Post by JEM on Sept 2, 2013 1:57:49 GMT
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
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CHRISTIAN SCIENCE HISTORY BY MATT SLICK of www.carm.org
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Christian Science was founded by a woman named Mary Baker Eddy. She was born Mary Ann Morse Baker in New Hampshire in 1821. (She died in 1910.). She was the daughter of a New Hampshire Congregationalist church member. As a child, she was frequently ill and highly emotional. She is said to have been "domineering, quarrelsome, and extremely self centered."1 At age 22, she married George Glover. He died seven months later.
She then married Dr. Daniel Patterson, but that marriage failed in divorce. In 1862, while suffering from an illness, she visited a man named Phineas Quimby. He taught a system of healing dealing with the mind. He taught that the mind had the power to heal the body. He exerted a significant influence on her thinking regarding spiritual matters.
In 1866, she fell and was seriously injured and she was not expected to recover. She apparently read Matt. 9:2 ("And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee") and experienced a miraculous cure. It was this experience that convinced her of the truth of Christian Science.
She first published "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" in 1875, when she was 54. She claimed it was the final revelation of God to mankind and asserted that her work was inspired of God. The word "Key" in the title of her book is in reference to her being the woman of Revelation 12; that she is the key to unlocking the Bible which she called a dark book. She claimed the Bible had many mistakes and that her writings provided the "Key" spoken of in Rev. 3:7.
She married Asa Eddy in 1877.
In 1879, four years after the first publication of Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy and some of her students voted organized the church of Christ (Scientist) in Boston Massachusetts. Of course, like all cults, it claimed to be the restoration of the original New Testament Church.
In 1881 she opened a metaphysical college and charged $300 for 12 healing lessons.
The Church was reorganized in 1892, and the Church Manual was first issued in 1895 which provided the structure for church government and missions.
She died in 1910, a millionaire.
The following doctrines are referenced out of the primary Christian Science work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (S&H), by Mary Baker Eddy. It is supposed to be a companion to the Bible. Science and Health together with the Bible are called the Pastor of Christian Science.
1.God is infinite...and there is no other power or source, S&H 471:18.
2.God is Universal Principle, S&H 331:18-19
3.God cannot indwell a person, S&H 336:19-20
4.God is the only intelligence in the universe, including man S&H330:11-12
5.God is Mind, S&H 330:20-21; 469:13
6.God is the Father-Mother, S&H 331:30; 332:4
7.The Trinity is Life, Truth, and Love, S&H 331:26
8.Belief in the traditional doctrine of the Trinity is polytheism, S&H256:9-11
9.Christ is the spiritual idea of sonship S&H 331:30-31
10.Jesus was not the Christ, S&H 333:3-15; 334:3
11."Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus himself declared..." S&H 361:12-13
12.Jesus did not reflect the fullness of God, S&H 336:20-21
13.Jesus did not die, S&H 45:32-46:3
14.The Holy Spirit is divine science, S&H 331:31
15.There is no devil, S&H 469:13-17
16.There is no sin, S&H 447:24
17.Evil and good are not real, S&H 330:25-27; 470:9-14
18.Matter, sin, and sickness are not real, but only illusions," S&H335:7-15; 447:27-28.
19.Life is not material or organic, " S&H 83:21
20.The sacrifice of Jesus was not sufficient to cleanse from sin," S&H25:6.
21.True healings are the result of true belief, " S&H 194:6"
Additionally, Christian Scientists prefer not to use doctors, medicine, or immunizations. Christian Science Practitioners are used to help people through the false reality of illness.
Proper prayer and training are employed to battle the "non-reality" of illness.
They have no ordinances like the Lord's Supper or baptism.
Church services are interspersed with Bible reading and readings from Science and Health.
Mary Baker Eddy is highly regarded as a revelator of God's word.
IS THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE RELIGION CHRISTIAN?
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Of all the biblically-based cults in America today, Christian Science is one of the most interesting. Not only does it deny the essential doctrines of Christianity, but it has completely reinterpreted the Bible. It drastically redefines the Bible’s culture and terminology and rips thousands of scriptures out of their historical and biblical contexts. The result is a non-Christian mixture of metaphysical and philosophical thoughts. Christian Science is so foreign to the Bible that, if it didn’t use words like Jesus, Trinity, Love, Grace, Sin, etc., you’d never suspect it had anything to do with the Bible at all. Additionally, the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which is the Christian Scientist’s mainstay of spiritual knowledge, reads with a rhythm of pseudo-logical statements that has the tendency to dull the senses when read long enough.
