The Tenets of Christian Science from

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures 

by Mary Baker Eddy

 

  1. As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life. 

  2. 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.

  3. 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. 

  4. We acknowledge Jesus’ atonement as the evidence of divine, effacacious 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. 

  5. 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. 

  6. 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 was discovered in 1866 by Mary Baker Eddy. She is the Discoverer, Founder and Leader of Christian Science. Some ask how one person can be all three. She is considered Discoverer because she discovered the law of God that has always existed, -- just as Newton discovered the law named after him that had always existed. As Founder she founded a church based on the teachings of Christ Jesus. And, as Leader she has outlined for the church and Christianity how to practice Christian Science, the law of God as it is applied to human needs, effectively and sufficiently.

Christian Science is biblically based, -- founded on the teachings of Christ Jesus. It is established to reinstate primitive Christianity "and it's lost element of healing" (Church Manual,17). 

Primitive Christianity is based on Christ Jesus’ teachings, his healing works, and the early Church. The teachings of Christ Jesus demonstrate that the power of God to heal has not wained over the centuries, as evidenced by the healings his apostles and the Patristic fathers effected, as well as by healing occurring today.

Healing, as some believe, did not end with the death of the last apostle, but has carried on down through the centuries. So, today, Christian Scientists negate dispensationalism or cessationism through their present-day healing activity.

Christian Science teaches the law of God as applied to humanity. This law is now written down in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mrs. Eddy. This book is the denominational textbook of The First Church of Christ, Scientist and all of its branches. Combined with the Bible these two books act as our Pastor. Science and Health was written to elucidate a higher meaning of scripture, -- an inspired Word. This inspired Word uplifts thought away from matter to divine Spirit, God. As thought is uplifted to a higher understanding of one's relationship with God it's only natural that healing results. 

Thousands of individuals have been healed simply by reading this book along with the Bible. If interested, it can be purchased at any local Christian Science Reading Room, or at www.christianscience.com.

In the early years of Christian Science, readers of Science and Health joined together to support each other. Mrs. Eddy saw the need for a church to hold these individuals together, to strengthen and support their spiritual growth, and to protect her teachings as written in her textbook so she established The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, MA.