HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Church Of Christ, Scientist was founded by Mary Baker Eddy in Massachusetts in 1879. She
along with her mentor and mind healer, P.P. Quimby, began their association in 1862, when she
visited him because of her nervous troubles. She stayed under his treatment for three weeks, and
at the same time read many of his manuscripts. In an article in the Portland Evening
Courier, Portland, Maine, November 7, 1862, she claimed that during that three week stay,
she
was healed.
"Three weeks ago I quitted my nurse and sick room enroute for Portland. The belief of my
recovery had died out of the hearts of those who were most anxious for it. With this mental and
physical depression I visited P.P. Quimby and in less than one week from that time, I ascended
by
stairway of 182 steps to the dome of the City Hall, and am improving ad infinitum. This truth
which he opposes to the error of giving intelligence to matter, and placing pain where it never
placed itself, if received understandingly, changes the current of the system to their normal action
and the mechanism of the body goes undisturbed. That this is science capable of demonstration
becomes clear to the minds of those patients who reason upon the process of their cure. The truth
which he establishes in the patient cures him and the body, which is full of light and is no longer
in
disease."
Mrs. Mary M. Patterson
In 1864, she again visited P.P. Quimby and stayed for a period of four months. There is no
question that Mary Baker Glover Patterson found in P.P. Quimby a mentor and the inspiration for
her religious beliefs. In 1866, P.P. Quimby died and subsequently Mary Baker Glover Patterson
announced the formation of her religions doctrine 'Christian Science'.
"She first published "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" in 1875,
[Science and Health
was published in 1875, Key To The Scriptures was added in 1883 — Ed.] when she was 54.
She claimed it was the final revelation of God to mankind and asserted that her work was inspired
of God. The word "Key" in the title of her book is in reference to her being the woman of
Revelation 12; that she is the key to unlocking the Bible which she called a dark book. She
claimed the Bible had many mistakes and that her writings provided the "Key" spoken of in Rev.
3:7.
She married Asa Eddy in 1877.
In 1879, four years after the first publication of Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy and some
of her students voted organized the church of Christ (Scientist) in Boston Massachusetts. Of
course, like all cults, it claimed to be the restoration of the original New Testament Church.
In 1881 she opened a metaphysical college and charged $300 for 12 healing lessons.
The Church was reorganized in 1892, and the Church Manual was first issued in 1895 which
provided the structure for church government and missions.
She died in 1910, a millionaire."
Christian Science History, Matthew J. Slick
Copyright © 1998 The Christian Apologetics and
Research Ministry
BELIEFS
GODHEAD
"God is divine principle, supreme incorporeal being, mind, spirit, soul, life, truth and
love."
Science And Health With Key To The Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy,
1917
- "God is all in all.
- God is good, God is mind.
- God, Spirit being all, nothing is matter.
- Life, God, Omnipotent, good, deny death, evil, sin, disease; disease, sin, evil, death, deny
good, Omnipotent God, life."
Science And Health With Key To The Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy,
1917. p 465
There is no Triune God as in Christian Doctrine, instead the triunity of the Christian Science god
is Life, Truth and Love. God is only a principle.
Jesus Christ was just a man who overcame death by realizing that it did not exist, therefore He
did
not rise from the dead because he never died. Jesus Christ was not the Son of God, did not come
from God but is only an idea from the Infinite Mind, i.e. the principle of God.
The Holy Spirit does not exist, is not co-equal with God and does not come from the Father or
the Son.
MAN
FLESH - PHYSICAL BEING
"An error of physical belief; a supposition that life, substance, and intelligence are in matter; an
illusion."
Science And Health With Key To The Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p
335
In Christian Science, the body of an individual is not real. It is an illusion of the "mortal mind" of
man. Man originally existed with God and is an expression of the Divine Principle (of
God).
EVIL & SATAN
"The beliefs of the human mind rob and enslave it and then impute this result to another illusive
personification named Satan."