Is Christian Science Christian? Definitely not.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is the primary interpretive source of the Bible and source guide of Christian Science. It interprets the Bible in a radically different way. It is so different, in fact, that it absolutely rejects the substitutionary atonement of Jesus and states that it had no efficacious value (S&H, 25:6). It denies that Jesus is God, second person of the Trinity (S&H, 361:12-13). It says that sin is a false interpretation of Divine Mind and is nonexistent (S&H, 335:7-15). And it says that the Holy Spirit is Divine Science which is best represented by Christian Science (S & H, 331:31). The list can go on and, unfortunately, it does.
To the Christian Scientist, God (the Father-Mother) is a Principle known as the Divine Mind. It has no personhood and no personality. A catch phrase used in their literature is that God is "All in All." In other words, God is all that exists and what we perceive as matter is an interpretation of divine mind. Since God is love, it means that sin and sickness are only errors of interpreting the Divine Mind and have no true reality (S & H, 330:25-274; 470:9-14).
To the Christian Scientist, Jesus is a Way-shower. He is someone who epitomized the true principle of the Christ Consciousness which indwells us all. Therefore, Jesus did not really die on the cross. He was not God in flesh. He made no atonement in shedding His blood (S&H, 25:6).
Christian Science teaches that man does not have a sinful nature and is a reflection of Divine Mind. To achieve "salvation," he needs only to find the true reality of understanding, as revealed in Christian Science teachings. Unfortunately, these teachings are from Mary Baker Eddy a woman who founded the religion in the 1870's and are not from God.
The Christian Scientists consider their philosophy to be consistent with the original teachings of Jesus. They consider truth a matter of higher understanding and learning. But the reality is that Christian Science has only produced unbiblical and false doctrines. Eternal destruction is the only thing that will result from its false teaching. The fires of hell will be a bitter reality for those who have been taught that they don’t exist.
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
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1.Angels are God’s thoughts passing to man, an inspiration of goodness, purity that counters evil and material reality.
2.Atonement is not the shedding of Christ’s blood, but "At-one-ment." "Lifting the whole man into Christ Consciousness." The Biblical account is metaphorical, not real.
3.Baptism means the daily, ongoing purification of thought and deed. Eucharist is spiritual communion with God, celebrated with silent prayer and Christian living. It is a "submergence in Spirit."
4.Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the belief that God created disharmony in the world.
5.Body is "the form of expression of both spirit and soul" (Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, p. 628). It is the apparent materialization of the limits of soul as influenced by a person’s conscious development in Christian Science Principles.
6.Christ is the divine idea man. Jesus was not the Christ but a perfect representation of the Christ consciousness that is the true and higher self of every person. Christ is the manifestation of all that is good and true, the realization of divine principle. A Christian Scientist can say, "I am Christ."
7.Creation is the product of Divine Mind. There is only one reality which emanates and is part of the Divine Mind. Anything that is not in harmony with the Divine Mind is not a reality, but a lack of understanding of the principles of divine mind brought about by people.
8.Death - "An illusion, the lie of life in matter."
9.Devil - "Evil, a lie, error." He is not an entity, not a person, has no existence. "A belief in sin, sickness, and death."
10.Evil spirits are false beliefs
11.Flesh - "An error of physical belief; a supposition that life, substance, and intelligence are in matter; an illusion."
12.Gods - "A belief that life, substance, and intelligence are both mental and material; a supposition of sentient physicality.
13.God is Spirit who is a ever-present, all-knowing, all-powerful, and good. God is the Father/Mother God. Other names for God are Divine Mind, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. To the Christian Scientist God is the governing Principle of the universe to which a person must harmonize his belief system.
14.Healing is accomplished by correct thinking according to Christian Science principles. A change in belief that effects physical symptoms. (S&H 194:6)
15.Heaven is not a literal place of eternal bliss, but a harmonious condition of understanding where a person’s consciousness are in harmony with Divine Mind.
"Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government of divine Principle."
16.Hell is a state of mind which can include the effects of their improper understanding of Divine Mind and Christian Science Principles. Hell is not a literal place of d**nation and eternal torment. Hell exists when a person’s thoughts are out of harmony with the reality of Divine Mind. "Mortal belief, error; lust; hatred, sin; sickness; effects of sin."
17.Holy Spirit, the, is Divine Science. is the spirit of God and is only discernable and knowable by a person through his spiritual awareness. It is an emanation, a presence, "a law of God in action."
