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Our Founder,
Mary Baker Eddy

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Mary Baker Eddy Biography

Mary Baker Eddy was an extraordinary women who founded a religion based on the healings of Christ Jesus in the New Testament.. From a young age, she sought spiritual enlightenment, believing in one spiritual God, whom she listened to and faithfully followed her entire life. As adherents of Christian Science, we acknowledge with deep gratitude her life and the wonderful gift to the world; but we do not worship Mrs. Eddy. The following statement by Mrs. Eddy shows that was not her desire:

Message to the Mother Church 1901 (Page 34: 20):
"Finally, bretheren, wait patiently on God; return blessing for cursing; be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good; be steadfast, abide and abound in faith, understanding, and good works; study the Bible and the textbook of our denomination; obey strictly the laws that be, and follow your Leader only so far as she follows Christ."

Biographies:

‘Retrospection & Introspection’ is Mrs. Eddy’s autographical sketch of her life. (Science & Health, pg viii: 24) ‘In the authored work, RETROSPECTION AND INTROSPECTION, may be found a biographical sketch, narration experiences which led her, in the year l866, to the discovery of the system that she denominated Christian Science. As early as l862 she began to write down and give to friends the results of her Scriptural study, for the Bible was her sole teacher; but these compositions were crude, - the first steps of a child in the newly discovered world of Spirit.’

There are also many other remembrances and memoirs written by students and staff members who lived with Mrs. Eddy in her household, were her students or played an active role in her Church. These may be purchased at any Christian Science Reading Room (tfccs.com for Reading Room locations) or can be purchased on line at spirituality.com/shop.

My personal choice for a book written by an author who knew nothing of Mrs. Eddy’s life prior to her research is: Mary Baker Eddy by Gillian Gill, published in 1999 as part of a series of biographies under the sponsorship of Radcliffe College’s ‘Radcliffe Biography Series.’ About the author: Gillian Gill, Ph.D, received her doctorate from Cambridge University. She has taught at Wellesley, Yale, and Harvard, has translated six important French works in the fields of psychoanalysis and philosophy, and is author of Agatha Christie: The Woman and Her Mysteries. She is a board member of the National Coalition of Independent Scholars.