To everyone engaged in the current quest for health, the healing works that Christ Jesus did centuries ago invite a search for truth about our own relationship to God and how that relationship directly affects our health. Jesus’ influence on life and spirituality still speaks to us, and his success in treating disease remains unparalleled by modern medicine.
For centuries people believed that his healing works couldn’t be repeated. But as the age of scientific inquiry dawned, the question inevitably came up: were there scientific laws behind what Jesus did that could be repeatedly demonstrated?
One person whose life was directly affected by Jesus’ healing message was Mary Baker Eddy. Almost 2000 years after Christ Jesus, Eddy experienced and consistently demonstrated the same healing power of God and went on to write Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, found the Christian Science church, and profoundly affect the current conversation on health, healing, and mankind’s unbroken connection to God by proving that Jesus’ healing method continues to be practical today.
Because of the insights Eddy gained through her study of Christ Jesus’ healing works, a new paradigm was presented to spiritual seekers – our divine right to health and harmony. A while back, I published an article on health from this spiritual perspective, and one reader was irate over the description of Mary Baker Eddy as a theologian and religious leader. But as Jesus expressed while teaching the multitudes, “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him;” this commenter’s animosity was softened when other readers suggested he was unreasonable in his comments. I was grateful for this Christian resolution of a difference in opinion.
What his comment did do was inspire me to explore what others have said in support of Mary Baker Eddy and Science and Health. She received many awards and comments about her work and healings. One in particular was by Mitch Horowitz. In The Atlantic’s “100 Most Influential Americans,” Horowitz put Science and Health in the category of thought-provoking books that may change your life. In addition to publishing Science and Health, Eddy also founded The Christian Science Monitor, a Pulitzer-prize-winning newspaper dedicated to fair and balanced reporting of the news. She continued to emulate Christ Jesus’ love for mankind in her writings and her life, as reflected in her statement in No and Yes, “True prayer is not asking God for love; it is learning to love, and to include all mankind in one affection.”
These are powerful statements and examples of Eddy’s contributions, but probably her most profound contribution was discovering that Christ Jesus’ healing method continues to be demonstrable today. She presented her findings in Science and Health, taught the healing method she had discovered, and healed many who came to her for help with health issues. A powerful component of these healing results was the voluntary and inspired sharing of healings that helped encourage others to find a higher, more spiritual view of themselves. Perhaps this is one aspect of what Eddy meant when she wrote in Science and Health, “…progress is the law of God.” What she accomplished still offers healing answers for anyone looking not only for better health but also for their connection with God, divine Love.
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