18.Jesus’ stripes is simply his rejection of error, not the beating he received in the flesh (S&H 20:15).
19.Knowledge - "Evidence obtained from the five corporeal senses; mortality; beliefs and opinions. The opposite of spiritual Truth and understanding." (S&H 590).
20.Material reality is really non-existent. It is only an interpretation of Divine Mind. Even though someone might feel pain or sickness, in reality it does not exist.
21.Mortal Mind - "Nothing claiming to be something, for Mind is immortal; error creating other errors."
22.Pastor really means the combined books of the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
23.Personhood is an aspect and reflection of Divine Mind.
24.Prayer is contemplation and internalization of divine truths. "The taking hold of God’s willingness." It is an affirmation of God’s being in relation to man.
25.Resurrection is "Spiritualisation of thought; a new and higher idea of immortality, or spiritual existence; material belief yielding to spiritual understanding."
26.Salvation is "Life, Truth, and Love understood and demonstrated as supreme over all; sin, sickness, and death destroyed."
27.Sickness is the false understanding given the appearance of reality by the unfaithful and ignorant of Divine Principle and Mind.
28.Sin is not understanding and behaving according to Divine Law of God and the law of our being.
29.Soul is "man’s consciousness -- that which he has apprehended or developed out of Spirit. . . Soul is both conscious and subconscious" (Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, p. 628).
30.Spirit is another name for God. Divine substance; Mind; divine Principle; all that is good." Christ
31.Wrath is really the working out of the law of God’s being upon a person. It is not God’s judgement upon a sinner.
JESUS IS THE CHRIST
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One of the errors of Christian Science is the belief that the Christ is the "divine-idea man." It is a principle that dwells within each and every one of us.
Christian Science denies that Jesus was the Christ.1
The Bible declares in 1 John 2:22, "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?" It is apparent from the following verses that Christian Science is not telling the truth about Jesus.
1.Jesus is the Christ
1.Matt. 16:16, "And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
2.Acts 5:42, "And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
3.See also, Matt. 16:20; Luke 9:20; John 20:31; Acts 3:20;9:22; 18:5; 18:28.
2.Jesus called Himself the Christ
1.John 4:25-26, "The woman *said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." 26Jesus *said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
3.The Christ was born
1.Matt. 1:16, "and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." See alsoMatt. 2:4; Luke 2:11.
4.Christ did works
1.Matt. 11:2, "Now when John in prison heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples."
5.Christ is the Son of David
1.Mark 12:35, "And Jesus answering began to say, as He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?"
6.Christ suffered
1.Luke 24:26, "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" See also Luke 24:46;Acts 26:23.
7.Christ rose from the dead
1.Acts 17:3, "explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ."
8.Christ was resurrected
1.Acts 2:31, "he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay."
9.Christ is a Son
1.Heb. 3:6, "but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end."
10.Christ has a body
1.Rom. 7:4, "Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God."
11.Christ has a body and blood
1.1 Cor. 10:16, "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?"
2.1 Cor. 10:16, "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?"
12.Christ became a curse for us
1.Gal. 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."
13.Christ died
1.Gal. 2:21, "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." See also, 1 Cor. 8:11.
14.Christ can be sinned against
1.1 Cor. 8:12, "And thus, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ."
15.Christ bore the sins of many
1.Heb. 9:28, "so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." See also 1 Cor. 15:23-24.
INTERESTING QUOTES FROM MARY BAKER EDDY
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1."One sacrifice, however great, is insufficient to pay the debt of sin. The atonement requires constant self-immolation on the sinner’s part. That God’s wrath should be vented upon His beloved Son, is divinely unnatural. Such a theory is man-made" (S&H 23:3-7).
2."The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon ‘the accursed tree,’ than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about his Father’s business" (S&H 25:6-8).
3."His disciples believed Jesus to be dead while he was hidden in the sepulcher, whereas he was alive . . ." (S&H 44:28-29).
4.". . . his body was not changed until he himself ascended, — or, in other words, rose even higher in the understand of Spirit, God . . .and this exaltation explained his ascension, and revealed unmistakably a probationary and progressive state beyond the grave" (S&H 46:15-17; 20-24).
5."His students then received the Holy Ghost. By this is meant, that by all they had witnessed and suffered, they were roused to an enlarged understanding of divine Science" (S&H 46:30-32).
6."A scientific mental method is more sanitary than the use of drugs, and such a mental method produces permanent health" (S&H 79:7-9).
