Christian Science-Metaphysical Family
During the last half of the nineteenth century two distinct but related
movements began in the US. They sprang from interest in “The Mind” and a search
for non-medical healing. The first movement resulted in the Church of Christ,
Scientist, founded by Mary Baker Eddy. Later, there developed independent
Christian Scientists.
A second movement began in Christian Science and later became New Thought,
with distinctly different understandings.
Both groups are based on a pattern of thinking that could be called the
“metaphysical tradition.” That school of thought asserted the reality of a
spiritual world, the importance of mystical experience, and the healing value
of invisible forces operating on the mind and body. Without going into detail,
the metaphysical tradition expressed great interest in astrology, early
explorations with hypnotism, and fascination with various forms of psychic
phenomena.
Often there is an attempt to take belief in psychic phenomena or subjective
experience and assign it explanations claiming to be “hard science.” The result
is a kind of pseudo-science that is very familiar in popular culture.
There are key ideas that occur frequently in various groups. Spirit takes
priority over matter and is the truly real. Sickness, evil, and death are
actually “errors” in understanding. This spiritual understanding is seen as
necessary in understanding Scripture.
Christian Science under Eddy sought to combine a focus on Spirit or Mind
while maintaining much of her Congregational background. Its tenets affirmed
the inspired Bible as the sufficient rule leading to eternal life, the one
supreme and infinite God, salvation through Christ, and the crucifixion and
resurrection of Jesus.
New Thought
A movement later developed that used Christian Science as a point of
departure but was strongly influenced by Spiritualists, theosophists, and even
a few Christian healers. One of the larger groups came to be called Unity.
New Thought distinguished itself from Christian Science in a variety of
ways. First, it came under the leadership of an ordained ministry. Second, it
developed a decentralized movement which celebrated its diversity of opinion.
Third, almost from the beginning it developed an emphasis upon prosperity.
Without losing the healing emphasis of Christian Science, New Thought leaders
reasoned that poverty was as unreal as disease and taught students to live out
of the abundance of God. Fourth, while some of the groups, such as the Unity
School of Christianity, retained a specifically Christian emphasis, the
movement as a whole moved to what it saw as a more universal position that
acknowledged all religious traditions as of value.
Page was last updated on 08/14/00