Christian Science

The First Church of Christ, Scientist

 

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

 HISTORY

 

Mary Ann Morse Baker was born in Bow, New Hampshire in 1821 on July 16th. She was the youngest child of the family; she had three brothers and two sisters.

 

She was raised a Congregationalist by her parents, Mark and Abigail Baker. Her parents were strict Calvinists in theological beliefs.

 

She was often sick both physically and emotionally her first 22 years of life. She had terrible attacks of hysteria which would come in waves and could be triggered by next to nothing.

 

In 1836 her family moved to Tilton, New Hampshire where she came into contact with “Shakers.” This religious faith was initiated by a woman named Ann Lee. It is believed that many of Mary’s religious and organizational beliefs were influenced by this contact. Similarities between the Shaker faith and Christian Science are: 1.) Both pray to Father-Mother God, 2.) Both had woman initiate the faith, 3.) Both women were called mother by followers, 4.) The first church organized by each faith was called the Mother Church, 5.) They both are opposed to audible prayer, 6.) Miraculous healings were attributed to the women who started these faiths.

 

In 1838 Mary joined the Congregational Church in Tilton, New Hampshire.

 

In December of 1843 at 22 years of age she was married to George W. Glover. Seven months later George died of yellow fever. Mary was then pregnant and his death left her very mentally unstable and an invalid who relied on morphine to cope with life.

 

At the age of 30 she began to show great interest in what was called mesmerism, magnetism and sometimes hypnotism. Because of this interest, she developed a habit of falling into trances. Mary did dabble in spiritism and its effects. She denied this later. To illustrate Mary’s occasional delving into spiritism, below is an account of a séance, one of many she was involved in during her life. This occurred in 1864 and is described by Edwin Dakin. “One day when Mrs. Patterson (Eddy) and Mrs. Crosby had seated themselves around a table in a darkened room they waited long and silently for the table to begin it’s customary rappings…Suddenly Mrs. Patterson leaned stiffly backward with closed eyes and commenced talking in a hoarse deep voice. The voice said that it was Albert Baker, Mary’s brother who had died years before.” I would also include here a sample of a “spirit writing,” which by Christian standards are writings originating from demons. This particular “spirit writing was recorded in the house where they were at the time: “P. Quimby of Portland has the spiritual truth of diseases. You must imbibe it to be healed. Go to him again and lean on no matter or spiritual medium.” We will learn more of Dr. Quimby later.

 

On June 21st, 1853 Mary was wed to Dr. Daniel M. Patterson a local dentist. Thirteen years later she divorced him on the grounds of abandonment. He was reported to have been unfaithful to her.

 

Mary went to Portland, Main in 1862 and became a patient of Dr. Quimby for a “spinal inflammation.” Dr. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby had labeled his system of mental healing in the 1850’s, “The Science of Man,” and used such phrases as “The Science of Christ,” “The Science of Health,” and “Christian Science.” His technique for healing involved hypnotism and laying on of hands. He stated, “This is my theory; to put man in possession of a science that will destroy the ideas of the sick, and teach man one living profession of his own identity with life free from error and disease.” He also said, “God is wisdom…The sick are strangers to this wisdom…The wisdom is superior to opinions…Opinions are nothing but error that man has embraced…There is no wisdom in matter…God is truth and there is no other truth…understanding is God…All science is a part of God…Disease being made by a belief…is the work of the devil or error…Now if you can face the error and argue it down then you can cure the sick.” Dr. Quimby died on January 16, 1866 of a tumor he supposedly had mental control of.

 

In November of 1862 Mary announced P.P. Quimby had healed her of her illness. She praised Dr. Quimby then, but later described him as an “unlearned man.” Dr. Quimby called his techniques, “Science of Health.” Mary called her book “Science and Health with a key to the Scriptures.”

 

One month after Quimby’s death on February 1, 1866, Mary fell on a slippery sidewalk and was supposedly diagnosed “incurable” and given three days to life by Dr. Alwin M. Cushing. Supposedly on the third day, Mary asked for a Bible. She read Matthew 9:2-8 and rose from her bed completely healed. This she claims was the beginning of Christian Science. Dr. Cushing denied under oath on August 23, 1879, that he ever diagnosed or stated she was in a terminal physical condition. Nevertheless, she claims this experience was similar to Jesus’ death and resurrection from the grave.

 

From 1867 to 1870, Mary taught from Quimby’s manuscripts, claimed the teachings were her own and lived with a Mrs. Wentworth in Stoughton, Massachusetts.

