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What is Christian Science? Is it Christian?
Christian Science, founded in 1866 by Mary Baker Eddy, calls itself a Bible-based Christian religion. Its tenets and its own statement that it does not equate Jesus with God are not the Nicene confession.
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Christian Science is the religion Mary Baker Eddy founded in 1866. The church calls it Christian and prints six tenets from Science and Health. Those tenets, and the church’s own statement that it does not equate Jesus with God, are not the Nicene confession that Jesus is God.
Key points
- The church’s frequently asked questions page: “Christian Science, founded in 1866 by Mary Baker Eddy, is based on the Bible and the teachings of Christ Jesus.” (2)
- The six tenets on the church’s site, from Science and Health, pages 496–497, confess “one supreme and infinite God,” “His Son, one Christ,” and “the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter.” (1)
- Tenet 4 calls Jesus “the Way-shower.” Tenet 5 says the crucifixion and resurrection uplift faith to “the nothingness of matter.” (1)
- The same FAQ page: “While Christian Science affirms the divinity of the Christ, it does not equate Jesus with God.” (2) John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 · King James Version says the Word was God. John 20:28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.
John 20:28 · King James Version: “My LORD and my God.” (4) - On medicine, the FAQ says Christian Scientists “are free to choose” spiritual healing, medical care, or another method. (2)
- A practitioner “will pray for you, and along with you,” is self-employed, and charges “a reasonable fee,” citing Luke 10:7
And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
Luke 10:7 · King James Version, “the labourer is worthy of his hire.” (3) (5) - The FAQ says Christian Science and Scientology “are not related to one another.” (2)
What the church says it is
The frequently asked questions page of The First Church of Christ, Scientist: (2)
Christian Science, founded in 1866 by Mary Baker Eddy, is based on the Bible and the teachings of Christ Jesus.
Christian Science
The church’s name uses Christ. The tenets use the Bible, God, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
The six religious tenets, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, pages 496–497, as the church prints them: (1)
- As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life.
Christian Science
- 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.
Christian Science
- 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.
Christian Science
- 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.
Christian Science
- 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.
Christian Science
- 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.
Christian Science
The words “God,” “Son,” “Christ,” and “Holy Ghost” are in tenet 2. Tenet 3 says the belief in sin is punished while it lasts, and that evil is cast out “as unreal.” Tenet 4 calls the atonement evidence of Love and calls Jesus “the Way-shower” and “the Galilean Prophet.” Tenet 5 ties the crucifixion and the resurrection to “the nothingness of matter.”
Is it Christian?
The FAQ answers the name:
Christian Science is a Christian, Bible-based religion based on the teachings of Christ Jesus. Scientology is based on the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard. They are not related to one another.
Christian Science
And on the Trinity:
While Christian Science affirms the divinity of the Christ, it does not equate Jesus with God.
Christian Science
John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 · King James Version, King James Version: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 20:28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.
John 20:28 · King James Version: “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.” Matthew 28:19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew 28:19 · King James Version: “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (4) (6)
The Nicene confession is that the Son is God, of one being with the Father, not a Christ-principle the church refuses to identify with Jesus. The Trinity and Is Jesus God? are that confession. The deity of Christ maps how other communities hear it. The church’s own sentence, “it does not equate Jesus with God,” is the parting.
Tenet 5 makes the resurrection a lifting of faith to the nothingness of matter. The resurrection of Jesus is a body raised, wounds and all, the one Thomas touches. Was Jesus raised bodily? stays on that body. A resurrection that teaches that matter is nothing is not that claim.
Tenet 2 names the Holy Ghost. Is the Holy Spirit a person? is the Christian confession that the Spirit is God, not a name beside a Christ who is not equated with Jesus.
The church uses Christian words and says it is Christian. The tenets and the Trinity sentence are not the confession that Jesus is God, that sin is a real offense he bore in his body, and that he rose in that body.
Practitioners, fees, and medicine
The church’s page on practitioners: (3)
A Christian Science practitioner (C.S.) is someone who will pray for you, and along with you, to find solutions to any problem you may be facing.
Christian Science
Practitioners are self employed and don’t receive any form of payment from the Church. They do charge a reasonable fee for their services in the spirit of Jesus’ guidance in the Bible that “the labourer is worthy of his hire” (Luke 10:7). Practitioners are happy to discuss their fees with patients in advance.
Luke 10:7And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
Luke 10:7 · King James Version, King James Version: “for the labourer is worthy of his hire.” (5) The page says the fee is discussed in advance, and that the Church does not pay the practitioner.
The same page distinguishes Christian Science nursing: “Christian Science nursing provides practical, non-medical care” and is “distinct from registered or licensed medical nursing.”
The FAQ on doctors: (2)
There is a misperception that Christian Scientists aren’t allowed to visit doctors. In fact, Christian Scientists are free to choose their own form of healthcare—whether it is spiritual healing, medical care, or some other method. The reason they often choose a prayer-based approach to healing is because they’ve found it to be effective.
Christian Science
The page does not say the church forbids a physician. It says they are free to choose, and that they often choose prayer.
The FAQ also says the church does not dictate specific social or political stances to its members.
Frequently asked questions
What does a Christian Science practitioner do?
The church says a practitioner prays for you and with you. Practitioners are self-employed. They are not paid by the Church. They charge a reasonable fee and discuss it in advance. (3)
Do Christian Scientists believe in medicine?
The FAQ says they are free to choose spiritual healing, medical care, or another method, and that they often choose prayer because they have found it effective. (2) Christian Science nursing, on the practitioners page, is non-medical and distinct from licensed nursing. (3)
How much does a Christian Science practitioner charge?
The church’s page says “a reasonable fee” and that practitioners “discuss their fees with patients in advance.” It does not print a dollar amount. (3)
Do Christian Science practitioners get paid?
They charge the person who asks them to pray. They “don’t receive any form of payment from the Church.” (3)
Is Christian Science the same as Scientology?
The FAQ says no. Christian Science is based on the Bible and Christ Jesus. Scientology is based on the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard. “They are not related to one another.” (2)
Keep reading
References
- What a Christian Scientist believes, Science and Health, pp. 496–497 (The First Church of Christ, Scientist. The six tenets Mary Baker Eddy published.)
- Frequently asked questions, Christian Science (Founded in 1866, medicine, the Trinity, and the distinction from Scientology.)
- Christian Science practitioners, People and community (Prayer, a fee, and non-medical nursing.)
- Gospel of John, 1:1; 20:28
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 · King James Version. King James Version - Gospel of Luke, 10:7
And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
Luke 10:7 · King James Version. King James Version - Gospel of Matthew, 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew 28:19 · King James Version. King James Version
See also
- Can God Have a Son? — The Qur'an condemns the claim that God has taken a son, especially a son by a consort. Christians deny that picture and still confess the eternal Son.
- If Jesus Is God, Why Did He Pray? — Jesus prayed, said the Father is greater, and said he did not know the hour. The same Gospel says the Word was God and was made flesh.
- Is Jesus God? Where Jesus Claimed to Be God — Yes. Jesus is truly God and truly human. He forgave sins, applied God’s name and honor to himself, and received the words “My LORD and my God,” which is why the church confesses him as God the Son.
- The Deity of Christ: Is Jesus God? — Yes. Christians confess that Jesus is truly God and truly human. The passages are in Is Jesus God?; this page maps how Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, and atheists hear that confession.
- What do Unitarians believe? — The Unitarian Universalist Association’s bylaws center Love and six values, and they forbid a required creed. That covenant does not confess the Trinity or that Jesus is God.