Article December 14, 2009 Issue

FINDING MARY BAKER EDDY

BY LESLEY GORT

AMONG THE WORLD'S GREAT men and women—those who have brought about a shift in people's thinking and progress in the human condition—there are many whose names, and at least something of their story, are widely familiar. International leaders, philosophers, scientists, and religious figures take their place in the warp and weft of human history because of the benefits they have brought to civilization in general, especially their efforts toward a more peaceful order and improved health and well-being.

Some individuals bring about extraordinary change, yet their place in history is still to be fully recognized. One such figure is Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science and founded the Christian Science movement—a movement of thought rather than people. Seeing deeply into the significance of Bible teachings, especially the words and works of Christ Jesus, Mrs. Eddy contributed—in fact, still is contributing through her writings to a profound and ongoing shift in humanity's view of reality. And this view continues to bring liberation from material limitation throughout the whole of human experience.

Although that may seem like a bold statement, many people have felt the power of Christian Science transform their lives and would readily agree with it. Consider an earlier historical development. The realization that the earth is not flat, but a sphere, liberated individuals from ignorance, fear, and cautious exploration. Even more momentous and far-reaching was Mrs. Eddy's realization, in the second half of the 19th century, that the substance of the universe is mental, not material. The divine Mind, the one God, is manifested through all infinity in ideas, not material objects, of which the highest ideas are men and women made perfect in the divine likeness, as the first chapter of the Bible's book of Genesis explains.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

ON THE BIG SCREEN—THE GENIUS OF MARY BAKER EDDY