The following posts are from a recent tmcyouth.com online discussion on how young women have prayed about chronic monthly pain. These selected comments are not republished with the Christian Science Sentinel’s intent to endorse particular views, but to give a snapshot of current issues young people are thinking and praying about in today’s world.

amyfworth
Healing menstrual cramps is something I talk about with many women who are Christian Scientists. I was wondering if anyone could share what they have prayed with in the past? I think it would help everyone.

(more…)

I have been praying a lot about how my spiritual quest doesn’t have to make my life feel sterile or isolated because sometimes that’s what people think. Sometimes that’s what I’ve felt. But here’s what I’ve been learning: if God is really good-and Soul itself-then my spiritual quest has to be good and soulful, too. Understanding my innate spirituality makes life more colorful and enriched.

I have to admit that it doesn’t always feel that way, though. I was talking with a close friend the other day and she confided in me that she had lost her virginity. I was awash with different emotions. I felt like I was the last virgin in the world, taking a stand for a moot cause. I felt disappointed that on a certain level we couldn’t relate because I hadn’t had that life experience yet.

(more…)

by Lois Carlson

In the news recently was the announcement that the American Psychological Association is embarking on a review of its policy on counseling gays and lesbians. Gay-rights activists hope it will end with a denunciation of attempts by therapists to change sexual orientation. Conservative groups are questioning the review’s credibility because the panel is dominated by gay-rights supporters. At issue is whether or not reparative therapy or conversion therapy is useful or potentially harmful.

Reading the article I found myself thinking that it’s true if someone’s sense of identity is anchored in their sexual expression, there would be significant limits, if not cruelty, in trying to talk them out of it. Christian Science offers a completely different way to understand identity. (more…)

Have you ever heard of chastity jewelry?

According to an article by Sasha Riddle called “Pure promise: Rings gain popularity with teens,” a movement began in the 1990s when girls started wearing chastity rings to signify a commitment to abstaining from sex until marriage. Thousands of girls across the United States are wearing the symbols on their left ring finger with the idea that they will remain abstinent until it is replaced with a wedding ring. “On their wedding day they will give their rings to their husband. It is not an end, but a continuation to a life of purity.” Hutton, one of those interviewed is quoted as saying.

It’s an interesting practice I hadn’t heard about. (more…)

By Chase Clements – The Christian Science Journal, July 2006

“Do you want a drink?” my friend asked me one night last summer in the basement of his house. Two girls were there, and I didn’t want to seem like a loser. I had known that my friend was bound to ask me that question eventually, and my thoughts began darting around at light speed.

At the prep school I attend, popularity is determined by several factors: most significantly, if and how much you drink, how many “cool” parties you attend, and if you’ve had sex. When my friend offered the drink, I felt I had a fairly firm understanding of why I didn’t need it. For one, I don’t want to have to lean on external sources like alcohol to make me popular or to feel relaxed. But the only thing I could think about was how I’d appear if I said no. The fear of doing the unpopular thing began to cloud my thoughts. (more…)

An interview with TMC Youth’s Brant Arthur, Ariana Herlinger, Justin Byrd, and Ellen Hammond
Reprinted from the March 13, 2006, issue of the CS Sentinel.
Rated for teens and up.

Four young people spill their thoughts on a subject not just for young people to sort out, but one many adults also struggle to make sense of..
(more…)