CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
“Christian Science”. Sounds great, doesn’t it? In our technological age of computers, electronics, VCRs, digital lasers and ‘star wars’, here we have Christian Science, a religion first originated as the brain child of Mary Baker Eddy in 1898. Is it “Christian”? And is it “Science”? Is it biblical? What is Christian Science?
To find the answers to these questions, let us examine Mrs. Eddy’s claims in her writings, and compare them to the Bible, either for authentication, or rejection. Fair enough?
What Do Christian Scientists Believe?
Mary Baker Eddy says, for example, that man did not fall from perfection; death is an illusion; angels are not persons, but God’s thoughts; God is not a person, but a Mind; Genesis 2:7 is a lie; the Virgin birth was a spiritual “idea”; the Trinity is pagan doctrine; evil and sin are imaginary; Jesus is not God; “heaven” is a state of mind/hell doesn’t exist; Christ did not die at all; his resurrection was “spiritual” and not physical; the shed blood of Christ is ineffectual for sin; and many more ideas we will not be able to fully cover in this short booklet. Now let’s see what the Bible says concerning some of these ideas of Mrs. Eddy.
Comparisons of Mrs. Eddy’s Ideas to the Holy Scriptures
1. Mary Baker Eddy: Man did not fall from perfection, he is still perfect. (Science & Health, p. 259)
But the Word of God says in Job 31:33: “If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom, did I fear a great multitude...?”
The Bible says Adam transgressed God’s law, and he tried to hide his iniquity (sin, imperfection, crime) from God. Romans 3:23 says: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” ALL, of course, includes Adam and Mary Baker Eddy, since this is a statement of an absolute truth and principle. So Adam did fall from perfection, and as an imperfect man, passed on his fallen nature to all his offspring. We all sin, and are imperfect beings because we are Adam’s fallen children.
2. Mary Baker Eddy: Death is an illusion. (Science and Health, p. 289, 584)
But the Word of God says in Romans 5:12: “...as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” We die because we sin, and we sin because we are sinners and can never achieve ultimate perfection in this earthly life. It is impossible not to sin because 1 John 1:8 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
The Bible thus reveals that Mary Baker Eddy was a deceived woman and the truth was not in her. She said death was an illusion, but the Bible says that death is the REALITY and is the common terminus for all mankind. Hebrews 9:27 says: “...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Imperfection in this life is the true reality, and perfection in this life is the illusion. The ultimate proof that Mary Baker Eddy was deceived is that she did not practice what she preached. You see, she died and is a rotting corpse in her grave now. The truth was not in her, and that is why she died–she was imperfect, she declared lies to be the truth and transgressed God’s laws.
3. Mary Baker Eddy: God is not a person but a Mind. (Science & Health, p. 9)
(Webster’s Dictionary defines a “person” and an individual human being consisting of body and soul...considered with respect to the living body or corporeal existence only.)
The Word of God describes Jesus in John 4:6: “Jesus, being wearied by His journey...”. John 4:7 says: “Jesus said ‘give Me to drink’...”. And John 11:35 declares, “Jesus wept.”
In these verses, we see humanity, not Mind. Jesus Himself said to His terrified disciples, “Behold My hands and My feet...handle Me...for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have.” Luke 24:39
Then the Word of God says in Titus 2:13, that we are visually “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ”. The reference is clearly referring to Jesus Christ as the great God and our Savior, and says we will actually see Him. Thus God CAN be seen, and is neither an impersonal Mind nor a “principle”, but is a real Person Who is both human and divine, both man and God. The Apostle Peter also confirmed Jesus’ deity in 2 Peter 1:1 when he said that Christians have obtained faith “through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” In the early Greek manuscripts, the words “God” and “our Savior” modify ONLY the words “Jesus Christ”.
4. Mary Baker Eddy: Genesis 2:7 is a lie. (Science & Health, p. 517)
What is Genesis 2:7? It is the verse that shows how God created Adam out of the dust that lays on the ground, forming him first, and then breathing the breath of life into him. The word “dust” in the original Hebrew is literally dust that lays on the ground, and has no other meanings except as dry earth, or soil or powdery substances.
Mary Baker Eddy subtracted from Scripture (Revelation 22:19) by teaching that man is on-material. Most of orthodox Christianity teaches that man is partially non-material, calling it spirit. But MBE means that man is totally non-material. Genesis 2:7, however, clearly shows man originated from dust and IS a material being. MBE thus denies that Genesis is truth, but a lie, since it doesn’t agree with her false ideas. Genesis 2:7 IS the truth and stands as the Word of God. (Romans 3:4) If, however, more proof is needed, Job 10:8-12 says:
“Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet Thou dost destroy me. Remember, I beseech Thee, that Thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt Thou bring me into dust again?...Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and favor, and Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.”
