Frequently Asked Questions
What is Christian Science?
Christian Science is a Christian denomination based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and on the Bible as a whole and on the unchangeable laws of God, which enabled Jesus to heal disease and sin and overcome death. Its followers strive to fulfill his promise 2,000 years ago that those who follow in his footsteps would also be able to heal as he did and find salvation (see, for example John 14:12). They also take to heart Jesus’s instruction to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37, Luke 10:27).
What do Christian Scientists believe?
Christian Scientists believe that God is infinite, all good, the only power and Love itself. They understand Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, who came to earth to heal and save mankind. His healing ministry and inspired teachings are regarded as a guide to a spiritual and practical way of life. They also acknowledge God’s forgiveness of sin, provided it is first forsaken. Christian Scientists accept the virgin birth, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ as factual events. They believe Jesus’s life points the way to an uplifted understanding of us all as God’s children, made in His “image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26).
What is Christian science healing?
For Christian Scientists, healing is not simply the cure of ailments or other problems in their lives. It is a transformative experience of the holy power and reality of God’s immense love for His children. Its followers believe that God’s love is so consistently available and demonstrable that it can be understood as divine law. Christian Science healing traces to the healing ministry of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible. This saw him heal all kinds of diseases and disabilities, including leprosy, blindness, paralysis, insanity and so on. He urged his followers to go and do likewise, recognising that his healing power was available to everyone in every age. We know from the New Testament that his disciples carried on healing after his ascension, and we know from historical accounts that healing through spiritual means continued in Christian communities for several centuries beyond the biblical record. In February 1866 Mary Baker Eddy suffered a debilitating injury, and when she turned to her Bible a few days later, she had a profound experience of God’s healing power. She came to realise that the healing she experienced wasn’t a one-off miracle, but was founded on the Bible record that God created His children in His image and likeness. Not long afterwards Eddy began healing others as well as teaching students to heal for themselves, which, over time, led to the practice of Christian Science healing around the world.
Who is Mary Baker Eddy?
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, was born in the early 19th century to New England parents. Her father was a staunch Calvinist and a reader in his local Congregational church. Through him and her deeply caring mother the Bible became the centrepiece of Mary’s life. She turned to it constantly throughout her long life (1821-1910).
During her childhood and into adulthood, Mary suffered recurring and sometimes severe illness. She searched in various directions for a way to relieve her suffering, but met with little success. In February 1866, after a fall on the ice which led to a debilitating injury that put her survival into question, she turned to the Bible.While reading an account of one of Jesus’ healings, she experienced divine illumination that resulted in healing. As she later wrote, “In the year 1866, I discovered the Christ Science or divine laws of Life, Truth, and Love”(1). To understand more fully the nature of what she had discovered and its applicability in solving human problems of all kinds, she spent three years in deep Bible study. She came to believe that her discovery of God’s healing power was the heart of original Christianity and something that could bring great hope and healing to humanity. She named this discovery Christian Science.
In the years that followed she committed her discovery to paper in her seminal work Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. She also taught others how to heal and founded the worldwide Church of Christ, Scientist. She went on to launch several church magazines, and then, in her 87th year, she established The Christian Science Monitor, a Pulitzer prize-winning international newspaper.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 107:1-3
Is Christian Science Christian?
The heart of Christian Science involves a sincere commitment to following Christ Jesus’ teaching and life-example by living each day in response to God’s saving grace. Jesus said, “I am the way,” and this way of unselfed love is what Christian Scientists strive to live in their everyday lives. For Christian Scientists, being Christian means pursuing an authentic, Christ-centered way, which prioritizes worship of God and loving one’s neighbors, along with healing sickness and sin through the power of God’s love, thus following the examples of Jesus and his disciples. The Church of Christ, Scientist was founded with the intent to “reinstate primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing.”
What is the “Science” in Christian Science?
Mary Baker Eddy thought deeply about the relationship between Christianity and science at a time when the foundations of modern science were still being laid. When a scientist develops a hypothesis, it is typically tested through experiments or demonstrations. Instances where those demonstrations show consistent results can point to a scientific rule, principle, or law. For Eddy the term “Science” was not a study of the physical world, but involved the study and application of a systematized understanding of unchanging laws governing the universe, which she viewed as fundamentally spiritual. She saw Jesus’ life, teaching, and healing works as evidence of spiritual law. Thus Christian Science is an explanation of the vast reality that Jesus saw. And as the word science implies, it is based on a divine law that is understood to be unchanging and ever available to all who wish to use it. While Christian Scientists recognize this association between science and their understanding of Christianity, they are not arguing that their faith is another branch of physical science. It should also be noted that Christian Scientists see the value that conventional sciences bring to humanity, and a good number of Christian Scientists have pursued careers in various scientific fields.
How do Christian Scientists deal with contagion?
While the practice of spiritual healing remains deeply meaningful to Christian Scientists -- and has yielded many documented cures of contagious diseases -- as committed Christians, who place high value on the Golden Rule, we are also mindful of the public concerns that contagious outbreaks provoke. For well over a century our church has counseled members to obey laws and official healthcare guidelines concerning vaccinations, quarentines, social distancing, and the like. The true spirit of healing always requires conscientious wisdom, consideration for people’s needs, and the tender inspiration of love for all God’s children of every faith and background.
While individual church members make their own decisions, within the boundaries of laws and official guidelines, when faced with contagious disease, most rely upon God as an ever-present help. Christian Scientists don’t see God as the source of contagion, sickness or fear, but as divine Love, “who heals all your diseases” (Ps. 103:3). Christian Scientists have found it is possible to follow, to some degree, in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, who healed contagious disease in the same way he healed other afflictions.