Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Religion

Putting faith in God, not medicine

Christian Scientists are doing well in New Port Richey. One robust retiree says she has few sick days, despite shying away from doctors.

By EBONY WINDOM
Published February 12, 2005

NEW PORT RICHEY - When Jane Lindsley gets sick, God is her remedy, she says.

And Lindsley puts full confidence in her faith.

So much so that she refuses medicine. And even dismisses doctors.

As a Christian Scientist, Lindsley relies solely on prayer. But, she insists, her sick days are few and far between. While Lindsley won't reveal her age, she says she's a robust retiree who has no problems getting around.

Thanks, she says, to Christian Science.

"Jesus did not use drugs," said Lindsley. "Medicines are no part of Christian Science. ... We use prayer and spiritual healing as a first resort. And we just don't mix medical theory and spiritual healing. If you're trusting in God to take care of every detail of your experience, then there has to be radical reliance on God for your healing."

And many folks at the First Church of Christ, Scientist in New Port Richey feel the same way.

Christian Science differs from the Church of Scientology. The former is a controversial Christian denomination that combines spirituality with the laws of science. And the Christian Science directory boasts churches scattered throughout the world, including London, South Africa and the Netherlands. In Pasco County, the First Church of Christ, Scientist is one of two churches. The other is in Zephyrhills.

The denomination is based in Boston, and was founded by 19th century author Mary Baker Eddy. Back then, spiritual healing was a revolutionary topic. And even today, followers insist Eddy was "way ahead of her time."

Christian Science is centered around two texts: the Bible and Eddy's book Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures.

There is no minister.

"The pastor is the Bible and Science and Health," said Lindsley.

Members use a democratic process to select a pair of lay readers to conduct weekly worship. At First Church of Christ, Scientist, both Lindsley and Christine Naumann are readers.

This New Port Richey church meets for worship in a fancy, 250-seat auditorium. The room boasts padded theater seats and elaborate brass chandeliers. In the foyer is a pastel painting of Eddy. Most members are seniors, some are snowbirds who live up North part of the year.

But in St. Petersburg, two Christian Science churches combined amid rumors of dwindling membership, the St. Petersburg Times reported in 2000. But the theory was hard to prove because, as a rule, Christian Scientists don't keep a count of the number of members. Even at the New Port Richey branch, they won't disclose it. But Lindsley says new faces pop up every few weeks.

In Christian Science, branches around the world are in sync. Each church studies the same scripture and passages each week.

Healing is a big part of it, too.

At First Church of Christ, Science members meet on Wednesdays to share testimonies. Instead of doctors and medicine, they rely on prayer and Christian Science practitioners who are trained healers.

For them, healing does not involve the laying on of hands. Simply fervent prayer.

"I've had healings for all kinds of things," said Sandy Myers, a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist. "From simple coughs and colds to pains that I didn't know what they were. I would get up, and I would pray or I would read the Bible and Science and Health. I never went to a doctor, so I didn't know what the pain was. But, within a day or two I was totally healed. And that pain never came back again."

Many members can recount similar stories. Once, an accident involving a pressure cooker severely burned Lindsley. She didn't seek medical attention. Instead, Lindsley says she relied on prayer. A half-hour later, the ugly burn remained, but the pain was gone, she says. Within two weeks, the burn had "healed beautifully."

Lindsley's faith has kept her away from many a clinic. In fact, she insisted she's never visited a doctor in her entire life. Having been raised a Christian Scientist, Lindsley said she was taught to put her faith in God. Her father was a Christian Science practitioner, too.

The avoidance of medical care is one reason Christian Science has been at the center of controversy. God's Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church outlines what the author, Caroline Fraser, considers to be the dangers of Christian Science. In it, Fraser, a former Christian Scientist, recalls how a childhood friend died of appendicitis, a very treatable illness. Even the prayers of practitioners couldn't save him, according to the book.

But for Christian Scientists, the option to seek medical attention is a matter of choice, Lindsley said. And they would never put children in danger, especially in dire situations, she said. But it's a parent's choice.

Christian Scientist Jane Snow sought the help of a skin specialist during a nasty bout with shingles. But Snow insists the doctor only diagnosed the illness. She says she used "prayerful work" to treat it. And, to her relief, the pimply rash disappeared, said Snow, who attends the church in New Port Richey.

"Everyone has the ability to heal," Lindsley said. "If they know what to do ... sometimes (healing) is instantaneous. Sometimes it takes a lot of diligence and prayer."

[Last modified February 12, 2005, 00:24:15]