# Christian Science, or, you're not really sneezing **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 9, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053 "2005-05-09T14:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![What\_Is\_Schwa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8baadc/32.png) [@What\_Is\_Schwa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Is_Schwa)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/41 "2005-05-12T07:40:23Z")
Woah. Thank you Owlett for shining some light on CS. I’ve never given them any serious thought and am now actually considering investigating my local church. I got the impression you weren’t exactly a practicing member. If this is the case, might I ask why? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/42 "2005-05-12T15:39:49Z")
I dated a Christian Scientist for more than a year and a half, and in conversations like this she would always stress that most Christian Scientists did not hesitate to take medication or have surgery when it was necessary. According to her the people who refused those things for themselves, much less their kids, were extremists. ---
**Author:** ![Owlett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e95f7d/32.png) [@Owlett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Owlett)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/43 "2005-05-12T17:56:00Z")
> [@kevsnyde](#): > > I understand the “Christian” part, but where exactly does the “Science” come in? > > I don’t mean that to sound offensive in any way, i’m just curious… from what I’ve read so far, it seems a bit of a misnomer. Of course, an organization can call themselves whatever they wish, but the word science means a very specific thing to me (knowledge through emperical evidence). It just doesn’t seem to apply. I’d have to check Mary Baker Eddy’s writings to say for sure, but the way it was explained to me is that “Science” is meant to denote a systematic application of principles. There’s some passage that says the understanding of something or other lets one “demonstrate with Scientific certainty the rule of healing.” That’s the general idea—it’s an attempt to distill Christianity into a systematic body of knowledge or set of principles that can be applied consistently. ---
**Author:** ![Owlett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e95f7d/32.png) [@Owlett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Owlett)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/44 "2005-05-12T18:09:07Z")
> [@dqa](#): > > **Owlett** , can you explain the need for the Christian Science Monitor. I am daily grateful for whatever tenet of the religion resulted in this newspaper, but I have never understood why an essentially secular newspaper would be part of the church’s mission. > > Also, I read somewhere that CSM used euphemisms rather than saying that a particular person died. This does not seem to be the case now. Was it true while you were there, or is this story simply untrue? The Monitor was one of the last things Mary Baker Eddy founded. (It was around 1904, and she was in her 90s, I think.) I believe it was an attempt to combat the rampant sensationalism and yellow journalism of the age. Of course, it was also a way to bring the church to public attention and give it a good reputation (as it still is today). In my experience, church members have tended to see the Monitor as serving two important purposes: to expose problems in the world that need praying about, and to present some of the positive side of the world (maybe seen as evidence of God’s principles in action?). The paper doesn’t flinch from covering heavy issues, but it makes a concerted effort to be objective and balanced, to avoid hysteria, to take a reasoned approach to things, and to not wallow in misery. When I was a kid in the 1960s/70s, many older Christian Scienists didn’t use the words “die” or “death.” Instead, they spoke of people as “passing on.” I wouldn’t be surprised if the paper did the same at that time. But by the time I was there in the mid-1980s, it had no such linguistic oddities. However, it would airbrush cigarettes out of photos, I think. (Smoking is forbidden in CS.) I haven’t gotten into the whole issue of CS and death. Maybe tomorrow, when I’ll have more time. (This darn work stuff . . .) ---
**Author:** ![Owlett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e95f7d/32.png) [@Owlett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Owlett)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/45 "2005-05-12T18:15:56Z")
> [@Eggerhaus](#): > > and what, praytell, is in the CS Reading Rooms? Are they libraries? They are part bookstore, part lending library (founded at a time when there weren’t as many of either one around, especially in small towns). They’re open to the public, though the hours tend to be limited since they’re staffed by volunteers from the local congregation. You’ll find all of Mrs. Eddy’s writings there, various church periodicals and pamphlets, and the \*Chrtistian Science Monitor \* newspaper. They also typically have a study room full of Bibles, Bible commentaries, and other theological study aids. They’re intended to be a quiet place where you can read, study, or pray. Of course, for those not lucky enough to have SD, they’re also somewhere where you can ask questions about CS. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Owlett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e95f7d/32.png) [@Owlett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Owlett)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/46 "2005-05-12T18:21:03Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > **Owlett** , to echo part of **tim314’s** post, how does CS account for the fact that medical treatment allows one to obtain a clear mind, when the underlying cause is just an illusion? In other words, how does medical intervention correct a problem that is not really there? It’s all in your thinking. The great enemy of applying CS truths is mortal mind, which can become clouded in fear. (Of course, maybe it’s also mortal mind that’s applying the truths; who knows?) If taking some material step helps you _feel_ calmer—i.e., gets you past a fear-filled state where you can’t master and control your thinking—then it helps in that way, while not having any bearing on the fundamental reality of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Owlett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e95f7d/32.png) [@Owlett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Owlett)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/47 "2005-05-12T18:35:44Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > Woah. Thank you Owlett for shining some light on CS. I’ve never given them any serious thought and am now actually considering investigating my local church. > > I got the impression you weren’t exactly a practicing member. If this is the case, might I ask why? Christian Science still very much informs the way I view the world and approach life. But I don’t regularly practice spiritual healing anymore (relying instead on medicines) or attend church (other than the occasional holiday, when it feels like an important part of the celebration). The main reason is sheer laziness. Like other mental disciplines, CS requires hard work and practice. Often, I don’t feel up to making the effort, even though I think I’d ultimately be a better person for it. It’s pretty much exactly the same reason why I got on Weight Watchers in 1998, lost 30 pounds, and in recent years have steadily put in all back on. I wasn’t willing to be disciplined enough to make it work. Secondary reasons are that I’ve never been very good at following the church’s teachings on sexuality (pretty much, none outside marriage) or its prohibition on drinking. Moreover, I’m a lesbian, and the church is fundamentally unsure of what it thinks about homosexuality. (more info at [http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom\_chsc.htm](http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_chsc.htm)). ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/48 "2005-05-12T18:53:24Z")
> [@Owlett](#): > > As for the issue of children, the CS parents I’ve known (including my own) have been responsible, loving people, who want to take good care of their children, physically and spiritually. They will take try to heal an illness through prayer, and they will teach their children to do that to. (That what Sunday School is for.) If the situation appears dire, however, or a child is suffering acutely, most CS parents will take immediate steps to improve it materially. Occasionally, though, such steps come too late, or a parent will let stubbornness or self-righteousness prevent him from taking those steps. Such cases are very sad, I agree. But I guess CS parents are no more immune to bad judgment than parents at large. So, do you have any kind of independent studies that shows prayer can indeed cure significant illness, like cancer? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/49 "2005-05-12T23:58:39Z")
Our CS church shut down, after 5 years. Murfreesboro just yawned. The CS bookstore is still here, & it is the dustiest window on the Town Square. I’ve never seen anybody there. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/50 "2005-05-13T04:59:13Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > So, how come Christian Scientists die? Nobody’s perfect. Don’t all religions work like that? They all teach people ways to be good, but just being a member - or even being a really devout practitioner - doesn’t make you perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/51 "2005-05-13T15:25:48Z")
**Owlett** is doing a great job of answering questions in this thread. For what it’s worth, I was also raised in Christian Science, and my family has been CS since my great grandmother converted in her 20s, I believe. My parents and older sister (and her family and in-laws) still practice. I no longer do, largely for the same reasons as Owlett (I’m straight, but the rest is the same). It takes a lot of mental discipline to fully participate in CS. However, I think this passage from _Science and Health_ may help shed some light on how prayer is approached in CS: > [@](#): > > Who would stand before a blackboard, and pray the principle of mathematics to solve the problem? The rule is already established, and it is our task to work out the solution. Shall we ask the divine Principle of all goodness to do His own work? His work is done, and we have only to avail ourselves of God’s rule in order to receive His blessing, which enables us to work out our own salvation. > > The Divine Being must be reflected by man, else man is not the image and likeness of the patient, tender, and true, the One “altogether lovely;” but to understand God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire. In other words, God is not petitioned to do work or grant blessings. God’s work is done (or is ongoing), and we are already blessed. We work to bring ourselves into full understanding of our blessedness. ---
**Author:** ![Owlett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e95f7d/32.png) [@Owlett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Owlett)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053/52 "2005-05-13T21:59:45Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > So, do you have any kind of independent studies that shows prayer can indeed cure significant illness, like cancer? I’m not aware of any formal studies, at least involving Christian Scientists. Various individual accounts exist of prayer curing diseases of all sorts, including cancer. Those accounts are published each month in the _Christian Science Journal_. All must be verified by three witnessess, and many have medical verification of the initial condition and of the healing. Some of those accounts were republished in the book _Healing Spiritually_ (by the CS Publishing Society) and _Spiritual Healing in a Scientific Age_ by Robert Peel. The latter book is a good, rational introduction to the subject for anyone interested in spiritual healing, [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-science-or-youre-not-really-sneezing/303053.md?page=2)