 

Mary married Asa G. Eddy in 1874. She was now 56, though she wrote 40 on the marriage license. Asa was a former student of hers and the first to be given the title “Christian Science Practitioner.” Asa Eddy died of a coronary thrombosis. Mary contested the autopsy report on Asa and the physician chosen by her to contest it verified her suspicions of Asa dying of “arsenic poisoning mentally administered.” It was found out that the doctor Mary chose, a Dr. C.J. Eastman dean of Bellview Medical College in Boston, was running an abortion factory and had no medical license. He was sent to prison for his law breaking practices eventually.

 

Due largely to a revolt from her students, Mary left Lynn, Massachusetts and came to Boston and opened what came to be known as, “The Massachusetts Metaphysical College.” Here she taught from 1881 to 1889. She had over 4,000 students under her instruction at $300 per student. Advertisements for the college indicated tuition was strictly to be paid in advance and invalids were not admitted. While there, Mary completed her “Science and Health” which was published in 1875. Edwin Dakin’s comments about the author of the book “Mrs. Eddy,” were, “the first edition was a crude and amateurish piece of writing which bore self-evident contradictions on every page, not to speak of errors in grammar and composition even more striking than those in logic.”

 

Mary obtained a charter for her college on January 31, 1881, under a Massachusetts Act of 1874 a very lenient and poorly devised law. The purpose of her college as stated in the charter was to teach “pathology, ontology, therapeutics, moral science, metaphysics, and their application to the treatment of diseases.”

 

In 1875 the first church services were held by Mary in Templars Hall. In 1879 on August 23rd, The Church of Christ, Scientist was incorporated. The headquarters were set up in Boston, and Mary became the first Pastor and President. There were 26 charter members. Later in Boston in 1882 there were 50 members in total at the church meeting. In 1890 250 healers were located all over the country, with 20 incorporated. The headquarters were set up in Boston and Mary became the first Pastor and President. There were 26 charter members.

 

Mary wrote a letter to the Boston Post dated June 5, 1882 where she accused some of her previous students of killing her husband with mental arsenic by malicious mesmerism.

 

Between 1880 and 1887, Mary wrote four pamphlets, “Christian Science Healing,” “The People’s Idea of God,” “Defense of Christian Science” and “A Historical Sketch of Metaphysical Healing.” The Journal, a monthly publication included according to Edwin Dakin, a monthly list of “thoughts, desires and preachments to others.”

 

From 1885 to 1891 a retired Unitarian Minister was Mrs. Eddy’s literary advisor. It appears that he was needed to polish up the consistency and grammar of Science and Health.

 

On February 11, 1886 delegates from the Massachusetts Metaphysical College and other organizations met in New York and established, “The National “Association.”

 

Fed up with lack of control and according to Mary, much disloyalty in the church, Mrs. Eddy abolished all formal organization. In 1890 the Massachusetts Metaphysical College Association disorganized and the constitution and bylaws were abolished. The National Association was also dissolved. Mrs. Eddy began to work secretly to build another closed corporation. Membership was closely scrutinized. This was done to eliminate any future disloyalty to Mrs. Eddy.

 

Without knowledge of other church members, Mrs. Eddy raised money for another church building and on May 21, 1894 the structure was begun. On December 30, 1894 the Mother Church Building was finished. It included within its structure, a chapel for Mrs. Eddy. It was called the Mother’s Room. It was to be used by Mrs. Eddy and only her when she came to her temple. Only four people at a time were allowed to enter this chamber to visit her.

 

In 1895 Mrs. Eddy abolished Pastors and established only Readers. Science and Health now would be the only Pastor available to the people to adore. Readers must read only from a copyrighted Science and Health. Readers were permitted the office only three years. This was to further protect her influence. She constantly added rules and regulations to prevent divisions or free religious discussion within the church.

 

In 1896 Mrs. Eddy’s churches and societies numbered over 400 and membership had increased almost 900%.

 

In 1899 the Metaphysical College was reopened with Mrs. Eddy the president.

 

In 1903 Mrs. Eddy’s health was progressively worse and she came under the care of physicians. She died on a December night in 1910 and was buried at Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

 

Upon Mrs. Eddy’s death a struggle ensued for her holdings and leadership. At her death the Christian Science Board of Directors took control of the organization, and obtained from the Massachusetts Supreme Court legal right for this authority. A split occurred and Mrs. Annie C. Bill of London formed “The Christian Science Parent Church,” John V. Dittemore a member of the Christian Science Board of Directors joined Mrs. Bill and proclaimed her Mrs. Eddy’s successor. On February 6, 1924 Mrs. Eddy’s name was stricken from the list of active officers and this solidified the Board of Director’s claim to power. The Christian Science Parent Church faded away and is not active today.