Science and Health, p. 187, line 10
"The devil, evil, lie, error."
Science and Health, p. 584, line 17
"The supposition...that there are good and evil spirits is a mistake."
Science and Health, p. 70, line 9
SIN
Christian Science teaches that SIN does not exist.
"There is no sin."
Science and Health, p. 447, line 24
"Evil has no reality"
Science and Health, p. 71, line 2
"The belief of sin which has grown terrible in strength and influence is an unconscious error in
the
beginning."
Science and Health, p. 188, line 4
"We shall learn that sin and mortality are without actual origin or rightful existence."
Science and Health, p. 281, line 22
"The soul is sinless."
Science and Health, p. 288, line 22
"It is a sense of sin and not a sinful soul which is lost."
Science and Health, p. 311, line 22
"Man is incapable of sin, sickness and death."
Science and Health, p. 475, line 28
"To get rid of sin through Science is to divest sin of any supposed mind or reality."
Science and Health, p. 339, line 28
SALVATION
"The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon
'the accursed tree' than when it was flowing in his veins as he went daily about his Father's
business."
Science and Health, p. 25, line 6
Since sin does not exist, then salvation has no purpose and also does not exist.
"Final deliverance from error...is not reached through paths of flowers, not by pinning one's faith
without works to another's vicarious effort."
Science and Health, p. 22, line 23
"Divine Principle never pardons our sins or mistakes till the are corrected..."
Science and Health, p. 11, line 12
THE BIBLE
"The decisions by the vote of Church Councils...the manifest mistakes in the ancient versions, the
thirty thousand deferent reading in the Old Testament, and the three hundred thousand in the
New...these facts show how a mortal and material sense stole into the divine record, with its own
hue darkening to some extent, the inspired pages."
Science and Health, p. 138 line 15
MAJOR DOCTRINAL ISSUES
Mary Baker Eddy claimed that she used the Bible as her text book, however her teachings bear
no
relation to the reality of Biblical doctrines. Like her belief in the non-existence of the material
world, her claim that she believed the Bible, is also a non-existent reality. There is no doctrine or
teaching in Christian Science that has not denied or changed every doctrine in the
Bible.
There is a saying that Grape Nuts Cereal™, which is neither grapes or nuts, is like Christian
Science,
which is neither Christian or science. Christian Science claims to be Christian, but denies every
teaching about Jesus Christ found in the Bible, including His own words about Himself.
Christian
Science claims to be science, but denies the reality of matter and the universe, therefore it makes
the scientific method impossible to use.
The greatest condemnation of Christian Science is in its denial of the character of God, Jesus
Christ and the Holy Spirit and its refusal to accept the teaching of the Bible as
authoritative.
The second greatest condemnation of Christian Science is in the hypocrisy of its founder, Mary
Baker Eddy, who, although claiming to believe what she taught, did not practice the realities of
her religion and instead of exalting herself from the bondage of the "mortal mind", instead,
continued her life with no change in her approach to the "non-existent" material world.
- She claimed that food was an illusion, but she never failed to eat.
- She claimed the material world was an illusion, but she never failed to breathe the air around
her until she breathed her last at death.
- She claimed the material world was an illusion, but she never failed to protect herself from
the
cold and seek shelter in winter.
- She claimed the material world was an illusion, but she wore clothes, rode in a car and lived
in
a house.
- She claimed the material world was an illusion, but under her direction, her religious
organization constructed church buildings.
- She claimed that illness and disease were an illusion, but she wore glasses to correct her
faulty
vision.
- She claimed disease did not exist but had a cold.
- She claimed to have been cured of her mental disorders but in later life was mentally
incapacitated in her endeavors.
- She claimed marriage is "synonymous with legalized lust", (although lust was a product of
the
mortal mind and does not exist), but she was married four times.
- She claimed the material world did not exist, but she did not fail to collect the money from
her
religious organization and died a millionaire.
