GOD'S PERFECT CHILD: MY LIFE IN CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
Date
2015
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Publisher
MFA in Creative Writing, The University of Tampa
Abstract
Abstract
As a third-generation Christian Scientist, I was brought up in a family that had no use for medicine and used prayer exclusively as its only form of healthcare. This thesis constitutes the beginning of a book about my upbringing and eventual departure from Christian Science. It includes several healings, and three traumatic experiences that sparked a gradual erosion of my belief in my childhood religion. Divided into five parts, this work includes 56 chapters and 231 pages. It begins with an inciting incident – my drowning under a canoe and my recovery without medical assistance – which took place when I was a sophomore at Principia, a high school for Christian Scientists in St. Louis, Missouri. This “healing” was the first that came through my own prayer and cemented my allegiance to the church as it planted a few latent seeds of doubt in my abilities as a practitioner of Christian Science. Also included is back story of how my grandparents became entangled in Mary Baker Eddy’s burgeoning spiritual-healing practices as well as background information on the history of the Christian Science church and its basic beliefs. Throughout this memoir, I have tried to present an honest assessment of my experience in Christian Science while taking into consideration how this strange cult-like faith might appear to an outsider.
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Keywords
Christian science, Childhood