 

 

Science and Health with a Key to the Scriptures

 

This book authored by Mrs. Eddy was published in 1875. Despite Mrs. Eddy’s claim that she was the founder of Christian Science and the sole author of Science and Health, her book contains many plagiarisms from P. P. Quimby’s manuscripts and from the writings of a Francis Lieber. Mrs. Eddy compiled and combined these men’s works into her own book edited by Rev. J. H. Wiggin a retired Unitarian minister. Mrs. Eddy was so bold as to copy word for word 33 pages and 100 pages in essence into Science and Health, with a Key to the Scriptures, from Dr. Lieber’s writings on Hegel’s work. Francis Lieber was a distinguished German-American publisher who wrote on the philosophy of Hegel a great German philosopher. Francis Lieber wrote, “The Metaphysical Religion of Hegel.” Mrs. Eddy said of her teachings, “I should blush to write of Science of heaven in divine metaphysics, I cannot be super-modest of the Christian Science textbook.” She claims in her book, “outside of Christian Science all is vague and hypothetical, the opposite of truth…” She also claims that the complete spiritual meaning of the Bible is explained in her book. Members of Christian Science believe that without her book they would not have the Bible’s full meaning available. Science and Health is really looked upon as the final authority in matters of truth.

 

Christian Science Beliefs versus the Bible

 

I have included below a listing of some of the major beliefs of the Christian Science Faith. Under these beliefs, I list Bible verses they use to support these doctrines. I do not go into great detail to show how they misuse these verses to support their doctrine. If you study the context of the verses you can see how they err. You should have a good understanding of these verses and others to properly defend the faith when encountering members of Christian Science. Most of their beliefs come from Mrs. Eddy’s writings so quotes are included to inform you better of the source of their doctrine. CS stands for Christian Science beliefs. Quotes are Mrs. Eddy’s.

 

GOD

 

CS: Christian Scientists believe that God is love, principle, life, truth, soul, spirit, and mind. God is all. “He is the divine principle of all being.” God therefore is an illusive impersonal being. Whatever is good is God and therefore exists. Anything that is not good does not exist according to Mrs. Eddy’s beliefs.

 

BIBLE: God has various attributes to His character such as love. He is truthful. He is spirit. But God is not an impersonal force. He is a loving God that we can have a personal relationship with. God remembers; Isaiah 43:45, Psalms 79:8, Jeremiah 31:20, Hosea 8:13. He speaks, Isaiah 42:8, Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 43:10-13, 44:6, Matthew 17:5, Hebrews 1:1. He hears, sees and creates, Genesis 6:5, Exodus 2:24, Numbers 11:1, Genesis 1:1. He knows, 2 Timothy 2:19, 1 John 3:20, Jeremiah 29:11, Ezekiel 18:30, 34:20, 2 Corinthians 5:10. He is personal and relational, John 4:24, 10:7, 9. A principle or element of truth cannot remember, speak or hear. The God of Mrs. Eddy is an “it,” not the personal and relational God of the Bible with whom we can have a relationship.

 

CHRIST

 

CS: “Jesus the Galilean prophet, was born of the virgin Mary’s spiritual thoughts of life and its manifestations.” “A portion of God could not enter corporeal mortal man; neither could His feelings be reflected by Him, or God would be manifestly finite, lose the deific character and become less than God.” “The Spiritual Christ was infallible; Jesus, as material manhood, was not Christ.” “The invisible Christ was imperceptible to the so-called personal senses, whereas Jesus appeared as a bodily existence. This dual personality of the unseen and the seen, the spiritual and material, the eternal Christ and the corporeal Jesus manifest in the flesh, continued until the Master’s ascension.” Christ’s purpose on earth according to Christian Science was to redeem man from his belief in mortality. Jesus’ mission was to show man that his true nature was spiritual. The healings Jesus performed were not miracle but applied natural spiritual law. Therefore Jesus was a person, Christ is a divine idea. Jesus was the human who lived the concept of Christ. From the above quotes it appears Jesus no longer exists but the concept of Christ does. Jesus was not God according to Mrs. Eddy because He claimed He was the “Son” of God. Further analysis reveals the Christian Science Church believes that Jesus never suffered, died or resurrected. Jesus reproduced His body from the grave and He ascended to heaven as an idea according to this false belief system.