- She claimed the material world did not exist, but she wrote books for eyes to read and gave
lectures for ears to hear.
- She claimed that the sexual union did not produce children, which were actually produced by
some mental generation, but when one of her followers claimed to have had an immaculate
conception, Mrs. Eddy denied the claim of the woman.
- She claimed that God is all, in all and all was from God, but she could not explain the origin
of the "mortal mind" of man with all of its inherent errors.
- She claimed that death did not exist, but that certain types of persons should be
executed:
Christian Science teaches that a maliciously disposed person can bring the power and influence
of
his or her mind to so bear upon another as to cause "arsenical poison in
the blood of the stomach." To cause, in fact, any form of sickness and even the most
terrible of deaths. This is what Mrs. Eddy calls "malicious animal
magnetism." She says: "One of the greatest crimes practiced in,
or known to, the ages is mental assassination." She further declares: "Persons who murder by it should be hung or electrocuted. The time has come
for instructing human justice so that those secret criminals shall tumble before the Omnipotent
finger, who will point them out to the human executioner." (Christian Science Journal,
February 1889) In other words, Mary Baker Eddy taught that actually, through malicious animal
magnetism, you can put a hex on somebody and kill him. Mrs. Eddy was obdurate in her belief
that a host of mental assassins fell upon her lamented husband, Mr. Eddy, and wrought his death.
Said one of her closest disciples: "Who can, with authority, deny Mrs.
Eddy's statement that poison, mentally administered, killed her husband?" In Mrs. Eddy's
mind there was no doubt. "My husband's death was caused by malicious
mesmerism."
The Word Of God And Christian Science, Dr.
John
F. MacArthur, Sr., p. 15
The argument by Mrs. Eddy's disciple is the same as that postulated by the claims of many
different groups and beliefs. It is a very popular argument among those who advocate conspiracy
theories in the deaths of presidents, kings and other public figures. They point the figure at the
person who disagrees with their statement and demand that proof be provided that the occurrence
did not happen. This is entirely wrong, because the negative cannot be proved. The burden of
proof belongs to the proponent of the theory, in this case with Mrs. Eddy and her disciple. They
provided no proof, but, instead, substituted a claimed "revelation" of words for facts. Any person
can claim a revelation and any person can make any statement, but the proof is in the
authentication of the claim, which Christian Science has not provided.
- She claimed that Christian Science could liberate man from the illusion of death, just like she
claimed happened to Jesus Christ, but she died and was buried just like every other human being
in history.
The realities of the Christian Science belief structure rely on the supposed un-reality of
everything
that humanity claims that is. In this belief structure is the false foundation that makes it
impossible
to live in accord with those beliefs. It is impossible to live as if everything is an illusion, and in
that impossibility is the impossibility that anyone could ever accept those beliefs to the point of
demonstrating the effects of those beliefs. No Christian Science practitioner has ever overcome
the "mortal material sense" and disappeared into the realm of being. All Christian Scientists have
or will die. Mrs. Eddy, even with all her claims, could not overcome death herself.
The Bible speaks for itself, refuting everything taught by Christian Science. Everything that is
taught in Christian Science came from the mind of Mrs. Eddy and not from the pages of the
Bible.
And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment...
The Holy Bible, Hebrews 9:27 (NAS)
GODHEAD
God is a spiritual being, not a principle as claimed by Christian Science.
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
The Holy Bible, The Words Of Jesus Christ, John 4:23-24 (NAS)
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I
AM has sent me to you.'"
The Holy Bible, Exodus 3:14 (NAS)
In the above verse, God speaks to Moses, indicating he recognized that Moses had a body and
physical senses, and God also commanded Moses to speak to Israel, indicating that He
recognized that they also had bodies and faculties of a physical nature. God is a Being of Spirit,
speaking words to Moses. God is not an idea or a principle, but a Being Who Is, has a definite
nature, personality and exerts authority over human beings.
