Thought for the week with Laura Huxford of the Christian Science Church and Reading Room

CHRISTIAN Scientists are among those denominations which have been contributing to the Christian Comment column in this newspaper since its inception.

Gradually others have swelled the body of contributors and now in recognition of our multi-faith society, I am delighted that this column, under its new name ‘Thought for the Week’, is taking contributions from a much wider constituency.

The opportunity to read the perspective of a broad range of spiritually minded people will be most revealing.

Firstly it will highlight, I’m sure, the depth and breadth of our accord such as is seen each Tuesday morning at 8am at St Laurence Church, Stroud.

For half an hour ‘those of all faiths and none’ sit silently together for ‘meditation, mindfulness, prayer and worship’.

Those who have a little more time then enjoy a coffee and a chat.

Some time ago I had a hunch that most faiths held the ‘Golden Rule’ central to their thinking.

And so it turned out.

Charles Kingsley’s snappy version “Do as you would be done by” in The Water Babies is echoed and often elaborated in a great many faiths and ethical traditions.

The Golden Rule is the basis of the legal systems and moral codes of society.

We agree, in the main, that this is how we should behave.

But how is this to be achieved?

Through will power?

Through fear?

Sometimes emotions try to take over and I find something stronger is needed to prevent my flouting the Golden Rule. Experience has taught me that quickly realigning my thinking to God, good’s all-power prevents me losing my cool and saying or doing something which I would regret.

Hopefully this column will also contribute to dispelling misunderstandings and stereotypes that bear little relation to the actual.

Most faiths suffer a degree of misunderstanding.

To address this, the Christian Science Church in Stroud has asked international speaker, Michelle Nanouche, to give a free talk “Christian Science: what it is and how it works” next Sunday, February 10, at 2pm at the Hill in Merrywalks.

This will be followed by a question and answer session.