 

BIBLE: Christ Jesus is one in the same, God incarnate in human flesh. Jesus has existed for all time and will continue to exist. Jesus is His personal name, Christ is His official name and refers to His office of Messiah. The names appear in the Bible often interchangeably and occasionally at the same time in various order. Jesus was God but because He was in human form He possessed human attributes and limitations, while at the same time being endowed with the power of God to perform miracles. Jesus definitely suffered, died, and rose from the grave spiritually and physically. The body with which He resurrected was a glorified one, similar to the one we will receive as Christians when we enter Heaven. Jesus Christ now resides in Heaven at the right hand of the Father. John 1, Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Micah 5:2, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:30-38.

 

CHRIST’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION

 

CS: Christ never died according to those involved in the Christian Science Church. Mrs. Eddy states, “He was alive, demonstrating within the narrow tomb, the power of spirit to destroy human, material sense.” “To accommodate Himself to immature ideas of spiritual power…Jesus called the body which by this power He raised from the grave, ‘Flesh and bones.’” Christ’s purpose, according to Mrs. Eddy, was to show man that his real nature was spiritual. Christian Scientists believe that death is an incident in the dream of mortality, an experience of the mortal mind, not the divine mind. Death can be eliminated, by full realization of Divine Truth. By progressively improving one’s spiritual understanding, true immortality can be achieved. “One sacrifice, however great is insufficient to pay the debt of sin.” says Mrs. Eddy.

 

BIBLE: Christ Jesus died as anyone would with the torture He suffered and physical abuse He received. Jesus, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Father all raised the body of Jesus Christ from the grave due to His PRAYER sinless life. Jesus Christ’s purpose on earth was threefold. First to set an example to follow as He lived on the earth. Secondly it was to fulfill prophecy in God’s Word concerning the Messiah. Lastly and most importantly He was to die as an adequate sacrifice for the sins of mankind so that those who would believe in Him as their Lord and Savior could be saved from their sins. This sacrifice was a total and completely acceptable sacrifice. True eternal life can only come from accepting the death of Christ, His bodily resurrection and submitting to Him as your Lord and Savior. We can in no way earn eternal life. Hebrews 9:27, Philippians 2:8, 1 Peter 2:24, John 19:33, Matthew 27:58-60, Romans 5:6-8, 1 Corinthians 15:17, 20-22, Exodus 12:13, Leviticus 17:11, Psalms 22, Isaiah 53, Daniel 9:26, Matthew 26:28, 28:5-7, Luke 24:39, John 1:29, 19:33, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:20.

 

SATAN’S EXISTENCE

 

CS: “The beliefs of the human mind rob and ensalve it, and then impute this result to another elusive personification, named Satan.” “There was never a moment in which evil was real.” In essence, evil and Satan do not exist for only good exists.

 

BIBLE: Satan, his demons and evil all exist whether we want to believe in them or not. They are greatly discussed in the Bible. This does not say that God created or is responsible for their works, but simply that in order to have true love and free will from His creation, there is potential and capacity in this creation to choose evil as a behavior. I Chronicles 21:1, Job 1:6, Luke 22:3, Romans 16:20, 2 Corinthians 2:11, 11:14, 1 Thessalonians 2:18, 1 Timothy 5:15, Luke 8:2.

 

HELL AND HEAVEN

 

CS: “The sinner makes his own hell by doing evil, and the saint his own heaven by doing right.” There actually is no physical place called hell to those in Christian Science. Hell is defined as, “Mortal belief; error; lust; remorse; hatred; revenge…self imposed agony; effects of sin; that which worketh abomination or maketh a lie.” Heaven to a person involved in Christian Science is, “Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of soul.” Heave to the person in Christian Science is also not an actual place. “Heaven is not a locality, but a divine state of Mind in which all the manifestations of Mind are harmonious and immortal, because sin is not there…”

 

BIBLE: Hell and Heaven both exist and are actual places where specific people reside for eternity. Ezekiel 32:21, Isaiah 14:4-17, Matthew 25:31-46, 13:41-43, 2 Peter 2:17, Jude 13, Revelation 19:20, 20:10, 21:8, John 5:24, 3:36.

 

SALVATION

 

CS: “Man as God’s idea is already saved with an everlasting salvation.” “Final deliverance from error-whereby freedom, and sinless sense – is neither reached through paths of flowers, nor by pinning one’s faith to another’s vicarious effort.” “The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin, when it was shed upon the accursed tree, than when it was flowing in His veins.” Salvation according to Mrs. Eddy was not a personal deliverance from sin but, “boundless freedom and sinless sense.” Salvation to the person believing in Christian Science is actually, being saved from the illusions and delusions of mortal sense that is the sense of being susceptible to sickness and death.