7."It is contrary to Christian Science to suppose that life is either material or organically spiritual" (S&H 83:21-22).
8."The admission to one’s self that man is God’s own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea" (S&H 90:24-25).
9."The theory of three person in one God (that is, a personal Trinity or Tri-unity) suggest polytheism . . ." (S&H 256:9-11).
10."Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation" (S&H 332:4-5.).
11."The word Christ is not properly a synonym for Jesus, thought it is commonly so used" (S&H 333:3-4).
12."Mind is the I AM, or infinity. Mind never enters the finite. . .but infinite Mind can never be in man . . .a portion of God could not enter man" (S&H 336:1-2,13,19-20).
13."One sacrifice, however great, is insufficient to pay the debt of sin. The atonement requires constant self-immolation on the sinner’s part. That God’s wrath should be vented upon His beloved Son, is divinely unnatural. Such a theory is man-made" (S&H 23:3-7).
14."The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon ‘the accursed tree,’ than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about his Father’s business" (S&H 25:6-8).
15."His disciples believed Jesus to be dead while he was hidden in the sepulcher, whereas he was alive . . ." (S&H 44:28-29).
16.". . . his body was not changed until he himself ascended, — or, in other words, rose even higher in the understand of Spirit, God . . .and this exaltation explained his ascension, and revealed unmistakably a probationary and progressive state beyond the grave" (S&H 46:15-17; 20-24).
17."His students then received the Holy Ghost. By this is meant, that by all they had witnessed and suffered, they were roused to an enlarged understanding of divine Science" (S&H 46:30-32).
18."A scientific mental method is more sanitary than the use of drugs, and such a mental method produces permanent health" (S&H 79:7-9).
19."It is contrary to Christian Science to suppose that life is either material or organically spiritual" (S&H 83:21-22).
20."The admission to one’s self that man is God’s own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea" (S&H 90:24-25).
21."The theory of three person in one God (that is, a personal Trinity or Tri-unity) suggest polytheism . . ." (S&H 256:9-11).
22."Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation" (S&H 332:4-5.).
23."The word Christ is not properly a synonym for Jesus, thought it is commonly so used" (S&H 333:3-4).
24."Mind is the I AM, or infinity. Mind never enters the finite. . .but infinite Mind can never be in man . . .a portion of God could not enter man" (S&H 336:1-2,13,19-20).
25.". . . and recognize that Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus himself declared, but is the Son of God" (S&H 361:11-13).
26.Speaking of Gen. 2:7, "Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being," Eddy says, "Is this addition to His creation real or unreal? Is it the truth, or is it a lie concerning man and God? It must be a lie, for God presently curses the ground..."(S&H 524:13-27).
27.In describing what the Devil is, it says, "Evil; a lie; error; neither corporeality nor mind; the opposite of Truth; a belief in sin, sickness, and death; animal magnetism or hypnotism; the lust of the flesh, which saith: ‘I am life and intelligence in matter. There is more than one mind, for I am mind, - a wicked mind, self-made or created by a tribal god and put into the opposite of mind, termed matter, thence to reproduce a mortal universe, including man, not after the image and likeness of Spirit, but after its own image." (S&H 584:17-25).
28."If there had never existed such a person as the Galilean Prophet, it would make no difference to me." (The First Church of Christ Scientist and Miscellany, pp. 318, 319)..
QUESTIONS TO ASK CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS
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If God is all in all, then where did evil come from?
If everything is an interpretation of divine mind, then why do people have different understandings of God?
If sickness is an illusion, why do you have practitioners who go out to Christian Scientists in attempts to heal them?
If sin is not real, then why does the Bible say that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23)? As well as, "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us," (1 John 1:8).
In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy said, "The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon ‘the accursed tree,’ than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about his Father’s business."
Why would she contradict so plainly the teaching of Scripture that says, "but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
Why would Mary Baker Eddy directly contradict the Jesus’ own claim of Himself? She said that "Jesus is not God, as Jesus himself declared, but the Son of God." (S & H 361:12-13).
Is she calling Jesus a liar?
If "Man is incapable of sin, sickness, and death" as Eddy said in Science and Health 475:28, then why do people die? Why does the Bible say that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23)?
Why would Mrs. Eddy say Jesus did not die (S&H 45:32-46:3) when the Bible clearly teaches that He died (Rom. 8:34; 1 Thess. 4:14; 1 Cor. 8:11; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 John 1:7).
If our physical senses do not tell us the truth about the material world then how can we trust them when we read the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures or hear its message with our ears?
