A Guide to Christian Science Medical Practices

Mary Baker Eddy, (1821-1910), after an alleged spinal injury in 1866, and subsequently claiming that the bible healed her, wrote Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Eddy claimed to have healed herself and others by understanding God as an infinite spirit. She went on to found the Church of Christ, Scientist in 1879. Eddy was a woman who suffered from life-long chronic illnesses. In her autobiography, Retrospection and Introspection, she claims to have heard the voice of God as a child, and was said to have been able to heal animals. Over her lifetime, Mary Baker Eddy was plagued by bouts with depression, among other ailments. In 1862, Eddy benefited somewhat from the treatment of magnetic healer, Phineas Quimby, and sought to expound on his teachings.

Christian Science Healing is based on her book, Science and Health. According to her teachings, God does not use conventional medical practices to heal, and did not create conventional medicine. Christian Scientists do not believe in matter, illness, or death. They believe that heaven and hell are states of mind. Christian Science Healing is the practice of healing through prayer and spiritual growth.

A Christian Science Practitioner, as put by ChristianScience.org, is someone who has studied the bible and the textbook of Christian Science, and taken a course taught by a Christian Science teacher. These practitioners are certified by the church, and are not medical doctors. The Christian Scientists believe in healing through prayer, and anyone, regardless of religion, can enlist the services of a practitioner, for a fee.

Christian Science Nurses help people to dress, bathe, and with mobility, should the patient not be healed immediately through prayer. These "nurses" do not provide any medication, physical therapy, or any other type of medical treatment. The Christian Science nurses do charge for their services.

Christian Science Teachers are not doctors, but Christian Science Practitioners dedicated to teaching the two week healing course.

ChristianScience.com claims that spiritual healing is achieved by opening human thoughts to what is really there. In effect, because they do not believe in the illness, it cannot possibly exist. The Christian Scientists teach that a supreme being would not have created man to be so imperfect as to be vulnerable to illness and death.

Most devout members of the church will refuse conventional medical treatment for an illness or injury. The church claims that health care is a matter of personal choice, but if a member of the church does seek medical care, they must withdraw their names from church periodicals. Christian Scientists claim that they teach compliance with local law concerning vaccinations, communicable diseases, and quarantines, while lobbying for exemption from these laws.

While trying to remain unbiased, as a health care professional, I must point out that if an adult refuses medical treatment, it is his or her right to do so. When the decision is made for a child or other incapacitated person, I believe that it becomes an act of endangerment and neglect. An advocate should always be elected to look out for the best interest of the patient.

I do see that spirituality combined with conventional medicine may improve attitude and peace of mind in the patient. Without debating the existence of a supreme being, we have a legal obligation to provide medical care and vaccinations to children. It is fine to leave spiritual guidance to a church, but leave the healing to modern medical science.