 

BIBLE: Salvation according to the Word of God is a free gift of God. We must commit ourselves to Jesus Christ in order to have eternal life. Only by believing in the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus will one be saved. No one is saved until this decision is made. The history in the Bible testifies to the fact that a perfect blood sacrifice is necessary to atone for the sins of men. Jesus was the only acceptable sacrifice that could completely and finally atone for the sins of mankind. By our obedience in life to our Lord Jesus we testify to the fact that we are truly saved and are in the process of becoming more like Christ each day. 1 John 5:20, John 17:3, 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 10:28, 14:6, 1 Timothy 4:10, John 3:3, 17:24, Matthew 9:13, 1 Peter 3:18, Acts 16:31, Romans 3:23, 6:23.

 

PRAYER

 

CS: “Prayer can neither change God, nor bring His designs into mortal modes…I have no objection to audible prayer of the right kind; but inaudible is more effectual.” “If prayer nourishes the belief that sin is cancelled, and that man is made better by merely praying, it is an evil. He grows worse, who continues in sins because he thinks himself forgive.” “Prayer to a personal God hinders spiritual growth.” “The danger from audible prayer is that it might lead us into temptation.” “Don’t plead with God. God is not influenced by man.” Those in Christian Science believe that prayer is actually scientific and can achieve healing. They believe living is praying and understand God is accomplished by praying.

 

BIBLE: Prayer is a good and necessary way to communicate, fellowship and petition God. God has given us prayer to be used in our Christian life for all the reasons given above. Prayer is not set to any particular method or style but a requirement is that a person has an honest and correct attitude when approaching God in prayer. You should be seeking God’s will and direction and have a desire to commune with Him. Prayer should not be senseless repetitions nor be done in a manor to impress men. Prayer is a vitally important part of the Christian life. God wishes us to participate in carrying out His will and prayer is the least that we can do and most of the time the most powerful thing which we can do. Matthew 6:9, Mark 14:41, Luke 18:1, 2 Corinthians 13:7, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, James 5:13-16.

 

MAN

 

CS: “Man originated not from dust, materially, but from spirit, spiritually.” “Man is God’s image and likeness; whatever is possible to God, is possible to man as God’s reflection.” “Therefore man is God.” “man is not matter…made up of brains, blood, bones and other material elements…man is spiritual and perfect, and because of this he must be so understood to Christian Science…” “…man is incapable of sin…” According to those believing in Christian Science because man is created in God’s image, man cannot sin. Sin does not exist.

 

BIBLE: Man did originate from the dust of the ground and is a creation of God. Mankind was made in God’s image, that is not an exact likeness, it is one of similarity. We possess traits and characteristics that resemble those God possesses. Man can and did sin. This alienates us from fellowship with God and therefore makes it necessary for someone to bridge this gap. This is the work that Christ Jesus accomplished. Genesis 1-3, Isaiah 43:27, Romans 2-6.

 

SICKNESS, DEATH AND SIN

 

CS: “Being destroyed, sin needs no other form of forgiveness…To get rid of sin, through science, is to divest sin of any supposed mind or reality, and never to admit that sin can have intelligence or power, pain, or pleasure. You can conquer error by denying its verity.” “Death, an illusion, for there is no death; the unreal and untrue; the opposite of good, God or life…any material evidence of death is false, for it contradicts the spiritual facts of Being.” “there is no sin…Man is incapable of sin.” A person can be cured from a disease by a Christian Science practitioner no matter what distance is involved. They site Matthew 8:5-13 and Mark 7:25-30 for support of this belief. Christian Scientists deny that disease and sickness are caused by bacteria or viruses. The main purpose of the practitioner is not to heal physical illness but to reform human thought by spiritual regeneration. To go to a medical doctor or hospital is to fail to rely on Christian Science as a believer.

 

BIBLE: Death and sickness are a result of the twisted world we live in due to the effects of sin. As long as sin is allowed to reign on earth we will experience the real manifestations or symptoms of sin. Man does continually sin, the only way sin loses its sting or influence is through faith in Christ Jesus. This is not to say we will live forever in our present physical bodies for they are temporal. Those who let Christ Jesus reign in their lives will receive eternal life with glorified heavenly new bodies. Matthew 8:2,3, 14,15, 26,27, 9:2,6,7,27-30, Mark 1:32-34, John 2:1-11, 6:10-14, Colossians 1:16, Romans 3:23, 6:23, 1 John 1:10, 3:4, 5:17. When Christ returns, He will completely reclaim God’s creation and all that is sinful will be done away with. It is a proven scientific fact that bacteria and viruses are the cause of much sickness and disease. Very likely these are part of the effects on creation caused by the sin of Adam.

