Bert Swope
Christian Science is a religion that emphasizes spiritual healing. Its believers believe in God and in His unconditional love, and so it does not require medical care. They also believe that healing can come from accepting God’s order of things. The religion has a small following and is not widely accepted by the general population.
Christian Science believes that God is unconditionally good
Christian Science is a religion that claims to be based on God as an infinite Principle and unchanging Love. Through the Christian Science philosophy, people are taught the laws of spiritual love that Jesus relied on in his healing. These laws are scientifically proven and have allowed many to heal. Today, people are discovering the healing powers of these laws and are finding them to be very effective. Christian Scientists use prayer as a way to align themselves with the truth of God’s love and willingness to heal.
Christian Scientists have also been instrumental in establishing religious exemptions to medical-neglect laws. In 1967, a Christian Scientist named Dorothy Sheridan was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after refusing to administer antibiotics to her sick child. Christian Scientists have lobbied the government to create religious exemptions for medical-neglect laws to protect those suffering from medical neglect.
While Christian Science believes God is unconditionally good, the doctrine of conditional love has also been a central part of Christian science. Unconditional love is a type of unconditional love in which an object is loved regardless of their worth or the object’s behavior. This is because unconditional love is a type of love that involves total acceptance and discipline.
The concept of a Creator God has a long history in Christian and Jewish thought. The first negative theologian, Plotinus, believed that the knowledge of God is derived more from what God is not than from what he is. He also believed that previous religions represented various forms of knowledge of God.
It does not require its practitioners to seek medical care
Christian Science is a non-traditional health care system that emphasizes prayer for healing. Its founder, Mary Baker Eddy, designed it as an alternative to conventional medical care. Practitioners, known as spiritual healers, use prayer and other spiritual practices to treat patients. They are paid a fee for their services and must pay for their patients’ treatments. The Boston-based Christian Science Society doesn’t publish membership numbers. The organization’s internal rules, outlined by founder Mary Baker Eddy, are kept confidential.
One notable case involving Christian Science and medical malpractice is the Lundman case. This case is devastating for the Christian Science Church, more so than the millions lost on media ventures and the near schism caused by Bliss Knapp’s book. Rita Swan hopes to use this ruling to make future deaths of Christian Science patients too expensive for the Church to bear. The case opens the door for similar civil suits against Christian Science practitioners.
The court held, “Ordinary human intelligence cannot comprehend the spiritual healing” that Christian Scientists practice. Therefore, they are guilty of committing a criminal act. In addition, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the religious exemption is ambiguous and can’t protect the practitioner’s faith.
Many Christian Scientists are hesitant to seek medical care. Because they believe in the power of prayer, they are not required to take medicine, or see a doctor. They pray for their patients and sometimes this has been effective. However, Christian Science practitioners aren’t allowed to treat children with life-threatening illnesses.
The case is similar to another case. A toddler in Boston, Massachusetts, died of sepsis and an obstructed bowel after five days of suffering. While the child was ill, she did not receive the proper care needed to avoid death. Instead, she was fed by a Christian Science nurse. The case is scheduled for trial on March 13.
Although there are no statistics on the number of Christian Science practitioners worldwide, the closure of hundreds of branch churches suggests attrition as the biggest threat to the Church’s future. In the United States, the Church claims fewer than a hundred thousand members. In Europe, there are roughly 15,000 Christian Scientists, concentrated in Germany and Great Britain. The rest are spread out in more than sixty countries. Most Christian Scientists are elderly. Because of this, the Church is increasingly active in attracting new members.
It emphasizes spiritual healing
One of the central beliefs of Christian Science is that spiritual healing is possible even when sickness or disease is present. According to Christian Science, this is possible because disease and illness are based on ignorance, sin, and fear. In contrast, health is based on spiritual fact. When the cause of illness is removed, there is no reason for disease or illness to continue.
Nathan Talbot, the Chairman of one of the 170 Committees around the world, sits on the tenth floor of the administration building. He renounced his law practice and sees his work as a healing activity. His full face and blue-gray eyes are reminiscent of those of a television evangelist. He has long, slender fingers for gesturing. Unlike many TV evangelists, he never lets his anger rise.
Christian Science church services are non-sectarian and do not include clergy. Instead, a two-person team leads Sunday services. A First Reader reads passages from Science and Health and a Second Reader reads the Bible. The two readers also determine which hymns are sung on Sundays and read the benediction. The vast majority of the service is reading a weekly Bible lesson supplied by the headquarters in Boston.
It appeals to a small group of people
The theology of Christian Science is based on the idea that you can heal yourself and this is a very practical concept. Many Christians have embraced this philosophy, but a number of critics see it as a dangerous cult. The group’s members tend to be old and vulnerable.
Some Christians may be skeptical of the “heal thyself” philosophy because of the way it deals with disease. Children with Christian Science illnesses are commonly stricken with grotesque illnesses that are beyond the scope of medical intervention. Children with Christian Science illnesses are often told that their pain has no place in the real world.