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CHRISTIAN SCIENCE HISTORY BY MATT SLICK of www.carm.org
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Christian Science was founded by a woman named Mary Baker Eddy. She was born Mary Ann Morse Baker in New Hampshire in 1821. (She died in 1910.). She was the daughter of a New Hampshire Congregationalist church member. As a child, she was frequently ill and highly emotional. She is said to have been "domineering, quarrelsome, and extremely self centered."1 At age 22, she married George Glover. He died seven months later.
She then married Dr. Daniel Patterson, but that marriage failed in divorce. In 1862, while suffering from an illness, she visited a man named Phineas Quimby. He taught a system of healing dealing with the mind. He taught that the mind had the power to heal the body. He exerted a significant influence on her thinking regarding spiritual matters.
In 1866, she fell and was seriously injured and she was not expected to recover. She apparently read Matt. 9:2 ("And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee") and experienced a miraculous cure. It was this experience that convinced her of the truth of Christian Science.
She first published "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" in 1875, when she was 54. She claimed it was the final revelation of God to mankind and asserted that her work was inspired of God. The word "Key" in the title of her book is in reference to her being the woman of Revelation 12; that she is the key to unlocking the Bible which she called a dark book. She claimed the Bible had many mistakes and that her writings provided the "Key" spoken of in Rev. 3:7.
She married Asa Eddy in 1877.
In 1879, four years after the first publication of Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy and some of her students voted organized the church of Christ (Scientist) in Boston Massachusetts. Of course, like all cults, it claimed to be the restoration of the original New Testament Church.
In 1881 she opened a metaphysical college and charged $300 for 12 healing lessons.
The Church was reorganized in 1892, and the Church Manual was first issued in 1895 which provided the structure for church government and missions.
She died in 1910, a millionaire.
The following doctrines are referenced out of the primary Christian Science work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (S&H), by Mary Baker Eddy. It is supposed to be a companion to the Bible. Science and Health together with the Bible are called the Pastor of Christian Science.
1.God is infinite...and there is no other power or source, S&H 471:18.
2.God is Universal Principle, S&H 331:18-19
3.God cannot indwell a person, S&H 336:19-20
4.God is the only intelligence in the universe, including man S&H330:11-12
5.God is Mind, S&H 330:20-21; 469:13
6.God is the Father-Mother, S&H 331:30; 332:4
7.The Trinity is Life, Truth, and Love, S&H 331:26
8.Belief in the traditional doctrine of the Trinity is polytheism, S&H256:9-11
9.Christ is the spiritual idea of sonship S&H 331:30-31
10.Jesus was not the Christ, S&H 333:3-15; 334:3
11."Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus himself declared..." S&H 361:12-13
12.Jesus did not reflect the fullness of God, S&H 336:20-21
13.Jesus did not die, S&H 45:32-46:3
14.The Holy Spirit is divine science, S&H 331:31
15.There is no devil, S&H 469:13-17
16.There is no sin, S&H 447:24
17.Evil and good are not real, S&H 330:25-27; 470:9-14
18.Matter, sin, and sickness are not real, but only illusions," S&H335:7-15; 447:27-28.
19.Life is not material or organic, " S&H 83:21
20.The sacrifice of Jesus was not sufficient to cleanse from sin," S&H25:6.
21.True healings are the result of true belief, " S&H 194:6"
Additionally, Christian Scientists prefer not to use doctors, medicine, or immunizations. Christian Science Practitioners are used to help people through the false reality of illness.
Proper prayer and training are employed to battle the "non-reality" of illness.
They have no ordinances like the Lord's Supper or baptism.
Church services are interspersed with Bible reading and readings from Science and Health.
Mary Baker Eddy is highly regarded as a revelator of God's word.
IS THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE RELIGION CHRISTIAN?
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Of all the biblically-based cults in America today, Christian Science is one of the most interesting. Not only does it deny the essential doctrines of Christianity, but it has completely reinterpreted the Bible. It drastically redefines the Bible’s culture and terminology and rips thousands of scriptures out of their historical and biblical contexts. The result is a non-Christian mixture of metaphysical and philosophical thoughts. Christian Science is so foreign to the Bible that, if it didn’t use words like Jesus, Trinity, Love, Grace, Sin, etc., you’d never suspect it had anything to do with the Bible at all. Additionally, the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which is the Christian Scientist’s mainstay of spiritual knowledge, reads with a rhythm of pseudo-logical statements that has the tendency to dull the senses when read long enough.
