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Mystical Christian Science: Why Eddy's Science and Health Became a Religious Classic?
Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with the Christian Science church, and believers are often called Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science. The church was founded in 1879 by Mary Baker Eddy. Her 1875 book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures elaborated on the theology of Christian Science and defended this unconventional view of disease. This book was originally called "Science and Health", and its subtitle "With the Key to the Bible" was added in 1883, becoming one of the classic texts of Christian Science, becoming its core text along with the Bible.
Christian Science emphasizes that illness is a psychological error, an illusion of the physical world.
By 2001, "Science and Health" had sold more than nine million copies, marking its worldwide influence. Eddie and 26 followers obtained a charter from Massachusetts in 1879 and established the "Christian Science Church"; the church was reorganized in 1892 and renamed the "Christian Science Association." The Mother Church in Boston, Massachusetts, was established in 1894 and is known as the "Religion of the Christians." Christian Science became the fastest-growing religion in the United States in 1936, with nearly 270,000 followers. However, over time, this number dropped to over 100,000 in 1990 and was reported to be below 50,000 in 2009.
The religious tenets of Christian Science are far removed from those of many other Christian denominations and include core concepts such as the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, the Atonement, Resurrection, and the Eucharist. Eddy once described Christian Science as a return to "primitive Christianity and its lost healing elements." Followers believed in a radical philosophical idealism that held that reality was purely spiritual and that the material world was an illusion. This concept encompasses the belief that disease is not physically caused but is a mental error.
"Truth is the key to healing, not material intervention."
Christian Science does not require believers to avoid medical care. Believers may use vaccines when required by law, or seek examinations from dentists, ophthalmologists, etc. But they believe that Christian Science prayer is often more effective when not combined with medicine. The faith has unfortunately also had its share of criticism, as it has been linked to the deaths of several believers and their children, and many parents were charged with manslaughter or neglect from the 1880s to the 1990s.
Overview
Metaphysicians Group
In the second half of the 19th century, there were several Christian revival movements in the United States, giving rise to many new religious movements, including Christian Science, Sacred Science, the Unanimous School of Christianity, and later the Union of Religious Science. Starting in the 1890s, the liberal part of the movement was called New Thought to distinguish it from the more authoritative Christian Science. The term metaphysics emphasizes the philosophical idealism of these movements.
"Life is consciousness, God is thought."
The foundation of Christian Science is based on a focus on the spiritual body and describes the belief that physical phenomena are the result of mental states. The idea can be traced back to the movement pioneered by New England psychotherapist Phineas Parkhurst Quimby. Addie is a patient of Quibi's who expands on Quibi's theories and develops them into her own belief system. In her theology, true realization is through spiritual awakening, denying the existence of matter and disease.
The Theology of Christian Science
Christian Science leaders positioned themselves within the framework of mainstream Christian doctrine and rejected any identification with the New Thought movement. According to the Church's creed, believers accept the "revelation of Scripture" as sufficient guidance for eternal life and acknowledge a supreme and infinite God. When Eddy founded the Christian Science Church in 1879, he aimed to "reestablish primitive Christianity and its lost healing elements." She believed that Christian Science was a "Second Coming" and that Science and Health was a classic text of inspiration.
"Christian Science prayer is a silent argument designed to confirm the untruth of matter."
Through the teachings of Christian Science, Eddie reinterprets key Christian concepts, including the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, the Atonement, and the Resurrection. The vocabulary and language she created transformed Christian tradition and challenged the views of many other Christian denominations. At the heart of her theology was her belief that the spiritual world was the only reality and was supremely good, while the material world, with its evil, disease, and death, was an illusion.
Eddie and the history of the early Christian Science movement
Mary Baker Eddy was born on a farm in New Hampshire in 1848, into a family with deep religious beliefs. Although her education was limited, she read widely and was exposed to various medical treatments in her search for a cure for her early illness. In 1866, she was injured in a slip and fall, but she recovered through prayer a few days later. This experience had a profound impact on her future teachings and became the cornerstone of her understanding of Christian Science.
After founding the Christian Science Church, she also published religious journals such as the Christian Science Journal to further spread her teachings. Although Christian Science spread throughout the United States and other countries before Addison, it still encountered many objections and challenges, including resistance from Christian conservatives and even accusations of being a cult. Addie died in 1910, and the church continued to develop under her adjustment and rule.
Do you think Christian Science can find a place in the modern healthcare system, or will it continue to face challenges and criticism?
