April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
OUR NEIGHBORS' FAITH
Christian Science beliefs
She was very frail and, from an early age, wanted to learn how Jesus healed. Through prayer, she was able to comfort and heal the farm animals and some of her relatives.
In 1866, Mrs. Eddy fell on the ice in Swampscott, Mass., and was so severely injured that she was not expected to live. After three days in bed, she asked for her Bible, and while studying the healing of the palsied man by Jesus (Matthew 9:1-8), she, too, was healed.
In "Science and Health," Mrs. Eddy says: "In 1866, I discovered the Christ Science or divine laws of Life, Truth and Love, and named my discovery Christian Science. God had been graciously preparing me during many years for the reception of this final revelation of the absolute divine Principle of scientific mental healing.
"When apparently near the confines of mortal existence, standing already within the shadow of the death valley, I learned these truths in divine science: that all real being is in God, the divine Mind, and that Life, Truth and Love are all-powerful and ever-present; that the opposite of Truth, called error, sin, sickness, disease, death - is the false testimony of false material sense, of mind in matter; that this false sense evolves, in belief, a subjective state of mortal mind which this same so-called mind names matter, thereby shutting out the true sense of Spirit."
Mrs. Eddy continued studying, praying, healing and writing down her thoughts until 1872, when she started writing "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." Between 1872 and her passing in 1910, Mrs. Eddy published at least 13 books and established her church and its organization, a publishing society with five periodicals, and a board of lectureship. She made provision for experienced Christian Scientists to be practitioners and nurses for those who need help with healing.
Mrs. Eddy's definition of God is helpful in understanding the capitalizations in the list below from "Science and Health:" "God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. The great I AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; all substance; intelligence."
The following is a list of tenets of Christian Science as found in "Science and Health:"
• As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life.
• We acknowledge and adore one supreme and infinite God. We acknowledge His Son, one Christ; the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter; and man in God's image and likeness.
• We acknowledge God's forgiveness of sin in the destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that casts out evil as unreal. But the belief in sin is punished so long as the belief lasts.
• We acknowledge Jesus' atonement as the evidence of divine, efficacious Love, unfolding man's unity with God through Christ Jesus the Way-shower; and we acknowledge that man is saved through Christ, through Truth, Life and Love as demonstrated by the Galilean Prophet in healing the sick and overcoming sin and death.
• We acknowledge that the crucifixion of Jesus and His resurrection served to uplift faith to understand eternal Life, even the allness of Soul, Spirit, and the nothingness of matter.
• And we solemnly promise to watch and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.
The name of Mrs. Eddy's church in Boston is The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and it has many branches around the world. Each is governed by the "Manual" of The Mother Church and its own bylaws.
Our church differs from many others in that it is a lay church: We have no clergy; the members do everything. Instead of having a preacher, we have two readers (our "preachers") who, on Sunday, read a lesson which consists of citations from the Bible and "Science and Health," chosen by a committee in Boston and based on subjects prescribed by Mrs. Eddy. We have Wednesday night meetings which consist of readings from our "preachers" and a testimony period.
Each Christian Science church maintains a public Reading Room where everyone may read, borrow, or purchase the Bible, the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and all authorized literature.
I grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, and started in Sunday School at age three. In 1951, I moved to Schenectady and was an engineer with General Electric Co. until retirement in 1990. At church, I am on the board as treasurer; I'm also a staff member at the Reading Room. I have had many healings of physical problems and other challenges by applying Christian Science.
(Ms. Place lives in Niskayuna.) [[In-content Ad]]
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