 

GOD’S WORD

 

CS: Mary Baker Eddy comments on Genesis 2:7, “Is it truth? Or is it a lie, concerning man and God? It must be the latter…” “the manifest mistakes in the ancient versions; the thirty thousand different readings in the Old Testament, and the three hundred thousand in the New, these facts show how a mortal and material sense stole into the divine record, darkening, to some extent, the inspired pages with its own hue.” According to those involved in Christian Science and who adhere to Mary Baker Eddy’s beliefs the Christian Scriptures are a collection of fables, stories and is questionable as a source of authority. Because of this, someone was needed to interpret it correctly. Christian Science assumes this person to be only Mary Baker Eddy. Mrs. Eddy’s interpretation of the Bible is in general, sweeping spiritual statements that spiritualize every detail into meaningless concepts. It was stated in an 1890 copy of “The Journal,” “A student – in the tongue of the world called a patient – who says to a Scientist, ‘I take so much comfort in reading my Bible,’ if guided wisely, will be answered, ‘Let your bible alone for three months or more. Don’t open it even, nor think of it, but dig night and day at Science and Health.” (Science and Health is a book written by Mary Baker Eddy.)

 

BIBLE: The bible is the Holy Word of God and has been proven time and again to be one of the most reliable historical documents of all time. It is not the work of any one man on his own but was written by many men, over hundreds of years. All of them were moved by the Holy Spirit to write what they did. It is no wonder that the strange and false beliefs of Mrs. Eddy came about for she has no respect for God’s Word. Psalms 119, Isaiah 40:8, John 17:17, 10:35, Matthew 24:35, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1: 20,21.

 

HOLY TRINITY

 

CS: “The theory of three persons in one God (That is, a personal Trinity or Trinity) suggests heathen gods.” “Jesus is not God as Jesus Himself declared, but is the Son of God.” “Life, Truth, Love constitute the triune Person called God, – that is, the triply divine Principle, Love. They represent a trinity in unity, three in one – the same in essence, though multiform in office: God the Father-Mother; Christ the spiritual idea of sonship, divine science or the Holy Comforter. These three express in divine science the threefold essential nature of the infinite.” Needless to say Mrs. Eddy or any person believing in Christian Science does not believe in the Holy Trinity as believed by Christians.

 

BIBLE: The Trinity is a major doctrine of the bible. Within the nature of the one God there are three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three share the same attributes, the three persons are the one God. Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 6:8, Matthew 3:16-17, Isaiah 43:10-11, Matthew 28:19, Genesis 11:7, Philippians 2:8-11, Colossians 1:15, 2:9, Hebrews 1:3, Revelation 1:7,8,16, John 1:1, 8:58.

 

HOLY SPIRIT

 

CS: Mrs. Eddy denied the Holy Spirit was a personal being. She defined the Holy Spirit as Divine Science – the development of Life, Truth and Love.

 

BIBLE: The Holy Spirit is a part of the Trinity, fully God and due all deification as Christ and the Father are. He is a being, not a thing, power or force. Acts 5:3,4, 10:19-20, John 14:16,17,26, 16:7-14,23, Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 12:11, Romans 8:26-27.

 

BAPTISM

 

CS: Baptism to a person who believes in Christian Science is simply purification from all material sense. “Baptism is the purification of mind – not an ablution of the body, but tears of repentance, an overflowing love, washing away the motives for sin, yea, it is love leaving self for God.” “Purification from all error.”

 

BIBLE: Baptism does have a spiritual and mental effect for it is a representation of the change that has already occurred in the life of a new believer. It is an outward sign and confession of the new life that begins when a person repents of their sin and accepts Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. It identifies us with Christ and the Body of Christ, His church. Mark 16:15,16, Luke 23:43, Acts 1:5, Romans 6:3, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:27.

