected. I don’t know how we get our mental pictures, but mine
was a far cry from reality for Christian Science.
From
“Explanatory Note for Church Services”:
“The
Bible and the Christian Science textbook are our only preachers.”
In the entire meeting, not one human comment
was made. Two women were the speakers, but they read every word verbatim. No
opinions or feeling are given at all. No testimonial – nothing whatever other
than the exact reading from the Bible or from Mary Baker Eddy (Akin to our
Joseph Smith – their founding prophet.)
Opening
song: Page in hymnal is announced – then one of the women reads the words of
one or more verses – then the song leader, a man, appears from behind curtain
and leads the singing, which is formal – with absolutely no dynamics – sing the
words, period.
The
chapel was elegant and simple. (Much like our Celestial Room – except the very
plush seating was in rows and attached to the floor, as in our rooms coming
before the Celestial Room. The upholstery, carpeting, simple but beautiful
chandeliers – everything was made for comfort, and though expensive, still non-
ostentatious.
There
were no pictures or icons – just two quotes on the wall at the left and right
of the little stage, which had a large lectern designed for two.
The
quote on the left: Ye Shall Know the Truth and the Truth Shall Make You Free –
Christ Jesus
The
quote on the right: Divine Love Always Has Met and Always Will Meet Every Human
Need – Mary Baker Eddy
The
Lord’s Prayer is used in every service – exactly as follows: Congregation
speaks the italicized.
Our
Father which art in heaven,
Our
Father-Mother God, all-harmonious,
Hallowed
be Thy name.
Adorable One.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy
kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.
Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Enable
us to know, - as in heaven, so on earth, - God is omnipotent, supreme.
Give us
this day our daily bread;
Give
us grace for to-day; feed the famished affections;
And forgive
us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And
love is reflected in love;
And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
And
God leadeth us not into temptation, but delivereth us from sin, disease, and death.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, forever.
For
God is infinite, all-power, all Life, Truth, Love, over all, and All.
(There
is no “Amen.”)
Another hymn. Announce the number – read the verses – appears from behind the
curtain the songleader – sing the hymn.
Then
the song leader sang another hymn as a solo. (Actually just a bit of life in this one – though still very
formal - and the man had a very nice voice.)
Then
the two ladies – one firmly middle-age or mildly senior (about my age) – and
the other very senior – took their places behind the wide lectern. One would
read – and then the other – back and forth. Every single word was read
verbatim. (My guess is that this is done by different people each week, as
absolutely no preparation would be required.) (I have learned since that they
are elected by the congregation every so often.) It begins: “This week’s Bible
lesson – from (whatever book of the Bible) – and then read.”
The
reading ends: “This constitutes a sermon undivorced
from truth, uncontaminated and unfettered by human hypothesis, and divinely
authorized.”
This is
a statement that, to me, says there are only two beings allowed to think. God – and Mary Baker Eddy. And
this is what they call good science,
because it is unfettered by human
thought.
What’s
missing here is that science is human
thought – that’s all it is, period, the best forms of human thought – always
working toward correction and betterment of truth. That’s what science is
about. (Not necessarily concerned with betterment of morality – that’s what
good religion is about.)
That
they use the word science in their title is probably what led me to believe
that this was going to be a thinking
church. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is further by far from
science than we are as Mormons. We reject evolution without study – they reject
all science without study. They
should change their title to “The Church Against All
Science.” They believe that all things physical are both evil and untrue.
Everything true and good is spirit. My my, and I
spent 31 ½ years as a Physicist, when
I should have been a Spiritist.
I’m not sure how we’re going to build ships or airplanes or hospitals that way,
but oh well. Our lies surely are impressive! They, of course, do not believe in
hospitals – but I suppose they do use airplanes. I have been attracted to and
appreciate spiritual values in people – but I also have many physical things
that to me have great beauty. Even something as simple as a
flower. All the complexity and wonder of DNA are there in a flower also
– and the complex is also beautiful. I think it’s the complex – beyond us –
that causes us to call things spirit – then we don’t have the need to
understand and explain.
Then
the last song – number announced – a verse or two read - song leader appears
from behind the curtain – we sing – meeting over. (No prayers – other than the
augmented Lord’s Prayer.)
I’ll
repeat – this was a surprise for me.
Afterward,
a woman was asking me how I liked the meeting. I wanted to say, “What meeting,”
but I didn’t. It was a beautiful day. She said so, and I asked if the physics
of this day was more beautiful than that of a cold blizzard-filled day. She
said they were the same. I asked if this would be true even if the cold day led
to freezing to death of a loved one. Her answer?
“There is no such thing as death. That’s just a physical thing that we
imagine.” I wondered what one of their funerals are
like – or do they just let someone who believes in the physical take care of
that?
My
expectations were high, and this may have exaggerated my disappointment. Man –
isn’t there any religion that looks
at and carefully considers real data – and that continues to consider new data
to use for betterment of doctrine?
There
seems to be a kind of respect for old
data – the older, the more trusted. This is ludicrous to me. Don’t people know
we’re lots smarter than they were thousands of years ago? This is the trap
fallen into by astrologists. Any freshman scientist could do blind testing and
prove it all false. I surely am glad that they don’t allow this drivel in court
– imagine the testimony, “It’s likely he is the one who pulled the trigger –
his sign – and the specific date of the crime – make it
very likely.”
30 of 52 Trip Around The
Sun – The