Well, I was out for a stroll today and I happened upon a humble little church. It was so humble, infact as to boast nothing more than an almost-home-sized building, no stained glass windows and not event he hint of a steeple. My friends, I had come upon the local Christian Science reading room and library. I chuckled as I read the little sign reading "Come in and see the Truth of the Lord." I took a few more steps and then remembered the fact that I don't yet have the ability to remember past lives or see future ones; that I only memorably live once. And feeling a bout of existential behavior coming on, I strolled on in.

It was inside as it was outside: Plain, unassuming, worhty of only the slightest note. A woman was sitting behind the counter who was getting on in age and had hair that either meant she was in denial, really liked having red hair or was just amazingly lucky. SHe sat behind a desk reading three things at once, which included the Bible, the local newspaper and some other magazine. I would later learn her name was Trudi. Trudi smiled warmly and said "Welcome, come in, pray." I smiled and nodded, we chatted lightly for a good five or ten minutes before I walked on over to all the books. I went throught two free pamphlets, chatted lightly again, and went along my merry way feeling very good about myself

Christian Science started in the later end of the 1800's and the early shot of the 1900's. It was a time when phrenology was the whole of psychology. Marx had denounced completely the power of the spirit and Freud later claimed that matter was the master of the mind. People believed that the shape of your skull determined the value of your character. Descrimination was made into a science. It was the Victorian period and the power of reason and reason alone was popularized as the ultimate force. Psychic and spiritual phenomena were being studied closely by many, and most had come to one of tweo conclusions: Either that all such phenomena fit into neat little boxes or that because they didn't, they were nothing but smoke and mirrors. Christian Science was an ideal and an idea preached by the bold Mary Eddy ("a woman!" soem no doubt would have gasped) in which all sin and sickness and failures of the body could be conquered by the inlimitable power of the Mind. That every little nuance of the body and the physical world is a dream and lie and a contraption of the Mind. Faith, will and prayer were not only the best medicines to her, but the only real ones.

Plato said that thought preceded form, that the material was limited, and the ideal was limitless. Platonic thought is a redundant phrase.

Where does the this fit into the Big Picture? I think a better question is where the Big Picture fits into it, and kudos and accolades to whomsoever puzzles this out for me. Or just talk about the whole subject.

I have a very bad head ache and prayer isn't working.

Hot damn I smell really good right now.

So apparently, no one cares.

Uhm...lots of deep thoughts early in the morning...but it made sense...I think...

A response!!! *gasps, dies of an O|`6/\$/\/\

Be grateful. This comes from the bottom of my heart... :p

Do you want to talk about it or are you just here to mock me?

You know, I've read through that whole thing three times now, and though it is very well written, I am not quite sure where you're getting at here..?

Well, partially that people aren't their religion, partially that Christian Science is a terrible practice built on a horribly good idea.

I have heard a lot of people here say that they belong to a certain religion because they were brought up in it...but somehow I doubt that is the right reason to believe in something...I think faith should come from the heart, not a book. It is a personal choice...

I've read some christian science books and they seemed pretty good, the thing I'd be worried about though is that every religion has the grass is always greener thing going on, they all look shiny on the outside and they won't let you see the inside until you've comitted yourself.

Not entirely so with Christian Science, while they do baptize and comfirm, their libraries and most of their facilities are open to everyone. My church (All Saints Episcopal) allows all to take comunion and come to the service even if you've never been in a church in your life, something very few churches do.

How about we turn this into "Deep Thoughts by Guy_Person" except they really would be deep thoguhts, or atleast deeper than Jack Handy's.

"When you throw a log into the river, does it become an alligator?"--African Proverb

"You are inevitably your bother's keeper because you are your brother's brother."--Martin Luther King, Jr.

"A master and his student were out for a stroll in an orchard, when, startled by their presence, a small bird flew hastily from his nest... 'Haha, silly bird, always aflight,' said the student reflectively. At this, the master hit at his student's shins and suddenly commanded, 'Fly!'"--Traditional Zen koan

"Before Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."--Yet another Zen koan