Article May 6, 2013 Issue

On finding health, only health

Barbara Vining

It’s not uncommon for a patient who has been suffering from an obvious—even serious, and sometimes medically diagnosed—disease to be found in perfect health after receiving Christian Science treatment through prayer. Adherents of Christian Science are constantly striving to understand exactly how such decisive healing occurs, and how to bring such results more consistently into their own practice. In doing so, it’s natural to turn to Jesus’ example and teachings in the Bible, as well as to the chapter “Christian Science Practice” in the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

Mrs. Eddy closes that chapter with a detailed allegory of a mental trial in which a patient is found, on the grounds of testimony from common medical, theological, and other theories, sentenced to death—but where the testimony of Christian Science reverses that sentence, and the patient rises up “regenerated, strong, free” (p. 442).

While there is much to ponder in that allegory, there is one passage that especially captures my attention whenever I read it. It is where Christian Science, as counsel for the patient, testifies, “We send our best detectives to whatever locality is reported to be haunted by Disease, but on visiting the spot, they learn that Disease was never there, for he could not possibly elude their search” (pp. 439–440). Wow! That’s a mind-bender.