I. Introduction. Christian Science discovered and founded in New England by Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy, a very delicate woman who believed herself miraculously healed by faith in her discovery.
Of all multitudinous sects and isms extant in world today, Christian Science undoubtedly one of the most influential. Deceives multitudes. Real secret of its phenomenal growth lies in its tremendous popular appeal. Claims to bring back primitive Christianity. Teaches salvation is universal, not one single soul is or ever can be lost.
2. History and Early Growth.
1862. Mrs. Eddy (then Mrs. Patterson) went to Portland, Maine, to visit Dr. P. P. Quimby, to consult him about her chronic invalidism. Cured in three weeks.
1864. Made a second visit. Stayed two or three months, studying his methods closely. From 1864-1866 she followed and taught some of Quimby's doctrines.
1866. Miraculously cured of spinal dislocation after reading an account of healing in Matthew's gospel. This appeared to her as a divine revelation, which started her search of Scriptures for solution of problem of mind healing.
1867. Began teaching Christian Science. 1870. Copyrighted her first pamphlet The Science of Man, later incorporated into Science and Health.
1875. Issued her textbook, Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures. She stated: "The Bible contains the recipe for all healing. Divine Science derives its sanction from the Bible."
1878. Began lecturing in Boston on her great discovery. Many cultured classes attended. 1879. First Church of Christ, Scientist, founded in Boston with twenty-six members. Mrs. Eddy elected pastor and ordained. r881. Massachusetts Metaphysical College founded.
1893. 74th edition of Science and Health published.
1895. Announcement made that there should be no more personal preaching in the churches. Mrs. Eddy ordered that the Bible and Science and Health should be the pastor of all churches of Christian Science denomination. No comments or explanatory remarks to be made. Two readings read alternately, eme from Bible, other from Science and Health. In 1898 Mrs. Eddy suspended regular class teaching of Christian Science for one year in order that the attention which would have been given to such class work could be devoted to study of her new book Miscellaneous Writings, published that year. To compensate she permitted teachers to hold two classes the following year. 1898. In 1898 edition of Science and Health, she wrote, "No human pen or tongue taught me the science contained in this book. . . and neither tongue nor pen can overthrow it." And in 1901: "It was not myself . . . which dictated 'Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.' It was the divine power of Truth and Love, infinitely above me."
1907. Made her final revision of her many revisions of her book.
1919. Death of Mrs. Eddy. The religion has flourished since that time.
3. Church Government.
Mother Church is 'Boston, the international center. Approximately 3,000 local churches are branches of it, but each branch has its own separate corporate identity, by laws, and form of government "distinctly democratic." Governing body of Mother Church is a Christian Science board of directors operating under The Church Manual.
Public Sunday and Wednesday church services conducted by readers elected for Mother Church by Christian Science board of directors for branch churches by local congregations for term of three years. Form of services provided for uniformity by Church Manual. Church maintains Sunday schools and reading rooms.
4. Publishing Work.
Also centered in Boston, but with overseas bureaus in the British Isles, France, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand. Following publications found in many reading rooms and libraries throughout the world : Christian Science Journal (Monthly. English).
Christian Science Quarterly (Published in English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish, and Braille).
Christian Science Sentinel (Weekly. English).
Herald of Christian Science (Monthly and quarterly in French, German, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, and Braille). Christian Science Monitor (International daily newspaper, including articles translated into many languages).
5. Membership.
Applications for membership in the Mother Church acted on by the Christian Science board of directors twice each year as provided by Manual of the Mother Church, article 13, section 2. Applications for membership in branch churches made to boards of local churches who have sole authority to act. A person may be a member both of Mother Church and a branch church, but not of two branch churches. Candidates for membership must be at least twelve years old. Membership requirements in branch churches fixed by branches themselves, although, naturally, these employ same qualifications as for membership in Mother Church, but Manual distinctively provides "that each church shall. separately and independently discipline its own members-if this sad necessity occurs."
When Mrs. Eddy left Lynn, Massachusetts, at 61, she had less than fifty followers, most of whom were uneducated factory workers. By 1896 she had four hundred churches and thirty institutions of learning. From 18901906 the membership increased over 600 per cent. In 1939 there were 2,849 churches, 70 Christian Science organizations at colleges and universities. There are now well over a million adherents.
6. Foreign Missions.
In addition to publications in various foreign languages, boards of lectureship of Mother Church (24 men and women), are called by churches all over world for explanatory lectures.
7. Doctrines of Christian Science.
Neither Christian nor science. Denies every fundamental statement of Bible, namely:
Creation of a material universe.
Existence of sin.
That God created man from dust of earth.
The Trinity.
Pre-existence of Christ.
Personality of God.
Personality of Jesus.
Personality of Holy Spirit.
Existence of death.
That Jesus is the Christ. He is merely the way shower.
Blood atonement.
That Jesus died and rose again.
Priesthood of Christ.
Personality of the devil.
Resurrection of the body.
Second coming of Christ personally.
Efficacy of prayer.
Need of justification, regeneration, sanctification.
Bible as inspired Word of God.
8. Offshoots.
Christian Science affected through years of individual differences among members. This led to many offshoot organizations somewhat similar to original. Some did not last long. They all repudiated Mother Church, and were and are repudiated by it. Most well-known, so-called "Church Triumphant," a group founded by Mrs. Augusta E. Stetson; and "The Church of the Universal Design," founded by Mrs. Annie C. Bill, who taught Anglo-Israelism very prominently.
Biographies of Mrs. Eddy: Sibyl Wilbur, The Life of Mary Baker Eddy; Lyman P. Powell, Mary Baker Eddy-A Life Size Portrait; Clifford P. Smith, Historical Sketches in the Life of Mary Baker Eddy and the History of Christian Science; E. Mary Ramsay, Christian Science and Its Discoverer; Irving C. Tomlinson, Twelve Years With Mary Baker Eddy; Julia M. Johnston, Mary Baker Eddy-Her Mission and Triumph.
In addition to Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy published Miscellaneous Writings; Retrospection and Introspection; Unity of God; Rudimental Divine Science; Christian Science Versus Pantheism; No and Yes; Christian Healing ; People's Idea of 'God; The Church Manual and others.
REFERENCES
William G. Wirth, Christian Science X-Rayed, Pacific Press, 1921.
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), Christian Science, New York: Harpers, 1907.
Religious Bodies, I936. Washington, D.C.: -U.S. Department of Commerce.
J. L. Neve, Churches and Sects of Christendom, Burlington, Iowa : Lutheran Literary Board, I940.
William Warren Sweet, The Story of Religion in America, New York: Harpers, 1939.
Charles W. Ferguson, The Confusion of Tongues, Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1928.