Job’s statements agree with Genesis 2:7, the creation of man from dust, even mentioning our return back to that state. Notice he also mentions the materials of skin, bone, flesh and sinews, and also the immaterial part of man–the spirit.
King David says in Psalm 103:14 when speaking of God: “For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” David lived centuries after Genesis 2:7 was written, and he also says we are “dust”, not merely a spirit as Mary Baker Eddy mis-taught.
The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, says in the Word of God, Ecclesiastes 3:20: “All go into one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.” That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? And, of course, these words apply to Mary Baker Eddy as well.
5. Mary Baker Eddy: The virgin birth was a “spiritual” idea conceived by Mary as her ideal. Jesus was the offspring of Mary’s self-conscious communion with God. (Science & Health, p. 231, 261)
What does the Word of God say concerning the birth of Jesus Christ? Matthew 1:18, 20 says: “...she (Virgin Mary) was found with child of the Holy Ghost...for that which is conceived in her if of the Holy Ghost.” Luke 1:26-34 says: “...the angel Gabriel was sent from God...to a virgin...and said...’thou shalt conceive in thy womb...a son’. And when she saw him she was troubled...Then said Mary unto the angel, ‘how shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
These verses reveal that the angel was not a “thought”, but a REAL person that could be SEEN and who talked directly in a normal manner to her. It was Gabriel who had to reveal to her what would be happening inside of her material body. This was not a “spiritual” idea or ideal of Mary. Mary knew nothing about a “virgin birth” because she asked the obvious: How can I conceive a baby without a physical man? Gabriel, a real person, an angelic being from heaven, told her with words, that an unprecedented physical and material miracle was to be done to her by God, Himself.
This miracle, she freely consented to, but the Bible nowhere teaches that she initiated the virgin birth as a “spiritual” ideal. IF the virgin birth was a “spiritual” idea, (and the bible denies that), then all women should be able to duplicate her situation, and reproduce new Jesuses by the same method that MBE taught. Obviously, no other woman in history has ever duplicated the physical miracle done to Mary, by God the Holy Ghost. Consequently, Mary Baker Eddy’s idea of the virgin birth is completely false.
6. Mary Baker Eddy: The Trinity is a pagan doctrine. “The theory of three persons in one God (that is a personal trinity or tri-unity) suggests polytheism.” (Science and Health, p. 152)
The Word of God says: “The Lord our God is one Lord.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) The Word of God also says in 2 Corinthians 3:17 that: “...the Lord is that Spirit.” And again in 1 Corinthians 8:6 it says: “...One Lord, Jesus Christ”. And again in Psalm 110:1, it says: “the Lord (the Father) said unto my (David’s) Lord (Jesus), sit Thou at My right hand.” (Acts 2:32-36).
What do these verses all prove? They clearly show that the Word of God teaches that all three personages, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, are addressed as “Lord”, and yet there is only ONE Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4). The Hebrew word used for “God” in Genesis 1 is “elohim”, a plural, masculine gender noun. There is no Father-Mother god as Mrs. Eddy theorizes since even the original Hebrew language forbids this false interpretation.
In Hebrews 1:8, God the Father addresses His Son (Jesus) as God, when the Father says: “But unto the Son, He (the Father) said, Thy throne O God (the Son) is forever and ever.” That the Father is God can be understood by Psalm 89:26: “...Thou are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.” Notice the Psalmist did NOT say Father-Mother god, but simply “father” only. Jesus also said in the original Bible version: “Our Father, Who art in heaven...” Luke 11:2.
But Mary Baker Eddy added (and violated) Scripture (Proverbs 30:6), when she said God is a Father-Mother god. The Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is not divine science as MBE contends, but rather, is the Eternal God. A careful study of Acts 5:4, 3, & 9 reveals that Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Ghost, Who is then referred to as “God”. From all these verses along with Exodus 20:2 & 3 which says: “I am the Lord thy God...thou shall have no other gods before Me,” we see that the “Lord” and “God” are ONE entity, yet three, Divine Persons, but yet, NOT three gods. Certainly this is a great mystery to mortal minds. Yes, God IS a Trinity, a TRI-Unity, as the Hebrew word “elohim” reveals, but NOT a polytheistic collection of gods, as Mary Baker Eddy falsely asserts.