MAN
Contrary to the claims of Mrs. Eddy that the physical does not exist, man is a physical being, not
without substance and not an ephemeral expression of the "Divine Principle". Man has a duality
of
nature, being both of substance and of spirit. The substance being temporary in its current state,
and the spiritual being everlasting.
The God said, "Let Us made man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over
the fish of the sea and over the bids of the sky and over the cattle and over the earth, and over
every creeping thing that creeps o the earth."
The Holy Bible, Genesis 2:26 (NAS)
Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life; and man became a living soul.
The Holy Bible, Genesis 2:7
The God Who Is, creates the physical body of man and, notes that all that is physical was created
prior to the creation of man, including: fish, birds, living things on the earth, the earth itself and
the heavens above the earth. The physical is not an illusion of man's mortal mind, but the creation
of the God Who Is and created before man ever came into being as a living soul. (Genesis 2:26-
27; 2:7)
"I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great
power and by My out stretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My
sight."
The Holy Bible, Jeremiah 27:5 (NAS)
Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His
people and the sheep of His pasture.
The Holy Bible, Psalm 100:3 (NAS)
EVIL & SATAN
Contrary to the claims of Mary Baker Eddy, Satan and demons are real beings; Satan, the first to
be sinful as a result of his rebellion against God and the demons followed. Evil is the extension
and action of rebellion in the world, resulting in sin.
Mary Baker Eddy demonstrated no authority by which she made her outrageous claims. She had
no revelation from god, who she claimed was just a principle, and she had no miracles of healing
or demonstrations of power over life, death or the universe. In what capacity could she deny the
existence of Satan and his power? No authority or capacity except by her own ability to make the
claim. She denied the direct statements of the Bible, which she claimed to be her
textbook:
The Bible gives NAMES to SATAN:
- Abaddon (destruction): Revelation 9:11
- Apollyon (exterminator): Revelation 9:11
- Beelzebub (lord of flies): Matthew 10:25; Mark 3:22
- Belial (worthless): 2 Corinthians 6:15
- Devil (adversary): Matthew 4:1; Revelation 20:10
- Dragon: Revelation 12:9
- Lucifer (light bearer): Isaiah 14:12
- Satan (adversary): 1 Chronicles 21:1
- Serpent (Revelation 12:9
The Bible presents SATAN as a historical figure:
- God created Lucifer, meaning: the Son of the Morning, Light Bearer or Shining One: Isaiah
14:12
- Lucifer was the "anointed cherub that covereth", or the chief archangel closest to the throne
of God: Ezekiel 28:14
- Lucifer was the most beautiful and perfectly created of the angelic beings: Ezekiel 28:12-13
- Lucifer became obsessed with himself, choosing to oppose God and made five claims as to
his
ambitions with respect to himself:
1. "I will ascend to heaven": he wish to elevate himself - Isaiah 14:13
2. "I will raise my throne above the stars of God": he wished to be greater than God - Isaiah
14:13
3."I will sit on the mount of the assembly...": he wished to take the position of God - Isaiah
14:13
4. "I will ascend to the heights...": he wished to exalt himself above all others - Isaiah 14:14
5. "I will make myself like the Most High": he wished make himself as God - Isaiah 14:14
- Lucifer was judged by God, divested of his position and cast out of his place in heaven and
placed on the earth: Isaiah 14:12
- Satan is the "serpent of old": Revelation 12:9
At the point of his fall, Lucifer is then referred to as Satan.