Is Christian Science Christian? Definitely not.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is the primary interpretive source of the Bible and source guide of Christian Science. It interprets the Bible in a radically different way. It is so different, in fact, that it absolutely rejects the substitutionary atonement of Jesus and states that it had no efficacious value (S&H, 25:6). It denies that Jesus is God, second person of the Trinity (S&H, 361:12-13). It says that sin is a false interpretation of Divine Mind and is nonexistent (S&H, 335:7-15). And it says that the Holy Spirit is Divine Science which is best represented by Christian Science (S & H, 331:31). The list can go on and, unfortunately, it does.
To the Christian Scientist, God (the Father-Mother) is a Principle known as the Divine Mind. It has no personhood and no personality. A catch phrase used in their literature is that God is "All in All." In other words, God is all that exists and what we perceive as matter is an interpretation of divine mind. Since God is love, it means that sin and sickness are only errors of interpreting the Divine Mind and have no true reality (S & H, 330:25-274; 470:9-14).
To the Christian Scientist, Jesus is a Way-shower. He is someone who epitomized the true principle of the Christ Consciousness which indwells us all. Therefore, Jesus did not really die on the cross. He was not God in flesh. He made no atonement in shedding His blood (S&H, 25:6).
Christian Science teaches that man does not have a sinful nature and is a reflection of Divine Mind. To achieve "salvation," he needs only to find the true reality of understanding, as revealed in Christian Science teachings. Unfortunately, these teachings are from Mary Baker Eddy a woman who founded the religion in the 1870's and are not from God.
The Christian Scientists consider their philosophy to be consistent with the original teachings of Jesus. They consider truth a matter of higher understanding and learning. But the reality is that Christian Science has only produced unbiblical and false doctrines. Eternal destruction is the only thing that will result from its false teaching. The fires of hell will be a bitter reality for those who have been taught that they don’t exist.
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
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1.Angels are God’s thoughts passing to man, an inspiration of goodness, purity that counters evil and material reality.
2.Atonement is not the shedding of Christ’s blood, but "At-one-ment." "Lifting the whole man into Christ Consciousness." The Biblical account is metaphorical, not real.
3.Baptism means the daily, ongoing purification of thought and deed. Eucharist is spiritual communion with God, celebrated with silent prayer and Christian living. It is a "submergence in Spirit."
4.Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the belief that God created disharmony in the world.
5.Body is "the form of expression of both spirit and soul" (Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, p. 628). It is the apparent materialization of the limits of soul as influenced by a person’s conscious development in Christian Science Principles.
6.Christ is the divine idea man. Jesus was not the Christ but a perfect representation of the Christ consciousness that is the true and higher self of every person. Christ is the manifestation of all that is good and true, the realization of divine principle. A Christian Scientist can say, "I am Christ."
7.Creation is the product of Divine Mind. There is only one reality which emanates and is part of the Divine Mind. Anything that is not in harmony with the Divine Mind is not a reality, but a lack of understanding of the principles of divine mind brought about by people.
8.Death - "An illusion, the lie of life in matter."
9.Devil - "Evil, a lie, error." He is not an entity, not a person, has no existence. "A belief in sin, sickness, and death."
10.Evil spirits are false beliefs
11.Flesh - "An error of physical belief; a supposition that life, substance, and intelligence are in matter; an illusion."
12.Gods - "A belief that life, substance, and intelligence are both mental and material; a supposition of sentient physicality.
13.God is Spirit who is a ever-present, all-knowing, all-powerful, and good. God is the Father/Mother God. Other names for God are Divine Mind, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. To the Christian Scientist God is the governing Principle of the universe to which a person must harmonize his belief system.
14.Healing is accomplished by correct thinking according to Christian Science principles. A change in belief that effects physical symptoms. (S&H 194:6)
15.Heaven is not a literal place of eternal bliss, but a harmonious condition of understanding where a person’s consciousness are in harmony with Divine Mind.
"Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government of divine Principle."
16.Hell is a state of mind which can include the effects of their improper understanding of Divine Mind and Christian Science Principles. Hell is not a literal place of d**nation and eternal torment. Hell exists when a person’s thoughts are out of harmony with the reality of Divine Mind. "Mortal belief, error; lust; hatred, sin; sickness; effects of sin."
17.Holy Spirit, the, is Divine Science. is the spirit of God and is only discernable and knowable by a person through his spiritual awareness. It is an emanation, a presence, "a law of God in action."
