Mary Baker Eddy

Mary Baker Eddy (* July 16, 1821 in Bow in Concord, New Hampshire as Mary Morse Baker, † December 3, 1910 in Chestnut Hill near Boston), "discovered" in 1866 in his own words the divine laws of Life, Truth and Love, and named her discovery Christian Science, developed in the following years their theology, published in 1875 her major work, Science and Health with key to the Scriptures and founded the worldwide Christian Science Church.

Childhood and youth

Mary Baker Eddy grew up as the youngest of six children in a deeply religious home. She joined at age 17 at the Congregationalists who advocated instead an official church, the Christian individual congregation (English congregation ) and acknowledge the held in the Bible the Word of God as the highest standard. However, they rebelled against the doctrine of predestination their church. Since her childhood she was in frail health and early developed an interest in the healing reports of the Bible.

1843 she married George Washington Glover. He died about a year later, shortly before the birth of her son, George Washington Glover, Jr. in 1853, she married Dr. Daniel Patterson.

Getting Started

Already in the 50s of the 19th century began, Mary Baker Eddy, to investigate various methods of healing, including homeopathy. In the '60s they showed strong interest in the methods of the healer Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, where she was in treatment (see also New Thought movement). Eddy associated with Quimby's teaching, the hope to have found access to the biblical healing. Meanwhile autosuggestion arts brought her first relief and she did research on the reasons for his method. However, Eddy's basic Christian belief sharply divided on the suggestive healing practice Quimby, in which, as she said, " not God is at the center ". They also rejected Quimby's practice of magnetic rubbing the head of the patient as a practice of animal magnetism, and therefore unchristian, from.

Development of the theology of Christian Science

After Mary Baker Eddy is seriously injured in an accident in winter 1866, she turned to the Bible (Matthew 9, the story of the healing of the paralytic ) and claimed to have experienced spontaneous healing. This experience led to a three-year Bible study and the development of Christian science teaching. A little later she opened her own healing practice. In the belief that the disease does not have attributed to her reality before God and can be overcome by a clearer understanding of God and his idea of ​​the people, they began their evolving teaching in a private circle to teach.

Publication of the main work and church planting

1873 she was divorced by unhappy marriage of Dr. Patterson. 1875 appeared the first edition of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. The release was followed by the establishment of a small community ( Christian Scientist 's Association ), which led to the establishment of the first church in 1879 ( Church of Christ, Scientist ), with her as the sole pastor. One of its six followers, she married in 1877 and took its name, Eddy, to. Asa Eddy died in 1882. Mary Baker Eddy devoted the rest of their lives to building the Church (Structure of Metaphysical Colleges and reorganization in 1892 leads to the new name of the mother church of the new religious community: The First Church of Christ, Scientist ) and the revision of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, in the textbook of religion.

Late work

Finally, Mary Baker Eddy withdrew from the public and contributed their writings by exercise alone. The authored by her constitution of the Church, the " Church Manual of The Mother Church ", is still the basis of the institutions of the global Christian Science movement.

She founded the Christian Science Monitor, today a world-renowned daily newspaper, The Christian Science Journal, the Christian Science Sentinel and published in 17 languages ​​Christian Science Herold.

Writings

  • Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1998)
  • Miscellany
  • Review and insight
  • Unity of Good
  • Pulpit and Press
  • Broad Divine Science
  • No and Yes
  • Christian Science in contrast to pantheism
  • Messages to the Mother Church, 1900, 1901, 1902
  • Christian healing
  • The general perception of the people of God
  • The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellaneous
  • The Manual of The Mother Church

Biographies

  • Robert Peel: Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Discovery, Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Trial, and Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Authority. (English) By Christian Science unauthorized biography
  • Gillian Gill: Mary Baker Eddy, 1999, Perseus Books, ISBN 0-7382-0227-4 (English)
  • Mary Baker Eddy, Speaking for Herself, 2002, Writings of Mary Baker Eddy, ISBN 0-87952-275-5 (English)
  • Willa Cather and Georgine Milmine The Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy and the History of Christian Science, 1909, reprint 1993, University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0 - 8032-6349 -X ( English)
  • Stefan Zweig: The healing through the mind. Mesmer. Mary Baker Eddy. Freud, S. Fischer Frankfurt / Main ISBN 3-10-097052-7 ( e- text ) - " Stefan Zweig's presentation does not claim a scientific work, but illustrates the narrative possibilities spiritual and emotional healing. " ( from the announcement by the publisher )
Concord (New Hampshire) Chestnut Hill (Massachusetts) Phineas Quimby Project Gutenberg Integrated Authority File
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