 

VIRGIN BIRTH

 

CS: “A portion of God could not enter man; neither could God’s fullness be reflected by a single man, else God would be manifestly finite, lose the deific character, and become less than God.” Jesus was born of a virgin but notice the following quote: “Jesus was the offspring of Mary’s self-conscious communion with God.” “Mary’s conception of Him was spiritual…”

 

BIBLE: The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and caused her to conceive Jesus. The power of God accomplished this event. Jesus was both fully God and fully man in every sense. The virgin birth was predicted in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the birth of Jesus; Isaiah 7:14, Matt. 1:18,20, Luke 1:35.

 

VARIOUS OTHER STRANGE BELIEFS

 

NON-EXISTANT CONCEPTS
Those individuals who are involved in Christian Science believe that all matter, sin or evil, disease and death do not exist. Mrs. Eddy states, “There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-All…Spirit is real and eternal, matter is unreal and temporal.” She further states in regards to sin, disease and death, “…all reality is in God and His creation…That which He creates is good, and He makes all that is made. Therefore the only reality of sin, sickness, or death is the awful fact that unrealities seem real to human, erring belief, until God strips off their disguise.” It never originated or existed as an entity.” “Disease is an illusion and a delusion.” “Man is never sick for Mind is not sick and matter cannot be.” “Any material evidence of death is false, for it contradicts the spiritual facts of being.” The doctrine of Christian Science attempts to deny reality and deceive people into thinking that the physical world does not exist. This causes untold amounts of suffering as people strive to deny their experiences in life. There is a spiritual realm to our existence, but God also created us with a physical body. God works within the real physical world as He works out spiritual truths. Man is body, soul and spirit. When we as Christians reach Heaven we will have glorified bodies and will not just be spiritual beings, therefore there is always a physical aspect to our existence.

 

HEALING
Mrs. Eddy claims she restored the power of healing that was lost after the days of the early church. The Christian Science church and Mrs. Eddy both claim that she could heal as Jesus healed. In the words of Mrs. Eddy, “I challenge the world to disprove what I hereby declare. After my discovery of Christian Science I healed consumption in the last stages that the M.D.’s by verdict of a stethoscope and the schools declared incurable, the lungs being mostly consumed. I healed malignant tubercular diphtheria and various bones that could be dented by the finger, saving them when the surgeon’s instruments were lying on the table ready for their amputation. I have healed at one visit a cancer that had so eaten the flesh of the neck as to expose the jugular vein so that it stood out like a cord.” No documentation is ever given to support her statements. Any witnesses present at such healings were either students dedicated to her and/or people who were not medically qualified to verify her claims. Many opportunities were given to Mrs. Eddy to heal exact cases of such diseases as she claimed to be able to heal. She often declined and remained silent in response to such challenges. Several of her relatives died of diseases she “claims” she could heal. In these cases she prescribed ‘absent treatment’ that involved reading Science and Health and concentrating on mentally repelling the physical disease. She also did not freely “cure” disease. She states, “Christian Science demonstrates that the patient who pays whatever he is able to pay for healing is more apt to recover than he who withholds the slightest equivalent for health.” Dr. Walter Martin states, “Most illnesses ‘cured’ by Christian Scientists are imagined illnesses which lack medical documentation and are seldom thoroughly verified by anyone other than the Scientists or their sympathizers.” A person can be cured from a disease by a practitioner no matter what distance is involved. They site Matthew 8:5-13 and Mark 7:25-30 for support of this belief. Christian Scientists deny that disease and sickness are caused by bacteria or viruses. The main purpose of the practitioner is not to heal physical illness but to reform human thought by spiritual regeneration. To go to a medical doctor or hospital is to fail to rely on Christian Science as a believer.

 

CHURCH ORGANIZATION

 

Local Churches follow an order of worship according to the Mother Church in Boston. The service consists of a lesson-sermon that is prepared by a committee of the Mother Church. Two readers perform the service reading from the lesson-sermon. The one reader will read excerpts from Mrs. Eddy’s book, Science and Health with a Key to the Scriptures and the other reads selections from the Bible. Testimony meetings are held on Wednesday evenings where believers publicly testify of healings or other victories where Christian Science has helped. Public lectures are also arranged at times. A Board of Lectureship exists. Each church is expected to call for a lecturer at least once a year. The lecturers are required to send copies of their lecture to the Mother Church before they can actually speak and there must be included, “in each lecture, a true and a just reply to public topics condemning to the life of the Pastor Emeritus.”