18.Jesus’ stripes is simply his rejection of error, not the beating he received in the flesh (S&H 20:15).
19.Knowledge - "Evidence obtained from the five corporeal senses; mortality; beliefs and opinions. The opposite of spiritual Truth and understanding." (S&H 590).
20.Material reality is really non-existent. It is only an interpretation of Divine Mind. Even though someone might feel pain or sickness, in reality it does not exist.
21.Mortal Mind - "Nothing claiming to be something, for Mind is immortal; error creating other errors."
22.Pastor really means the combined books of the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
23.Personhood is an aspect and reflection of Divine Mind.
24.Prayer is contemplation and internalization of divine truths. "The taking hold of God’s willingness." It is an affirmation of God’s being in relation to man.
25.Resurrection is "Spiritualisation of thought; a new and higher idea of immortality, or spiritual existence; material belief yielding to spiritual understanding."
26.Salvation is "Life, Truth, and Love understood and demonstrated as supreme over all; sin, sickness, and death destroyed."
27.Sickness is the false understanding given the appearance of reality by the unfaithful and ignorant of Divine Principle and Mind.
28.Sin is not understanding and behaving according to Divine Law of God and the law of our being.
29.Soul is "man’s consciousness -- that which he has apprehended or developed out of Spirit. . . Soul is both conscious and subconscious" (Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, p. 628).
30.Spirit is another name for God. Divine substance; Mind; divine Principle; all that is good." Christ
31.Wrath is really the working out of the law of God’s being upon a person. It is not God’s judgement upon a sinner.
JESUS IS THE CHRIST
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One of the errors of Christian Science is the belief that the Christ is the "divine-idea man." It is a principle that dwells within each and every one of us.
Christian Science denies that Jesus was the Christ.1
The Bible declares in 1 John 2:22, "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?" It is apparent from the following verses that Christian Science is not telling the truth about Jesus.
1.Jesus is the Christ
1.Matt. 16:16, "And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
2.Acts 5:42, "And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
3.See also, Matt. 16:20; Luke 9:20; John 20:31; Acts 3:20;9:22; 18:5; 18:28.
2.Jesus called Himself the Christ
1.John 4:25-26, "The woman *said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." 26Jesus *said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
3.The Christ was born
1.Matt. 1:16, "and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." See alsoMatt. 2:4; Luke 2:11.
4.Christ did works
1.Matt. 11:2, "Now when John in prison heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples."
5.Christ is the Son of David
1.Mark 12:35, "And Jesus answering began to say, as He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?"
6.Christ suffered
1.Luke 24:26, "Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" See also Luke 24:46;Acts 26:23.
7.Christ rose from the dead
1.Acts 17:3, "explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ."
8.Christ was resurrected
1.Acts 2:31, "he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay."
9.Christ is a Son
1.Heb. 3:6, "but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end."
10.Christ has a body
1.Rom. 7:4, "Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God."
11.Christ has a body and blood
1.1 Cor. 10:16, "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?"
2.1 Cor. 10:16, "Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?"
12.Christ became a curse for us
1.Gal. 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."
13.Christ died
1.Gal. 2:21, "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." See also, 1 Cor. 8:11.
14.Christ can be sinned against
1.1 Cor. 8:12, "And thus, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ."
15.Christ bore the sins of many
1.Heb. 9:28, "so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." See also 1 Cor. 15:23-24.
INTERESTING QUOTES FROM MARY BAKER EDDY
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1."One sacrifice, however great, is insufficient to pay the debt of sin. The atonement requires constant self-immolation on the sinner’s part. That God’s wrath should be vented upon His beloved Son, is divinely unnatural. Such a theory is man-made" (S&H 23:3-7).
2."The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon ‘the accursed tree,’ than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about his Father’s business" (S&H 25:6-8).
3."His disciples believed Jesus to be dead while he was hidden in the sepulcher, whereas he was alive . . ." (S&H 44:28-29).
4.". . . his body was not changed until he himself ascended, — or, in other words, rose even higher in the understand of Spirit, God . . .and this exaltation explained his ascension, and revealed unmistakably a probationary and progressive state beyond the grave" (S&H 46:15-17; 20-24).
5."His students then received the Holy Ghost. By this is meant, that by all they had witnessed and suffered, they were roused to an enlarged understanding of divine Science" (S&H 46:30-32).
6."A scientific mental method is more sanitary than the use of drugs, and such a mental method produces permanent health" (S&H 79:7-9).