The Bible presents SATAN as a contemporary being:
- He wanders from heaven to earth: Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Matthew 4:10-11; Mark 4:15; 1 Peter
5:8
- He has a kingdom:
1. Realm of darkness: 2 Corinthians 4:4
2. Realm of fallen angels: Matthew 12:24; Matthew 25:41; Ephesians 10:12
3. Realm of fallen men: Acts 26:18, 2 Timothy 2:26
4. Realm of this world: Daniel 10:13; Luke 4:6; John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians
2:2
5. Realm of This Age: 2 Corinthians 4:4
- He controls false religions: 2 Corinthians 11:14; Revelation 2:9
- He is the cause of persecution: Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38
- He can afflict the righteous: Job 1:12
- He continually criticizes Believers before God: Zechariah 3:1, Revelation 12:10
- He has the ability to foster evil thought: John 13:2; Acts 5:3
- He has power over man, extending even to death: Hebrews 2:14
- He is the father of murder, murdering and murderers: John 8:44
- He is the father of lies, lying and liars: John 8:44
- He is an enemy: Matthew 13:39
- He is evil: Matthew 13:19, 38; John 17:15;
SATAN was known and SEEN by JESUS CHRIST:
- Jesus saw Satan cast down to the earth: Luke 10:18
- Satan tempted Jesus Christ in the wilderness: Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:1-13
SATAN was considered a real being by the DISCIPLES:
- He is an opportunist: Ephesians 4:27
- He is a schemer: Ephesians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 2:11
- He is a deceiver: 2 Corinthians 11:14-15
- He is a fraud: 2 Thessalonians 2:9
- He is a tempter: 1 Corinthians 7:5; Matthew 4:1
- He is an attacker: Ephesians 6:16
- He is an obstruction: 1 Thessalonians 2: 18
- He is a consumer of souls: I Peter 5:8
SATAN will be judged and THROWN into the LAKE OF FIRE by JESUS CHRIST:
- Satan will be judged finally and placed in the lake of fire prepared for him and his angels:
Isaiah 14:15, 19-20; Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10
SIN
Unlike Christian Science which teaches that sin does not exist, The Bible teaches that sin is very
real and every human individual, without exception is guilty of sin. Sin is the violation of the
character of God by refusing to obey His decrees and laws. The Biblical teaching regarding sin is
very specific:
The SOURCE of SIN
- Sin was before the creation of man: Isaiah 14:12-14
- Sin is the result of self pride: Isaiah 14:12-14
- Sin is the result of the sinner desiring to be equal to, or greater than, God: Isaiah 14:12-14
The NATURE and RESULTS of SIN
- Sin is the violation of the command of God: Hosea 6:7; 8:1
--- Sin is an act on the part of the sinner: 1 John 3:4
--- Sin is a position in which the sinner is found: Romans 5:19-20; Ephesians 2:1
--- Sin is a natural condition of the sinner: 1 Corinthians 2:14
- Sin is the usurpation of the authority of God: Genesis 20:6; 39:9; Psalm 41:4; 51:4
- Sin is falling short of the standards and requirements of God: Romans 3:23
--- Sin is a LIE: Jeremiah John 8:44
--- Sin is a DELUSION: 2 Timothy 3:12-13
--- Sin is DARKNESS: John 3:19
--- Sin is SEPARATION: Isaiah 59:2
--- Sin is a PERVERSION: Isaiah 64:6
--- Sin is SERVITUDE: Romans 6:16
--- Sin is EMPTINESS: 1 Peter 1:18-19
--- Sin is a MISTAKE: Isaiah 53:6
--- Sin MAKES ONE GUILTY: John 16:6-11
--- Sin brings DEATH: Romans 6:23
--- Sin brings DESPAIR: Ephesians 2:11-12
--- Sin produces WICKEDNESS: Jeremiah 17:9
--- Sin is a DISTORTION: Titus 3:3
--- Sin DEFILES the soul: Isaiah 1:5-6
--- Sin CORRUPTS the soul: Psalm 14:1-3
--- Sin ENSNARES the soul: 1 Timothy 3:7
The reality of the doctrine of sin, taught in the Bible, is undeniable. Christian Science, far from
using the Bible as a text book, has gone beyond all bounds in denying what the Bible
teaches.
