Ask a Researcher
Answers to questions our research team has received.
How did the term “The Mother Church” come about?
The first documented use of this term is found in notes from March 5, 1889, taken by Joshua Bailey during one of Mary Baker Eddy’s classes in Christian Science healing.
Did Mary Baker Eddy care about the environment?
Read about her love for animals and nature—and her beliefs about the beauty of the natural world.
How did Mary Baker Eddy feel about animals?
So many people have a deep love for animals. Here’s what the discoverer of Christian Science had to say.
Are there any recordings of Mary Baker Eddy?
Find out what we know, including reminiscences from people who heard Eddy speak.
What was Eddy’s perspective on women’s rights?
Mary Baker Eddy made few statements about women's rights. But we do know that she valued the efforts of the suffrage movement of her day. In 1882 Eddy wrote her student Clara Choate, “Let us work as the industrious Suffragists are at work who are getting a hearing all...
Were African Americans involved in the early history of Christian Science?
The answer is yes. One noteworthy individual was Marietta Webb. Her first experience with Christian Science was in 1897, when she called a practitioner to help her young son, who was very ill. He was quickly and permanently healed, and she began attending services in...
How did Mary Baker Eddy get around in the wintertime?
Whenever there was the least bit of snow, enough to make the roads at all passable, we used to take the wheels off of her carriage and put on the runners. We had a couple of strings of silver bells for the horses and on a nice frosty day it made a pretty sight to see...
Was grace said before meals in Mary Baker Eddy’s household?
We have found some information on this topic in reminiscences written by members of her household. At Chestnut Hill, where Eddy lived from 1908-1910, there was no established procedure for saying grace before meals. Sometimes Eddy would pass the word not to have any...
Is it true that Mary Baker Eddy did not write a portion of a letter to church members? Isn’t that plagiarism?
A question from our inbox…
What’s some background on the Thanksgiving services?
Find out why the testimonies given are specified as “by members of the congregation.”
Are books about Eddy searchable online?
See how you can research some volumes electronically.
Does The Secret Garden have connections with Christian Science?
Find out how this famous work of Frances Hodgson Burnett does and doesn’t relate.
What did Eddy say about reporting and treating contagious diseases?
Learn how she responded to public concerns on these issues.
Are Journal directories searchable online?
See how you can access publications dating back to 1883.
How were the members of the Bible Lesson Committee selected?
Here’s some background on a question we get asked.