 

Communion (The Lord’s Supper) is not really observed but twice a year. They hold a so-called communion service where bread and wine are not served. It is felt that serving physical food distracts from the spiritual sense of the act. “The true sense is spiritually lost, if the sacrament is confined to the use of bread and wine.” Their bread comes down from heaven and the wine the inspiration of love. At a particular point in the service the members are asked to kneel in silent communion. In their communion they are observing not the last supper but the morning meal after Jesus’ resurrection. From a Christian perspective this is rather odd since Christ Himself used such physical food to celebrate Communion with His disciples and called for it to be practiced on a regular basis among Christians. Jesus also established this before He was crucified not after His resurrection.

 

The local churches are self-governing but must present the form of worship as dictated by the Mother Church, Boston. The Mother Church is run by a Board of Directors. Anyone can become a member of a local church, if they are at least 12 years old and have a belief and understanding of the Christian Science tenets. They have no ordained clergy or personal pastors. The only pastors are the King James Bible and Science and Health with a Key to the Scriptures.

 

Each state has a Committee on Publication. This committee corrects false doctrine and serves a public relations purpose. This committee also exists, “to correct in a Christian manner, impositions on the public in regards to Christian Science, injustices done Mrs. Eddy or members of this church by the daily press, by periodicals or circulated literature of any sort.”

 

There are about 5,700 Christian Science practitioners presently in the world. The Christian Science Practitioner is a person who prays for those who ask for prayers for specific needs. A person can be registered a practitioner only if approved by the Mother Church, the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PRACTIONERS

 

One must receive systematic instruction to become a practitioner. This can be from authorized teachers or by self-study. Evidence of successful healing work must also be given. One also must demonstrate an ability to apply spiritual understanding to the sickness and problems of a particular situation. A person can be cured from a disease by a practitioner no matter what distance is involved. They site Matthew 8:5-13 and Mark 7:25-30 for support of this belief. Christian Scientists deny that disease and sickness are caused by bacteria or viruses. The main purpose of the practitioner is not to heal physical illness but to reform human thought by spiritual regeneration. To go to a medical doctor or hospital is to fail to rely on Christian Science as a believer.

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

Various publications by the church include; The Christian Science Journal, The Christian Science Sentinel, The Herald of Christian Science and The Christian Science Quarterly. There is also a national radio program called “The Truth That Heals.”

 

WITNESSING

 

When one thinks of witnessing, the first question that arises is why do it? For one, it is commanded. Matt. 28:19:20, Jude 3, I Peter 3:15:16, and this means every believer is called to this ministry. Witnessing should occur from your spirit filled life as a believer. You, having salvation and eternal abundant life, should realize there are those who are spiritually dead and missing the fulfillment only Christ can give.

 

Christian Scientists are not superstitious, strange people. They are simply deceived individuals wanting to serve God and grasping for beliefs that can help them cope with the pain of this world. There is a better belief for them, the one truth of the Bible. They need to know this truth as any other lost person.

 

When talking with Christian Scientists, center on the deity of Christ (Col. 2:9), the salvation you have by grace (Eph. 2:8,9, Rom. 3:24-31, Heb. 9:22, 10:10), and the fulfilled life you live as a Christian being obedient to God. Stay within the context of scripture and be aware and sensitive to when they may try to spiritualize a portion of the Bible away. This is not done as a deliberate deception on their part, but is simply a way they have learned to interpret the Bible from Mrs. Eddy’s teachings.

 

Witnessing requires nothing more than a dedicated loving heart. Preparation by studying the Bible and prayer are also great helps to make you an effective witness (2 Tim. 2:15). When witnessing to Christian Scientists don’t come from a judgmental attitude. You are not called to judge them you are called to witness the truth to them. Whether or not God has mercy on them is not your concern. You are called to bring them closer to a true understanding of the Bible and basic Christian beliefs. Because you are a Christian, a member of the royal priesthood (John 1:12, 1 Peter 2:9), be sure if possible, to take the initiative and lead the discussion. Don’t be rude, but simply a leader. Remember, 2 John 10, you are not to let them into your house to teach you, you are to teach them. If you open with prayer, you do the praying. Within your prayers (opening and closing) include basic beliefs of the Christian faith so if at no other time you are confronting them with the gospel. In the discussion be sure to define your terms such as Holy Spirit, salvation, Christ, Jesus, etc. Otherwise you both will be using the same words to describe different ideas and it will appear they believe as you do.

 

In whatever degree you decide to witness, please witness, if nothing more than in a casual conversation declaring your beliefs in a pleasing manner. The Holy Spirit is the one who truly leads people to god, so do your part and let God use you, but also let the Spirit do His work. If you decline to witness at all, you have probably quenched the Spirit’s will (1 Thess. 5:19). I pray that God will use you to the best of your ability. Be open to be used.