SALVATION
Salvation is offered by God and is necessary in order for man to avoid the judgment of God
against the sin of man. It is the Person and work of Jesus Christ that is the remedy for
sin.
The REMEDY for SIN
- Jesus Christ Bore The Penalty Of The Curse Against Man
Sin brought a penalty and curse form God - Genesis 3:17
--- Christ became a curse for all men: Galatians 3:13
--- Christ became a propitiation, an atonement to God, for the sins of man: 1 John 2:2
- Jesus Christ Cleanses Man From Sin
--- Cleanses the conscience and person from sin: Hebrew 9:14; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Revelation
7:14
- Jesus Christ Is The Healer Of The Spiritual Disease Of Man
1 Peter 2:23-24
- Jesus Christ Is The Deliverer Of Man From Sin
--- Gives eternal life: John 10:28
--- Frees from the prison of sin: Psalm 146:7; Romans 7:24-25
- Jesus Christ Reforms The Nature Of Man: I Corinthians 6:7-11
- Jesus Christ Produces Goodnes in Man: Ephesians 4:20-24
- Jesus Christ Brings Truth To Man: John 14:6
- Jesus Christ Brings Light To Man: John 8:12
- Jesus Christ Is Rest From The Law To Man: Matthew 11:28
- Jesus Christ Brings Satisfaction To Man: John 4:13-14
- Jesus Christ Brings Righteousness To, And Is The Righteousness Of Man: Romans 5:19;
Romans 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 3:8-9
The NATURE of SALVATION
- Salvation Is Rescue From Spiritual Death: 1 Peter 3:18
- Salvation Is Rescue From Judgment: John 3:18
- Salvation Is Rescue From Eternal Punishment: Matthew 25:46
- Salvation Is Personal: Romans 10:8-11
- Salvation Is Immediate: Luke 23:43
- Salvation Is Past: Isaiah 1:18
- Salvation Is Present: Luke 19:9, 2 Corinthians 6:1-2
- Salvation Is Future: 1 John 3:1-2
- Salvation Is Forever: Hebrews 5:9; Hebrews 7:25
The OBTAINING of SALVATON
- It is a FREE GIFT from GOD: Isaiah 55:1; Romans 3:24; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 9:15
- It is initiated through REPENTANCE for SINS
1. The ability to REPENT is also a GIFT from GOD: Act 11:18; Acts 5:30; 2 Timothy 2:25
2. REPENTANCE occurs after hearing the GOSPEL: Acts 2:37-41
3. REPENTANCE is a TURNING from SIN: Psalm 51:13; Isaiah 45:22; Acts 3:19
- It is appropriated through FAITH
1. Faith is also a GIFT from GOD, JESUS CHRIST and the HOLY SPIRIT: Romans 13:3;
Hebrews 12:12; 1 Corinthians 12:9
2. FAITH is exercised after hearing the GOSPEL: Romans 10:17
3. The SUBSTANCE of SAVING FAITH:
--- BELIEF in the WORK and PERSON of JESUS CHRIST: John 3:16
--- Personal COMMITMENT to FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST: 2 Corinthians 5:15
--- Unconditional SURRENDER to the LORDSHIP of JESUS CHRIST: Romans 6:17-18;
Romans 10:8-10
--- FAITH produces a CHANGED LIFE: 2 Corinthinas 5:17; John 3:3; Romans 6:4;
--- FAITH produces a LOVE for JESUS CHRIST: 1 Peter 1:6-9; 1 Corinthians 16:22
--- FAITH produces an OBEDIENT LIFE: John 14:15, 23
THE BIBLE
Mary Baker Eddy claimed that the Bible was her textbook, but her duplicity is apparent in her
statement about the book of Genesis:
The material record of the Bible is no more important to our well-being than the history of
Europe
and America.
Miscellaneous Writings, Mary Baker Eddy, p 170
If the Bible was her text book, then it was of no use in developing her system of doctrine.
Therefore, she must have used another source; likely basis - herself.
