Understanding the Christian Science Church

The Christian Science Church, often called the Church of Christ, Science, was founded in 1879 by a woman named Mary Baker Eddy. Founded in Massachusetts, the Church focuses on physical healing through prayer, and does not recognize the presence of illness as a permanent or unresolvable issue.

Mary Baker Eddy was an invalid who learned from Phineas Quimby about the possibility of curing illness via natural means, or without medicine at all. In 1966, Eddy was severely injured following a nasty fall on ice, and during her recovery, she read the Bible. When she realized that healing came not from man, but from spiritual enlightenment, she was instantly cured of her injury and illnesses.

That was enough to convince Eddy to focus on healing and religion, and in 1875, she released the first edition of her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Soon she had a nice following, and in 1879, the Christian Science Church was incorporated in Massachusetts. Eddy was named the head pastor of the Mother Church, and wrote the Manual of the Mother Church in order to outline how it should be governed.

Today, the church boasts over 2500 congregations in over 70 countries, with up to 400,000 followers. They believe in the teachings of the Bible, and that the death of Jesus on the cross was to atone for the sins of man. They call God the Father-Mother, thus eliminating any thoughts of gender. One of the main tenants of the church is that sickness does not really exist; we just think it does. With the healing power of prayer, anything is possible.

Though each meeting of the church is not led by a particular pastor, there are certain traditions followed, and the following text is one of those. This is to be read at every meeting as a reminder of the purpose of the church:

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 immortal Truth; matter is mortal error.
Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal.
Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness.
Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.

{ 0 comments }

What is Confucianism?

March 4, 2010 Questions & Answers

Viewed as both a religion and a philosophy, Confucianism is based on the teachings of Confucius from the 6th and 5th century BC. Confucianism doesn’t claim that there is a Heaven or a spiritual leader, such as God or Allah, but it doesn’t deny it either. It can often be described as a state of [...]

Read the full article →

What is the Afterlife? A Look at Several Religions

February 25, 2010 Questions & Answers

Just as every religion has its own unique origin and system of belief, so each religion has its own idea of what the afterlife will be like. Does life simply end and our bodies turn back to the earth, with no soul to carry on? Do we ascend from our physical bodies and join those [...]

Read the full article →

The Hopi Indian Creation Story

February 17, 2010 Questions & Answers

Every religion has a creation story they look to as their beginning. Sometimes the creation story is not tied to a particular religion or belief, but instead tells the history of a particular people or place. The creation stories are all very different, but they hold common elements — that the world came to be [...]

Read the full article →

History of the “Christ the Redeemer” Statue

February 10, 2010 Questions & Answers

You might have seen the statue on postcards, in television shows, or in movies. The massive “Christ the Redeemer” statue can be found in Brazil, where it overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro from a great height, arms outstretched in benevolence.
Considered the largest art deco statue in the world, the carefully-sculpted image of [...]

Read the full article →

What is Wicca – and is it Really Witchcraft?

February 3, 2010 Questions & Answers

Wicca has often been referred to as a part of witchcraft. It is a neopagan religion, one that has been practiced since the early 20th century. It became more popular in the 1950s and 1960s when a British man named Gerald Gardner brought it into the mainstream.
There are many different Wicca beliefs, depending upon [...]

Read the full article →

Jewish Foods and Their Cultural Impact

February 1, 2010 History

Find any Jewish celebration, and you are bound to find wonderful food to accompany it. Some foods are prepared in a traditional style, all of which goes back to certain Scriptures that call for that preparation.
For instance, the prohibition of making fire on the Sabbath has led to the use of slow cooking stews [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries