Has anybody ever heard of the religion Christian Science?

Question

If you have heard of Christian Science, what do you think of it?

Answer 1

My Grand Mother was a Christian Scientist. Christian Scientists do not usually have services as such, although there is a Christian Science Church in Boston. Mary Baker Eddy started the denomination back in the late 1800's.

Some people call it a cult. Some people call it a "new age" religion.

There is a book called "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" that is the foundation of the teachings of Christian science. My Grandmother believed strongly in faith healing, but, my family also went to doctors and hospitals, usually when all else had failed. That was actually a pretty common practice among people before health insurance became popular and Hospitals became common.

I read the book when I was researching religions back when I was an atheist.

There is probably a Christian Science reading room near you if you live in a metropolitan area. You can go to one and find out more about the denomination.

Answer 2

From what I understand, CS's are a pretty tolerant sect.
And no, they have no connection with Scientology.

The Christian Science Monitor is indeed a fine example of investigative journalism.

I respect their beliefs in the healing power of faith. I do believe that many illnesses have an energetic cause, and that drugs and surgery are highly overused, when holistic treatments would probably have better results.

Interesting reading over at Wiki. I had never really studied CS beliefs. I just realized they are pretty compatible with what I believe!

As far as eschewing modern medicine, it really is left up to the individual. There is no pressure from the church, but just a strong belief in self-healing. As with any faith, some take it to the extreme.

Answer 3

Yes, Mary Baker Eddy's gang. She left behind a fine newspaper but that's all I can say good for them.

Edit to Richard Buckett: Mary Baker Eddy left a foundation to run an editorially independent newspaper which is not run by Christian Scientists, and to be hired as a reporter there is quite an honor. The newspaper and the religion are not related, except by name.

Answer 4

It's a new age movement founded by Mary Baker Eddy in the 1800s the shunns artificial medical treaments as much as possible in favor of using the power of the body and God as a regenerative measure.

It's sort of a neo-holistic practise

Their concepts have merits but knowlege, skills and abilities of mankind is still lacking.

We know the brain is capable of producing just about any drug possible, what we don't know is how to do it at will.

One of their weak points is not encouraging enough medical research in those areas.

Theoretically the brain can sythesize Insulin when the pancrease ceases to produce it naturally, but we simply don't know how to master this process.

They put too many taboos on investagatory methods that might actually prove their case.

Answer 5

Yes, in fact I picked up a copy of their newspaper yesterday and looked it over. It seems about the same as all the other Christian denominations to me, but I think it is particularly groovy that they try to understand the science behind everything. I really respect that.

EDIT: Seems like I've gotten them mixed up with another sciencey-named religion. I withdraw my last two sentences... I do not think it is at all wise to ignore modern medicine in hopes of a miraculous cure.

Answer 6

Yes. Unlike average Christians, they take their delusions to extremes.

When I was young, I was friends with a family who were Christian Scientists (an oxymoronic phrase if there ever was one.) The mother had died when the kids were very young, the details of which I was never privy to. Years later, the youngest son got appendicitis, and his father refused to take him to the hospital. He instructed the boy to go to his bedroom and pray!

The kid nearly died. Fortunately, the eldest son (who had years earlier become an atheist) rescued his brother and got him to a hospital in the nick of time. He had a 104 fever, and was delirious.

I later learned that the mother died under similar circumstances. She was pregnant, and began to experienced complications shortly before going into labor. He refused to bring her to the hospital. Finally, he acquiesced, and she died going up the steps, or on the steps, or in the emergency room, or something like that.

Isn't religion GREAT!?!

Answer 7

Christian Science was begun by Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910), who pioneered new ideas about spirituality and health. Inspired by her own experience of healing in 1866, Eddy spent years in Bible study, prayer, and research of various healing methods. The result was a system of healing she dubbed “Christian Science” in 1879. Her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, broke new ground in the understanding of the mind-body-spirit connection. She went on to found a college, a church, a publishing enterprise, and the respected newspaper “The Christian Science Monitor.” Because of its similarity to other groups, many believe Christian Science to be a non-Christian cult.

Christian Science teaches that God—Father-Mother of all—is completely good and wholly spiritual and that all God's creation, including the true nature of every person, is the flawless spiritual likeness of the Divine. Since God’s creation is good, evils such as disease, death, and sin cannot be a part of fundamental reality. Rather, these evils are the result of living apart from God. Prayer is a central way to come closer to God and heal human ills. This differs from the Bible, which teaches that man is born in sin inherited from Adam’s fall and that sin separates us from God. Without God’s saving grace through the death of Christ on the cross, we would never be healed of the ultimate sickness—sin.

Rather than teaching that Jesus heals our spiritual sickness (see Isaiah 53:5), Christian Scientists see Jesus’ ministry as their own paradigm for healing, believing it demonstrates the centrality of healing in regard to salvation. Christian Scientists pray to realize more of the reality of God and God's love daily and to experience and help others experience the harmonizing, healing effects of this understanding.

For most Christian Scientists, spiritual healing is an effective first choice and, as a result, they turn to the power of prayer in lieu of medical treatment. Government authorities have occasionally challenged this approach, especially in circumstances when medical treatment is withheld from minors. However, there is no church policy mandating members' health-care decisions.

Christian Science has no ministers. Rather, the Bible and Science and Health act as pastor and preacher. Bible lessons are studied daily and read aloud on Sunday by two elected lay members of each local congregation. Christian Science churches also hold weekly testimonial meetings, at which congregation members relate experiences of healing and regeneration.

Of all the “Christian” cults in existence, “Christian Science” is the most inaccurately named. Christian Science is neither Christian or based on science. Christian Science denies all the core truths of what makes a system “Christian.” Christian Science is, in fact, opposed to science and points to mystical new-age spirituality as the path for physical and spiritual healing. Christian Science should be recognized and rejected as the anti-Christian cult that it is.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-science.html

https://carm.org/christian-science-religion-christian

Answer 8

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Answer 9

Yes, I knew a family who was Christian Scientist. They allowed their 15 year old daughter to die of diabetes, rather than get her medical help.

Can't say much about Christian Science that's very good, after seeing that.

Answer 10

Sorry to say it but I think they are neither Christian nor science.