Throughout the time she was writing the text,‭ ‬she was healing sickness and teaching others how to heal through her method. Originally,‭ ‬she wanted healers to stay within their own Christian denominations and heal sickness with her method.  But,‭ ‬she discovered that her ideas and healing methods were modified too radically by others and she felt that it was important to consolidate into one group and by‭ ‬1879‭ ‬she founded this church and a teaching college that was chartered in the State of Massachusetts.  One interesting note,‭ ‬there is no established clergy,‭ ‬but rather members who take turns presenting and overseeing events.

The Christian Science Church is well known for their reading rooms.  These rooms are open to the public and house scriptural references,‭ ‬Christian Science Journals and magazines as well as Bibles and other study materials.  One Saturday,‭ ‬I met with Barbara H. at the Christian Science Reading Room at‭ ‬10‭ ‬West‭ ‬68th Street in Manhattan.  The interior had two levels,‭ ‬the street level being where the church was located and the lower level housing the reading room.  Immediately it reminded me of all churches‭ – ‬dark lighting,‭ ‬the smell of old books,‭ ‬wood and brass fixtures,‭ ‬and religious pastoral scene prints and sayings in frames on the walls.  For some reason,‭ ‬I had envisioned it in my mind as more modern and less like the Lutheran Church I had gone to in Ohio in my youth.

Barbara asked me questions at first and when she found out I was studying science at school,‭ ‬she asked me if I had seen the movie‭ “‬What the Bleep do we Know.‭”  ‬She also brought up how in Physics,‭ ‬especially in Quantum Physics,‭ ‬scientists are beginning to question what matter is and the scientist’s role when dealing with this concept.  We began to discuss what matter was in terms of Christian Science practice.

According to Christian Science,‭ ‬matter is not real.  The only thing that is real is God.  God is also referred to as‭ “‬Mind‭” ‬or‭ “‬Spirit.‭”  ‬Matter therefore is a reflection.  What matter is a reflection of is,‭ ‬is God.  Since God is perfect,‭ ‬this reflection,‭ ‬which is matter,‭ ‬has to be perfect.  If matter is not perfect,‭ ‬it is a human’s mind‭ (‬not to be confused with‭ “‬Mind‭” ‬which is God,‭) ‬which is incorrectly perceiving this reflection.  To be healed of disease,‭ ‬first a person must believe that matter is not real and therefore diseases do not exist.  In a sense,‭ ‬they are a figment of a person’s imagination. ‭“‬Maintain the facts of Christian Science,‭ ‬-‭ ‬that Spirit is God,‭ ‬and therefore cannot be sick‭; ‬that what is termed matter cannot be sick‭; ‬that all causation is Mind,‭ ‬acting through spiritual law.‭” (‬Science and Health p. 417‭)‬

Since some diseases could be viewed as psychosomatic or a chemical imbalance,‭ ‬I wanted a question about an ailment that would be one or the other.  I asked Barbara about broken bones.