An Anglican from South Carolina Learns about Christian Science

At a neighbour's drop-in Christmas party recently I made a new friend from South Carolina who said that he'd learned two things that evening, and he held up his large hand and counted off his fingers to emphasize:

1. How oil is drilled in Alberta
2. What Christian Science is

An unusual curriculum for sure!

I love chatting with folks about Christian Science. My new acquaintence is a dedicated Anglican church member in his State. He knew little of my religion and wasted no time diving in with some specific questions that he'd always (secretly perhaps) wanted answered.

Backing up a bit, it all started when he asked what I do. I told him that I was a Christian Science nurse.

That combination- Christian Science, and Nurse- seemed a contradiction to him- as so often people think of a 'nurse' as being connected to medicine- something he knew that for Christian Scientists constituted prayer of a spiritual means alone.

I described what I did. I said sometimes Christian Scientists- or anyone relying on that kind of prayer alone for healing- needed extra support depending on the kinds of health challenge.

If it involves inhibited mobility, my client or patient may not have enough family support at home to get them to the bathroom up a set of stairs, or if they're bed-bound the family may have no clue how to help them meet the daily needs such as bathing, toileting, food modifications etc.

So then a facility like where I work at comes into play: where a full time round-the-clock staff of Christian Science nurses can properly meet their individual needs while their full-time Christian Science practitioner continues to pray for them and keep in touch, usually by phone.

My Anglican friend wondered- if someone had a serious gash and was bleeding profusely would we tie the arm- kind-of-thing. I said I'd never had that experience, but I had bleeding situations before to a lesser degree but serious, and prayer and affirming God's control and power always proved effective.

I had to insert that facilities basically don't consider themselves as emergency rooms. If someone is in a car crash etc. it's usually a good idea to be taken to the hospital (as ambulances generally would be legally required to do anyways) and once things have calmed down and the patient can ask for legal release forms and requests a transfer to a Christian Science nursing facility.

My friend then wondered if a Christian Scientist gets shunned from church if they choose to rely on medical care- or was there a rule 'against' doing that. I reassured him that was not the case! It's always up to every church member to decide for themselves the kind of health-care they want.

Also he had no difficulty accepting that these kinds of healing happen through relying on prayer to God alone. And he came to the conclusion himself that my job was much more of a calling and ministry than of a medical or even practical nurse. But he sure was impressed with the degree of faith needed to rely on spiritual means alone. I said that for many of us it's a gradual thing- and after a series of healing experiences you just grow more confident in the prayer treatments of professional ministering Christian Science practitioners and of your own practice too.

Mostly he was reassured that we rely on the 'good book' so much. Indeed, our first Tenet includes the statement "we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life.'

Here's a link to a short video testimonial of a woman who had a serious accident and transferred to a Christian Science nursing facility and shortly after recovering had the successful healing medically confirmed (or back broken in 2 places). HERE.

One LPN's appreciation for Christian Science nursing

I met a male LPN the other evening (licensed practical nurse), which is always kind of a novelty, for two male 'nurses' to meet- it seems we're always out-numbered by women (don't worry- that's not a complaint!)

We discussed our somewhat similar lines of work- though there are a few commonalities as the long-term facility he worked at was started by nuns and is funded in part through the Catholic church (I still work as a Christian Science nurse in a care facility as I build up my public healing ministry). They still value the spiritual aspect of the care in his facility and feel it is vital. But from his perspective the bedside care gets pushed further and further out of the picture- eclipsed by technological machinery, record keeping and other job pressures.

As we stood holding our refreshments at the party we were at, he expressed his discouragement and concern for all the politics that go on- between legal, church and provincial and educational entities, plus personality struggles and reams of red tape.

He felt there was a loss of focus on the spiritual aspect of care- not the least of all being the over medicalization and over-drugging that he suspected goes on.

I shared with him that one of the most common healing occurrences I witness as a Christian Science nurse in facilities- where no medication is administered and patients are being prayed for by Christian Science practitioners- was the effective handling of pain. Over and over again I see it quickly and effectively eliminated through reliance on prayer and knowing that matter has no ultimate power over man who is wholly spiritual in nature. My friend said he did believe it- that prayer handles pain.

As we parted he was so appreciative to have learned about Christian Science nursing. It reassured him that at least in some facilities around the world the spiritual nature and identity of the patients was front and center as they were cared for.