7."It is contrary to Christian Science to suppose that life is either material or organically spiritual" (S&H 83:21-22).
8."The admission to one’s self that man is God’s own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea" (S&H 90:24-25).
9."The theory of three person in one God (that is, a personal Trinity or Tri-unity) suggest polytheism . . ." (S&H 256:9-11).
10."Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation" (S&H 332:4-5.).
11."The word Christ is not properly a synonym for Jesus, thought it is commonly so used" (S&H 333:3-4).
12."Mind is the I AM, or infinity. Mind never enters the finite. . .but infinite Mind can never be in man . . .a portion of God could not enter man" (S&H 336:1-2,13,19-20).
13."One sacrifice, however great, is insufficient to pay the debt of sin. The atonement requires constant self-immolation on the sinner’s part. That God’s wrath should be vented upon His beloved Son, is divinely unnatural. Such a theory is man-made" (S&H 23:3-7).
14."The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon ‘the accursed tree,’ than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about his Father’s business" (S&H 25:6-8).
15."His disciples believed Jesus to be dead while he was hidden in the sepulcher, whereas he was alive . . ." (S&H 44:28-29).
16.". . . his body was not changed until he himself ascended, — or, in other words, rose even higher in the understand of Spirit, God . . .and this exaltation explained his ascension, and revealed unmistakably a probationary and progressive state beyond the grave" (S&H 46:15-17; 20-24).
17."His students then received the Holy Ghost. By this is meant, that by all they had witnessed and suffered, they were roused to an enlarged understanding of divine Science" (S&H 46:30-32).
18."A scientific mental method is more sanitary than the use of drugs, and such a mental method produces permanent health" (S&H 79:7-9).
19."It is contrary to Christian Science to suppose that life is either material or organically spiritual" (S&H 83:21-22).
20."The admission to one’s self that man is God’s own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea" (S&H 90:24-25).
21."The theory of three person in one God (that is, a personal Trinity or Tri-unity) suggest polytheism . . ." (S&H 256:9-11).
22."Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation" (S&H 332:4-5.).
23."The word Christ is not properly a synonym for Jesus, thought it is commonly so used" (S&H 333:3-4).
24."Mind is the I AM, or infinity. Mind never enters the finite. . .but infinite Mind can never be in man . . .a portion of God could not enter man" (S&H 336:1-2,13,19-20).
25.". . . and recognize that Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus himself declared, but is the Son of God" (S&H 361:11-13).
26.Speaking of Gen. 2:7, "Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being," Eddy says, "Is this addition to His creation real or unreal? Is it the truth, or is it a lie concerning man and God? It must be a lie, for God presently curses the ground..."(S&H 524:13-27).
27.In describing what the Devil is, it says, "Evil; a lie; error; neither corporeality nor mind; the opposite of Truth; a belief in sin, sickness, and death; animal magnetism or hypnotism; the lust of the flesh, which saith: ‘I am life and intelligence in matter. There is more than one mind, for I am mind, - a wicked mind, self-made or created by a tribal god and put into the opposite of mind, termed matter, thence to reproduce a mortal universe, including man, not after the image and likeness of Spirit, but after its own image." (S&H 584:17-25).
28."If there had never existed such a person as the Galilean Prophet, it would make no difference to me." (The First Church of Christ Scientist and Miscellany, pp. 318, 319)..
QUESTIONS TO ASK CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS
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If God is all in all, then where did evil come from?
If everything is an interpretation of divine mind, then why do people have different understandings of God?
If sickness is an illusion, why do you have practitioners who go out to Christian Scientists in attempts to heal them?
If sin is not real, then why does the Bible say that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23)? As well as, "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us," (1 John 1:8).
In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy said, "The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon ‘the accursed tree,’ than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about his Father’s business."
Why would she contradict so plainly the teaching of Scripture that says, "but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
Why would Mary Baker Eddy directly contradict the Jesus’ own claim of Himself? She said that "Jesus is not God, as Jesus himself declared, but the Son of God." (S & H 361:12-13).
Is she calling Jesus a liar?
If "Man is incapable of sin, sickness, and death" as Eddy said in Science and Health 475:28, then why do people die? Why does the Bible say that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23)?
Why would Mrs. Eddy say Jesus did not die (S&H 45:32-46:3) when the Bible clearly teaches that He died (Rom. 8:34; 1 Thess. 4:14; 1 Cor. 8:11; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 John 1:7).
If our physical senses do not tell us the truth about the material world then how can we trust them when we read the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures or hear its message with our ears?