Tag Archives: Christian Science

Plain speaking and “The King’s Speech”

By Notes from Bob Cummings, , , , , , , ,

I’ve been hearing from folks about the new movie, “The King’s Speech”, which came out late last month.  It has been nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards.  Tom Long of The Detroit News described “The King’s Speech” as “entertaining, funny, touching and smart” and called it “the best film of 2010”.  According to the movie review in The Detroit Free Press entitled, “Royally enthralling” by Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel, “’The King’s Speech’ tells the moving story of a monarch’s stammer and the man who helped him conquer it.”

The man who helped him conquer it was Lionel Logue.  Logue is usually referred to as a speech therapist.  He apparently was a Christian Scientist for a while, and then became interested in Spiritualism after the death of his wife.  It should be noted here that Christian Science and Spiritualism are quite different from one another.  Christian Science does not include mediumship or communication between the dead and the living but rather a close and inseparable connection between God and man.  Logue’s approach as portrayed in the movie is not the method of healing practiced in Christian Science, although his knowledge of Christian Science may very well have helped him aid the king with his speech.

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Is God ever uncaring?

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“Would Americans, in the face of unemployment, home foreclosures, two wars and an uncertain economic future, describe the Almighty as a wrathful, cold critic of our failings, or maybe a distant, uncaring force?”

The answer?   “For Americans today, God, quite simply, is love.”

This is Cathy Lynn Grossman’s synopsis of contributions from readers sharing their concept of God in her 12/19/2010 article in USA WEEKEND entitled, “How Americans imagine God.”  She pointed out that the responses are personal and individual.  “Still, one gleaming, common thread weaves throughout: For Americans today, God, quite simply, is love.”  Her readers “describe a loving presence”.

So, how does Christian Science imagine God?

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A Relevant Social Network Christmas

By Notes from Bob Cummings, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This video below showed me that the Christmas story can be told in the language of today’s Social Media and still share the same message.

Here’s the YouTube video entitled Social Network Christmas by Ignitermedia.com

So here’s a question: does something have to be new and popular to be relevant?

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Christmas, Jesus, love, and healing

By Notes from Bob Cummings, , , , , , , , , , ,

Christmas is a special time for me as a Christian Scientist, as it is for all Christians.  It is a time to celebrate Jesus and what his coming upon earth means for us all.  He is the Son of God.  God is his Father.  And God is our Father.  Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father, which art in heaven…” Two very significant aspects of Jesus’ ministry stand out to me – love and healing.

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The duck is not so lame

By Notes from Bob Cummings, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When is a lame duck not so lame?

Answer: when it is moved to tears!

Did you know that the phrase “lame duck” is actually in the dictionary?

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The day after the day after the day after the day after Thanksgiving

By 2 commentsNotes from Bob Cummings, , , , , , , ,

Another Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone.  It’s back to work now.  December is upon us.  The Christmas holiday will be here soon (that’s a good thing).  Sometimes it seems like we move so fast these days. I thought it would be good to take another look at Thanksgiving! Here’s an article by a colleague

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Out of the mouth of babes…

By Notes from Bob Cummings, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

You really gotta check out this video:

(If the video above won’t play, click here to view it on YouTube).

That was Mary Margaret of Corinth Baptist Church telling the story of Jonah from the Bible.  In her conclusion (at 8:05 in the video) in her words, God says, “My love is great.”  “And it is for all my creatures.”

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The Bible’s Place

By Notes from Bob Cummings, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I read something in a newspaper recently that got me to thinking about the Bible’s place in society.  Of course it is found in Christian churches.  It certainly is found in my Christian Science church.   And I teach from it in my Christian Science Sunday School.  It is found in the homes of Christians.   I have numerous copies in my home, most of them a bit worn.  Sometimes it is found in the classroom, but only under certain conditions.  I remember taking classes on the Bible in college, studying the Old Testament and then the New Testament.  These classes primarily looked at the Bible from a literary and historical perspective.

These, of course, are geographical places.  And these days the Bible is found in different forms.  My favorite is my black leather Bible.  I also have the Bible on my computer with additional translations, commentaries and Greek and Hebrew dictionaries for more in-depth study. The Bible is available on cassette and CD.  Some have a Pod-cast version. These are the physical forms and places in which the Bible is found.

But thinking a bit more broadly, where does the Bible find its place in the heart?

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Still have room to grow

By 1 commentNotes from Bob Cummings, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“It is the information at the core of religion where Believers and Non-Believers still have room to grow.” This was the conclusion drawn by Byron Pitts in his report on The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 covering the survey on religious knowledge in the U.S. conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.  With today’s news cycles, that seems like long ago, but Byron’s conclusion caught my attention.

As a Christian Scientist I am a Christian and I strive to follow Jesus’ teaching to love one another.  So, a question I have to ask myself is, “do I love enough to gain a basic understanding of the core beliefs that are important to my neighbors?”  While we will all likely have areas where we need to agree to disagree, it seems to me that we would all be better off if we had a better understanding of one another’s core beliefs.  I took the test that was given as part of this survey, and while I did quite well, I did not get 100% correct.  So I must admit that I still have room to grow.

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