As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal
life.
Science And Health With Key To The Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p.
497
However, duplicity reared its ugly head after stating the previous, when Mary Baker Eddy
contradicted herself in the following:
The second chapter of Genesis contains a statement of this material view of god and the universe,
a statement which is the exact opposite of scientific truth."
Science And Health With Key To The Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy,
1917. p 521
Speaking about Genesis 2:7, she stated:
Is it the truth, or is it a lie concerning man and God? It must be a lie.
Science And Health With Key To The Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy,
1917. p 465
The Bible is a lie when in contradicts the teachings and beliefs of Mary Baker Eddy, but it is her
textbook when the doctrines don't matter. Regardless of what Mary Baker Eddy taught or
believed about the Bible, it condemned her teachings and her heart, which she did not wish to
admit.
Like all false religious systems, Christian Science began with an individual with a hidden agenda,
an ulterior motive that was personal in nature and concealed from her adherents. All false
religions wish to accomplish five goals:
- Reject the authority of the Bible.
This is done so that "another revelation" can be substituted in place of the Scripture. This "new"
revelation is always a product of the mind of the founder. The teachings of the Bible are rejected
because they will always conflict with, and reject the "new" revelation.
- Change the reality of the God revealed in the Bible.
The God of the Bible must be rejected because He is authoritative over the life of the founder of
the "new revelation". It is the purpose of the teaching of the founder to make themselves the
authority and to reject any other authority that would call them into accountability for their
actions.
- Change the work and Person of Jesus Christ revealed in the Bible.
The Jesus Christ of the Bible must be rejected because He is sinless and stated that He is the only
means to gain salvation and right standing with God. The founder of the "new revelation" wishes
to take the place of Jesus Christ, making themselves the authority over whatever salvation they
may teach and establishing themselves as the standard from which all others are judged.
- Change the work and Person of the Holy Spirit revealed in the Bible.
The work and Person of the Holy Spirit must be rejected or changed, because one of His
functions is to convict man of sin and call him into a state of repentance for sins committed
against the God of the universe. The founder of the "new revelation" does not wish to deal with
the reality of sin or the possible consequences.
- Substitute another doctrine that takes the place of the Bible, God, Jesus Christ and the Holy
Spirit.
The doctrine that is substituted is that which comes from the mind of the founder, and is claimed
to be the only authority on religious matters. In the case of Christian Science, that "new
revelation" is Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. The
Bible was rejected as the textbook of Mary Baker Eddy, but her substitution of Science and
Health became the "new" textbook and the doctrines that are taught by the Christian Science
church come from that book, not from the Bible.
Mary Baker Eddy's motive and goal are clear. She wished to divest herself of the authority that
God claimed over her life, and place herself in the position of authority. She wished to deny the
reality of the sins in her life, establishing a religion that would deny the reality of those sins that
caused her mental instability throughout her entire life. She wished to deny Jesus Christ, because
He is the only way to obtain salvation. She did not wish to admit to her sin in order to obtain
salvation, but wished to establish herself and her mind as the means of her own salvation. She
wished to deny the Holy Spirit because His reality convicted her of her own sins which she
wished
so much to deny. She wished to establish her own scriptures in the place of the Bible, deceiving
herself into believing that she could escape the judgment of God, and hoping that by inducing
others to believe her lies, she would convince herself of the authenticity of her cause.
No false prophet can be successful unless there is a following, and followers are culpable when
they make no attempt to verify the truthfulness of their leader against the truth of the Scripture
and, as a consequence, they deceive themselves.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
All The Doctrines Of The Bible, Dr. Herbert Lockyer, Zondervan Publishing House,
Grand Rapids, 1966
The Great Doctrines Of The Bible, William Evans, D.D., Moody Press, Chicago,
1965
The Word Of God And Christian Science, Dr. John F. MacArthur, Sr.,Voice Of Calvary,
Glendale
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR REVIEW
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