By Wendy Margolese, Christian Science Media Representative for Ontario and Legislative Liaison for Canada.
Will there be enough money in our provincial health-care pot to satisfy your health needs now and in the (near) future?
The premiers for the provinces and territories met in Victoria this month to discuss the take-it-or-leave-it funding offer presented by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty last December. Some provinces regard this as the starting point of negotiations for the funding of a new model; others accept that this is a non-negotiable offer that may only be tweaked in nature.
They are united, however, in their concern as to how the new funding model will satisfy the rising cost of health care in the future.
The new model gives the provinces freedom to sort out their own health- care priorities and their specific application of Ottawa dollars. However, with that freedom comes more responsibility to manage rising costs……….Read more
By Anna Bowness-Park
Anna is a Christian Science practitioner of spiritual healing and spokesperson for Christian Science in British Columbia.
The time for thinkers has come,” Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, wrote on the first page of her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which explains her discoveries about the nature of God and man, and the connection to our health. What does she mean when she calls this age the “time for thinkers”?
Christianity is often viewed as a “doing” and “talking” religion rather than a thoughtful one, but this is a misconception that would put an entire religion into one tidy box. Actually there are many different contemplative practices within Christianity and Christian Science is one of them. However, unlike some meditation practices, Christian Science does not require emptying the mind of thought, but instead looks to gaining a sense of closeness with God, our divine source. There are many forms of prayer, but in Christian Science it is a contemplative action, where a sense of peace is not centered in oneself, nor a pleading with God to change something. Rather this practice of prayer is a willingness to let go of how the problem looks, and be willing to see the problem from a spiritual perspective – in other words, “to think.”
Contemplative prayer is a discipline, which has afforded me and countless others many insightful and healing moments. Old hurts and memories have slipped away, fears overcome, and new perspectives have been gained. Health has often been restored. It is the moment when the restless turning of the hamster wheel of thought ceases…….read more
By Anna Bowness-Park
Today the Times Colonist launched a new weekly Community Page in their print edition, and online, to encourage discussion and sharing of religion and spirituality in the community. I wrote this one to launch the page.
For many people, talking about spiritual or religious issues is not for public conversation. There are those who have no spiritual beliefs or may be opposed to religion. Others have experienced it as a source of conflict, and don’t want to be “told” what to think or how to live. And some feel it’s just too personal to discuss, or they hold back for fear of offending others.
All such perspectives are valid. Yet is this really practical in our multicultural and multi-faith society? How do we learn to understand our neighbours if we don’t talk about something that affects so many parts of our society – from family life and the workplace, to community services for the needy and vulnerable, charitable giving to countries stricken with war and disasters, and even to our festivals, holidays, foods and health?
Five years ago, I attended a provincial government health forum that included conversations about the role of spirituality in health care. This event left me wondering: Is there a way to talk about spirituality in all areas of life, in constructive ways – that help us see the world from others’ perspectives and dispel misunderstandings, rather than adding to them?
To read more of this article you can go to the Times Colonist site: ……http://www.timescolonist.com/Respect+vital+discussions+religion/5996339/story.html#ixzz1jSYfiGLk
By Wendy Margolese, Christian Science Media Representative for Ontario and Legislative Liaison for Canada.
Of course, you are thinking, I would/should be writing about something like this! But guess what….I got this from an article “Thank God for Health…” from the International Business Times by L.J. Polintan.
His article talks about various studies that show the following links:….continue reading
By Tony Lobl, a Christian Science Practitioner in the U.K. and blogger with the Huffington Post
Lemmings – those furry little rodents that regularly throw all caution to the wind and jump into the seething ocean convinced they are going to get to the other side.
By now many of us have done a good job of imitating them in the ritual of the New Year’s Resolution.
We have (to a greater or lesser extent) willingly thrown ourselves into the chasm of commitment, convinced that what is really just another day has some magical component which will miraculously allow us to swim against the tide of our human nature.
Unlike many of the lemmings, of course, we live to tell the tale of floundering against the waves of character reform inertia. We live to feel the bruises caused by the returning surf bringing back the debris of whatever habits or traits we had resolved to confine to the dustbin of our personal history.
And that’s just 1 January. By 2 January…well, you get the picture…...continue reading
By Russ Gerber
Russ is a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science healing. He manages media and government relations for the Christian Science Church headquartered in Boston, and recently published this article on the Huffington Post
Penny Sarchet doesn’t think of herself as a detective, but she’s been acting like one. She recently received a prize for her science essay on the nocebo effect, one of the winning entries in a writing contest sponsored by the Wellcome Trust in association with the Guardian andThe Observer, who have been on the lookout throughout the UK for the next generation of outstanding science writers.
Like any good detective, Sarchet carefully examined the evidence, the scientific research, on nocebos (harmful effects linked to a harmless substance — the opposite of placebo effect). This led her to some compelling observations about the link between a negative mental state and physical suffering………continue reading
By Anna Bowness-Park, British Columbia
I was reading an article in “Psychology Today” regarding depression at Christmas, and some of the reasons why people find this time of year so difficult. Everyone is running around wishing each other a Merry Christmas, and asking if you are “ready” for Christmas, when clearly some of us are feeling neither merry nor ready,http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201011/why-people-get-depressed-christmas
As I go about my Christmas preparations this year, I remember to slow down……and find the time to reach out, and really listen to those around me who are struggling in so many ways…….continue reading here
By Eric Nelson
Eric is a Christian Scientist who likes to follow and write about trends in science, theology, and medicine (seewww.norcalchristianscience.com).
When I was a kid growing up in San Diego, our family would usually get a call from our relatives in Indiana right around Christmastime. Inevitably and predictably they’d try and convince us that the snowy-cold Midwest was a lot more “Christmassy” than the toasty clime of southern California.
“Oh really?” would be Mom’s dry retort. “Are you familiar with Bethlehem? The last time I checked, the place was covered with date palms and olive trees, very much like the ones I see growing outside my window. And I don’t remember reading anything about the Wise Men trudging through snow on their way to the manger. If you ask me, San Diego is a lot more Christmassy than South Bend.”
Good one Mom!
These days we’re so inundated with images of icicles, evergreens, and sleigh rides that we’ve pretty much forgotten what the original Christmas must have looked like, not to mention the enduring significance of this event……continue reading
By Wendy Margolese
Christian Science Media Representative for Ontario and Legislative Liaison for Canada.
What tools are available to help us achieve health and wellbeing?
We live in such a small global world now. Each day, newspapers inform us of world events, and how they affect and influence politics, culture and health. Regardless of country, language or culture, however, each person (and there are 7 billion of us!) strives for a healthful and satisfying life.
What tools have you used to achieve health and wellbeing?…..continue reading
By Anna Bowness-Park
Christmas! Ah . . . the word conjures up a whole world of thoughts, emotions and events for many people. These remembrances are as varied as the Christmas decorations you see all around. This is the time of year that people love, but also when they often feel the most stressed. Financial stress, time stress, food stress, relationship stress and so on. Is this really what Christmas has become? People even tell me they suffer from “holiday stress,” as if it’s an illness. I wonder how we got to this point!
Instead of debating and wondering about the origin, I have taken a stand over the last few years: stress is not invited or welcome to my Christmas! Not invited? That’s right. It is a conscious decision every day this month……….continue reading
