What is Christian Science?

Core beliefs of Christian Scientists

Christian Scientists acknowledge one infinite God who is All and all-good. We understand that God is not distant or unknowable, but all-encompassing and always present, and that each individual is loved by God, cared for by God, and made in God’s image—spiritual, not material.

Christian Scientists look to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible for inspiration and accept Christ Jesus as the Son of God, or promised Messiah. We believe that Jesus’ teachings and healing work expressed scientific Christianity, or the application of the laws of God—laws that are still practical and provable today, by anyone, anywhere. Christian Scientists consider the Ten Commandments, as well as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, to be central to their lives and practice of Christianity.

Above all, Christian Scientists believe in the saving, healing power of God’s love—that no one is beyond redemption, that no problem is too entrenched or overwhelming to be addressed and healed. In other words, Christian Scientists don’t believe that salvation only occurs at some point in the future, but that the saving presence of God’s goodness can be experienced here and now—and by everyone.

Practices

The practice of Christian Science is an everyday activity. It occurs thought-by-thought. We understand that to think and live from a spiritual standpoint changes and improves everything — health, ethics, relationships.

Practice is grounded in daily Scripture study and prayer. Students of Christian Science around the world read a common weekly lesson comprised of passages from the Bible and correlative passages from Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. These lessons encourage us to emulate Jesus’ works, to move beyond cherishing his words or personality, to doing the works he did and taught others to do. And, “doing the works” of Christ Jesus includes healing – healing of mind and body.

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