7. Mary Baker Eddy: Evil and sin are imaginary. “Man is incapable of sin, sickness and death.” (Science & Health, p. 470, 407, 475)
IS sin imaginary? What says the Bible? In 1 John 3:4, it says: “whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law...he that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” Here we see that sin is NOT imaginary, but real works of the devil. If sin is imaginary, then why don’t criminals in law courts merely say that the charges against them–the crimes (which are sinful and evil) are “imaginary” and therefore the judges should dismiss them? If man is incapable of sin, as Mary Baker Eddy contends, then was Paul lying in Roman 3:23 when he said: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”?
Why the do all die? Why did Mary Baker Eddy die on December 3, 1910 at the age of 89 and a half years old, in spite of her own teaching that “God is all, God is life, and therefore sickness and death are nonexistent”? Why do all Christian Scientists die. Not one member has ever remained alive by following her teachings.
If the “devil” is merely lying and not a real person, as MBE taught, how can Revelation 20:1-3 be explained away where John presents the devil as a real person? How can Isaiah’s revelation of how Lucifer became the personal devil be spiritualized or symbolized away in Isaiah 14:12-15? How can Ezekiel’s revelation of Satan’s physical description as a cherub be simply dismissed as an “evil” principle and not a literal being (Ezekiel 28:13-19)? All these verses contradict Mary Baker Eddy’s illusions. The Word of God dismisses Mrs. Eddy’s fictions when it says: “...if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) Truly, the truth was not in Mary Baker Eddy, a truly deceived woman.
8. Mary Baker Eddy: Heaven is a state of mind; hell doesn’t exist. (Science & Health, p. 578, 266)
It is hard to figure out how Mrs. Eddy could possibly arrive at such a set of twisted mis-beliefs. In Genesis 1:1, it says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (New American Standard Bible) Here the Word of God speaks of material creation, not “states of mind”. The whole context of Genesis 1 is material creation.
In 1 Chronicles 6:18, King Solomon says: “But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? Behold heaven, and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built.” Solomon is referring to God’s Omnipresence in the spatial context of these verses. The “house” he is referring to is the first temple that Solomon built for the Lord in Jerusalem. The “heavens” are the three spatial areas above the earth, not “states of mind”. If God created the heavens and the “earth” a state of mind also? Of course not.
What Mary Baker Eddy did not know is that there are three vaulted areas in outer space called the “heavens”. In 2 Corinthians 12:2 & 4, Paul reveals that there is also a third heaven, God’s home and the highest heaven of the three vaulted areas beyond planet earth. This third heaven Paul calls Paradise, which he saw with his own eyes. First heaven is the vaulted area above the earth called atmosphere. Second heaven is the area called outer space, and third heaven is the created area beyond outer space. None of these created places are “states of mind”, but actual, literal locations.
If the literal hell doesn’t exist as MBE says, why did Jesus mention it 14 times in the gospels, equating hell as a place that is down, on fire, a place of damnation, a place where soul and body go, a place with gates? In Luke 16:23, Jesus shows it as a punitive place in lower sheol, a specific area in the interior of planet earth, possibly at or near its core.
9. Mary Baker Eddy: Christ did not die. (Science & Health, p. 349-351)
But the Word of God says in 1 Corinthians 15:3: “...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”
10. Mary Baker Eddy: Christ’s resurrection was spiritual, not physical. (Science & Health, p. 339)
Paul says in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 15:20: “But now is Christ risen from the dead...”. Since spirits don’t die, it must have been Christ’s body that rose from the dead. Again, if more proof is needed, then Luke 24:39-40 should settle it: “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: Handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me have.”
11. Mary Baker Eddy: The shed blood of Christ is ineffectual for sin. (Science & Health, p. 330)
1 John 1:7 absolutely refutes Mrs. Eddy’s error when it says: “...and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Unfortunately Mrs. Eddy’s writings denied this verse, and if she died believing her own ideas, then she now is burning in the hell she said doesn’t exist. So will her followers who believe that the shed blood of Christ is ineffectual for sin (2 Peter 2:1).
Please, realize today that the blood of Christ Jesus is the only effectual way to pay for all our sins, and receive today the FREE gift of eternal life. Believe and receive the God-Man Jesus, Who was crucified, died, was buried, and arose the third from the dead, having paid YOUR hell penalty for you. It’s PAID IN FULL.
Trust in Him as your own personal Savior and thank Him for saving you from God’s wrath to come and a horrible eternal punishment of burning in a lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-15).
Roman 6:23 says: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Afterward, seek out a bible-believing, evangelical, fundamental, blood-washed, separated church to learn the truth of the Scriptures.
As you have been shown in this booklet, Christian Science is neither Christian, nor scientific and is against almost all major accepted Biblical doctrines. It is cultic and not built around the Person of Jesus Christ, but rather, around the deceived person of Mary Baker Eddy and her writings.
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