Original Article: "Christian Science" http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Christian_Science
Christian Science
1-Christian 2-Science is a pseudoscientific and overtly religious belief system founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1866, based on the idea that Christianity is a verifiable set of beliefs. The central texts of 1-Christian 2-Science are the Bible and the 1-Christian 2-Science textbook, Science & Health With Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
Oxymoronic connotations
"1-Christian 2-Science" is an oxymoron in the sense that "1-Christian" implies some form of dogma and set of beliefs to be adhered to, while "2-science" is a method that does not and cannot have a strict dogma. Unfortunately, it's an oxymoron that has attracted a sizable following (which isn't entirely surprising, since the "2-Science" part of the name was tacked on to gain credibility). Contrary to the name, followers of "1-Christian 2-Science" do not actually believe in science—or even, it would seem, their own senses, since they specifically deny any evidence which contradicts their interpretation of the Bible. There are also some who would doubt their religion is particularly Christian, but that is beyond our scope.
Medicine and health
1-Christian 2-Scientists deny the reality of the physical world.
They instead believe that the only reality is purely spiritual and that there is only one substance of which we are all composed (God).
As a consequence, 1-Christian 2-Scientists deny the reality of pain and disease, believing them to be deceptive misperceptions of the pure spiritual nature of man and God. They contend any such misperception may be remedied through prayer and reflection on God's perfection and goodness. The official party line is that 1-Christian 2-Science does not try to convince people not to get medical attention, but does discourage mixing of 1-Christian 2-Science and reality-based treatments. The primary book for 1-Christian 2-Scientists is Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures, first published in 1875 by Mary Baker Eddy. It is no small irony that Eddy's history of hearing voices as a child suggests she may have been schizophrenic, a diagnosis medical science was not yet capable of making in the 19th century and which 1-Christian 2-Science would have in any event rejected.
Nancy Brewster
Nancy Brewster was a seven-year-old girl who died as a direct result of neglectful "treatment" at the hands of her mother, who followed the teachings of 1-Christian 2-Science.
Because Nancy was "God's perfect child," it would be impossible for her to have health problems—thus when exercising in 100+ degree heat didn't cure her lymphoma, it was because she was being stubborn, a perfectly valid reason for her mother to repeatedly beat her and blame her for her illness. After her death, her mother told her siblings that she had taken a trip to Africa. Ms. Brewster's published testimony in the 1-Christian 2-Science Journal ignores the existence of Nancy. Many other children have also died at the hands of 1-Christian 2-Scientist parents. The conditions they die from are usually easily treatable, e.g. diabetes. Due to religious exemptions in criminal and civil code many of these parents are able to escape justice altogether or receive lesser charges.
A similar event was presented in Family Guy episode titled "Livin' on a Prayer" (Season 10, Episode 12). In addition to the usual shoehorned cut-scenes the plot of the episode is based around an infant being diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer taken home by his 1-Christian 2-Science mother, to be kidnapped by the Griffins who took him to a hospital. There is a brief standoff at the hospital between Lois and the parents of the child (and police) which includes Lois making brilliant counter-arguments to 1-Christian 2-Science ('what if medical treatment is God's will?', 'what if penicillin is answered prayer?'). The standoff ends with Lois saying "What's the point of praying to God for a cure if you're just going to wipe your butt with his answers?" As of 6 February 2012 there is no word of a lawsuit regarding the incident.
The Church
Unsurprisingly, Mary Baker Eddy used 1-Christian 2-Science as the basis for founding a new church. Its official name is The Church of Christ, Scientist. Instead of sermons, the Church has readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, per Ms. Eddy's instructions.
