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Christian Science healing

Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Tish Davidson

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Christian Science teaches that the ordinary physical world that we perceive is a misconception. Matter is not created by God, but appears because of man's limited perception. Jesus, Eddy explains, was able to heal the sick, the blind, and the lame, because he saw beyond their material form and saw the spirit essence of the person.

In writing on the human body in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Eddy states, "To measure intellectual capacity by the size of the brain and strength by the exercise of muscle, is to subjugate intelligence, to make the mind mortal, and to place this so-called mind at the mercy of material organization and non-intelligent matter.

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Obedience to the so-called physical laws of health has not checked sickness. Diseases have multiplied since man-made material theories took the place of spiritual truth. You say that indigestion, fatigue, sleeplessness, cause distressed stomachs and aching heads. Then you consult your brain in order to remember what has hurt you, when your remedy lies in forgetting the whole thing; for matter has no sensation of its own and the human mind is all that can produce pain."

For believers, Christian Science healing is the triumph of mind over matter and the spiritual over the material world. Ill health is simply an illusion. Good health occurs when the mind achieves awareness of itself, which is synonymous with awareness of God. The goal of healing is not to remove physical suffering, but to lead the ill person to Christ and transform the consciousness into a more pure and spiritual state that knows God. Healing is seen as a measure of the depth of one's sincerity and belief.

Since health does not reside in the body, and is not controlled by physical laws, Christian Science healing cannot occur when a person is in a state of moral sinfulness or lack of belief. The basis of disease is fear, ignorance, or sin. Health is a spiritual fact to be demonstrated.

Christian Science teaches that all believers can be taught to heal. Those people officially sanctioned as healers by the Church of Christ, Scientist are called Christian Science practitioners. Practitioners may be either male or female. These people must pledge to devote themselves to the practice of healing full time. They may be paid by their patients for their work. In 2000 there were about 2,000 officially recognized Christian Science practitioners in the United States, and that number is declining.

Practitioners do not use any material props or even touch to heal their patients; only prayer is used. The practitioner approaches the patient with a clear conviction of the omnipotence of God and the firm belief that God is good and produces only good things. Practitioners who hold false beliefs, or error, even unwitting error, blended with the truth, have weak healing abilities and may be guilty of malpractice. If the healer realizes the truth, it will free his patient from symptoms of disease, discord, and disharmony and lead the patient to Christ. This is said to leave the patient feeling calm, refreshed, and healthy.

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Christian Science healing

Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Tish Davidson

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