Yesterday, while talking with David Iliffe (the morning presenter on ABC Local Radio – Southern Queensland) about Christian Science, with genuine interest he asked me what was the difference between Christian Science and other mainline Christian religions.

This got me thinking. I realised that Christian Science, along with other Christian faiths is solidly Bible-based in its theology. Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer and founder of Christian Science, saw that an uninspired, literal reading of the Bible had not reinstated the element of healing that Christ Jesus expected of his followers. Reinstating “primitive Christianity with its lost element of healing” (Manual of The Mother Church, p.17) was the thrust of Eddy’s life work. Reliable, consistent healing based on spiritual means alone is what distinguishes Christian Science from other Christian faiths.

Christian Science shows its followers that they can, to some degree fulfil Jesus’ expectation on his students to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.” (Matthew 10:8) Students of Christian Science take this very seriously. Would Jesus have asked his students to follow him if it weren’t possible? What he taught his students still works today.

And it has worked for me! One time when I was a very busy young mother with two pre-schoolers I found that I had a constant and increasing internal pain. Ten or so years before I’d had a medical operation for an organic problem and the pain seemed to be very similar to what I had experienced prior to that operation.  This time I decided to pray for myself with what I was learning through Christian Science. As I held to the truth of my spiritual perfection as the full reflection of God and denied that there could be any cause for pain in my real being which was totally spiritual, the symptoms gradually faded and there was no more pain. This healing occurred 25 years ago and has been permanent.

Check out records of hundreds of healings here.