christian science

Christian Science is a religion based on the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. Eddy discovered Christian Science in 1866 and founded the Church of Christ, Scientist, in 1879. Her discovery revealed the science behind the spiritual healings of Christ Jesus and she shared this truth with the world in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. For over 140 years, her discovery has brought healing to thousands across the globe.

As a Christian Scientist I believe in one, infinite God who is All and all-good. I believe that God is not distant and unknowable, but that He/She is Father-Mother, all-embracing and always present, and that every individual is made in God's spiritual image, loved by God and cared for by Him. This is the nature of God seen in the life of Jesus, as related in the Gospels. Prayer that brings this understanding into focus for an individual or for a community can bring healing results. The Tenets of Christian Science are spelled out on page 497 in Science and Health.

Christian Science is often confused with Scientology, but they are not related. Some feel Christian Scientists don't believe in doctors or can't go to doctors. No church doctrine prevents Christian Scientists from seeking the healthcare of their choice. To some, Christian Science healing is considered the same as faith healing; this is also untrue.

Perhaps the most unfortunate misunderstanding of all is the continuing false rumor that Christian Scientists don't take proper care of their children. I am a life-long Christian Scientist and the Christian Scientists I know would move heaven and earth to ensure the health and well-being of their children, as I would. If you love your child, as most people do, you want them to have the most reliable and effective healthcare available. To thousands across the world that is Christian Science.

Every Christian Scientist would likely have a different answer to this question. One might respond that it has given them a priceless, operable understanding of God. Another may say it has provided them with spiritual answers to the profound questions of life. And another might respond that they have found it to be the most potent healing agent available. Why it matters? Because when you've found something that you know can be of such healing benefit to people and the world, you want to ensure it is not being overlooked due to misinformation.

From a healthcare issue alone, Christian Science can play an important role in helping to solve the current crisis. Healthcare costs in the United States continue to grow at an unsustainable rate. Christian Science provides an alternative health care system that has worked for over 140 years. Costs are significantly less than medical care and it doesn't require one to be a Christian Scientist to seek the prayerful support of a Christian Science practitioner. It requires only a receptive thought and a correct awareness of its existence.

Christian Science is the same as Scientology, right?

No, they actually have nothing in common. Tom Cruise - who is a Scientologist - occasionally uses the phrase "Christian Scientologist" which adds to the confusion due to the similarity of the two names. See About Christian Science for information on the healing system discovered by Mary Baker Eddy in 1866. (And here is a blog about the difference by my colleague in Massachusetts.)

Why is it called Christian Science?

It is profoundly Christian because it is based on the Bible and the teachings and ministry of Christ Jesus. The virgin birth, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension and the requirement to heal the sick are all central to Christian Science theology. The distinguishing text used by church members and others studying Christian Science - Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures - is not considered a replacement for the Bible, or a second Bible. Christian Scientists regularly read it alongside the Bible as a book that brings out the core message of spirituality and healing in the Scriptures, particularly the words and works of Jesus.

It's Science because it's based upon a set of spiritual principles - laws relating to the nature of God and His creation. These laws can be applied with expected, consistent results.

Is it true that Christian Scientists don't take medicine or go to doctors?

Generally, a Christian Scientist's first choice is to rely on prayer for healing, and in most cases, this means that a medical remedy is unnecessary. (Here are some examples of that.) There is no church prohibition of medical treatment, nor do Christian Scientists believe that it's God's will that anyone suffer or die. A Christian Scientist's decision to rely on prayer comes from trust, not blind faith, in God, and from experience, and from a conviction that God's care continues under every circumstance.

So, this is faith healing?

No. Faith is an important factor in reaching the spiritual understanding which brings about healing, just as each stepping-stone is an important factor in crossing a river. Christian Science, though, does not involve the blind faith of pleading with God to heal the sick and then accepting His will, good or bad. Nothing in Christian Science theology says it's God's will that anyone suffer, get sick, or die. Christian Science shows God to be entirely good, and therefore His will for each individual is only health and life.

What makes Christian Science distinct from faith healing?

The scientific approach to prayer, as taught in Christian Science, is called Christian Science treatment. It is the application of spiritual principles-who and what God is and what that means for each individual-to the specifics of any given situation. These spiritual principles, applied, have a tangible effect-such as restored relationships, financial well-being, physical healing, character transformation and so on.

What would you do if you were in a serious car accident or had a serious physical problem to face?

Most of us who are Christian Scientists would tell you that we instinctively turn to God for healing because we have seen the effectiveness of this approach in our lives. This, however, does not prevent any Christian Scientist from considering and seeking medical treatment if they choose.

Why not combine Christian Science with medical treatment and have the best of both?

In practice, Christian Scientists have found that combining these two methods just doesn't work. On the one hand, Christian Science treatment lifts thought toward a spiritual, nonmaterial view of being. Traditional medicine focuses thought and effort solely on the material body. They're based on opposite standpoints. They've found it simply works best if only one system is used.

An adult choosing prayer and not medical help is one thing, but how can you make that decision for a child?

Parents who use Christian Science treatment for a child do so because they've seen the effectiveness of this treatment in their own lives. Christian Science parents are like any other parents-they love their children and they want the very best care for them. They know they are under a moral and legal obligation to ensure that their children receive care.

What do you do in the case of communicable disease?

Christian Scientists care about their neighbors and fellow community members and gladly abide by national laws or mandates regarding quarantines, vaccinations, and the like.

Do Christian Scientists carry health insurance or life insurance?

Some have health insurance, and most probably have life insurance. Every Christian Scientist makes his or her own financial and health decisions.

Is it true that Christian Science is a cult?

No, not in any way. There is no brainwashing, mind control or blindly following a leader. The Christian Scientists I know are independent thinkers and all Christian Science branch churches are governed democratically with no personal preaching or ritualism. I deeply respect and appreciate Mary Baker Eddy, and I find the ideas in her writings indispensable in helping me along on my spiritual journey, but I don't worship her. She made it clear that she never wanted that. Christian Scientists worship God alone.

So why would anyone call it a cult? Mostly this comes from the tendency of some Christian groups to feel they are called to denounce various other denominations in this kind of pejorative way, in a manner that might itself be considered un-Christian in character.

What is a Christian Science practitioner?

Christian Science practitioners are self-employed individuals who have completed training in spiritual healing given by an authorized teacher of Christian Science, and who devote themselves full time to helping and healing of others through prayer, as they themselves have experienced it. While practitioners do not offer counseling, diagnosis, prognosis, or any physical manipulation or treatment, they do offer Christian Science treatment, as explained in an earlier question.