Ask a Researcher
Answers to questions our research team has received.
What prompted the Church By-Law about illegal adoption?
Here’s the story leading up to Mary Baker Eddy’s instruction on illegal adoption in the “Manual of The Mother Church.”
What’s behind the marginal headings in Science and Health?
Mary Baker Eddy first considered using marginal headings in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures in 1889, and the 50th edition of the book (published in 1891) was the first to contain them.
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.
Spotlight on Christian Science in Hollywood: “Missing”
The 1982 film Missing shares the true story of the disappearance of Charles Horman in Chile. Horman was a freelance journalist, whose writing credits include The Christian Science Monitor, and who was raised in Christian Science.
Did Mary Baker Eddy care about the environment?
Even though Eddy doesn’t fit her era’s image of an environmentalist, she still cared deeply for the environment. She loved animals and nature, and believed that the beauty of the natural world was a reflection of the beauty and majesty of God.
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.
Were there ever film or audio recordings made of Mary Baker Eddy?
Unfortunately, none were. There is no discussion of film in her papers, so we have no information about why this was not done. However, one of her household workers, John Salchow, wrote in his reminiscence about Eddy being asked to have an audio recording made of her...
What was Mary Baker Eddy’s perspective on women’s rights?
Eddy made few statements about this, but we do know that she valued the efforts of the women’s rights movement of her day. In 1882 she wrote her student Clara Choate: “let us work as the industrious Suffragists are at work who are getting a hearing all over the...
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...
Why did Mary Baker Eddy start The Christian Science Journal?
Find out what led to publication of the first issue in 1883.
Did Mary Baker Eddy write it? Authenticating “Notes by Judge Hanna” on Christ and Christmas
Did Hanna play any role in setting down the book’s illustrations?
Did Mary Baker Eddy write it? Application of “Ways that are Vain”
Find out about documents that alter the original wording.
Did Mary Baker Eddy and Booker T. Washington ever meet?
Find out about Washington’s engagement with Christian Science.
“How may I best study ‘Science and Health’?”
Read one of Mary Baker Eddy’s responses to this question.
