The Root of Christian Science in a Renaissance of Reason

The bright historic period in which Christian Science is rooted is recognized today as the Greek Classical Period. The tremendous development in scientific understanding of this period unfolded from the need for creating of a nation. Before this time the mountains of Greece were inhabited by numerous primitive tribes which were largely ruled by mythologies, distorted ideals, and were often at war with each other. However, in order for these tribes to be able to defend themselves against the attacks of vastly larger and stronger empires, a nation had to be created to develop capacities that no tribe by itself could ever hope to achieve. Also, this nation had to be created out the existing background of those scattered, primitive tribes. For this goal a common ground had to be established based on a community of principle, and this had to be done long before the principle of common defense and the related commitment to protect the general welfare of all citizens could be achieved. The problem was, that the goal that had to be attained was far out of reach for those people whose vocabulary rarely exceeded a hundred words.

Homer apparently recognized that in order for the necessary development to occur, an advanced type of language had to be created that allowed the development of the kind of high level thinking to occur that is impossible to contemplate with a hundred word vocabulary. Homer evidently understood this, or understood it partly. Whatever the reasons might have been, Homer started a revolutionary linguistic development that inspired the people of his land, that caused them to recognize themselves as a nation. Nor did this trend stop. The development continued and expanded into the contemplation of highly complex ideas. Out of this background unfolded the greatest scientific, cultural, and technological development period in history.

In the space of four-hundred years the collection of isolated mountain tribes had become the most advanced nation in the world, the nation of Solon, Socrates, Plato with its world famous University of Athens. The explosive scientific and cultural development drive also spread into Egypt. The scientific development was so advanced during this period that it was already known in app. 240 BC that the earth is a sphere, through the research work of Eratosthenes in Egypt. Even the circumference of the earth had been accurately calculated by Eratosthenes at this time. Moreover, his scientific method for calculating what no man has ever seen, became the basis for Egypt's sending out a flotilla in 232 BC (1723 years before Columbus), to circumnavigate the globe. This was not done to find new worlds to conquer, but to merely prove the new found knowledge by applying it to practical navigation. Advanced understanding was the pearl of great price in this age.

The momentous scientific and cultural development was also reflected in the spiritual sphere where it gave rise to the Christian era with the advent of Christ Jesus. This occurred at the very end of the development period where new concepts of a still more profound nature were introduced, than those for calculating the circumference of the earth. Christ Jesus overturned countless age old concepts about the nature of man and demonstrated a more advanced concept. Just as Plato opened the scene to the development of the human capacity to understand the universe, and discover and utilize its principles with which to shape and uplift the world, so did Christ Jesus open the scene to a spiritual renaissance in which he demonstrated the capacity of the human being for spiritual healing. 

Christ Jesus worked no miracles. He acted from an advanced level of understanding of the principles of the unity of God and man by which apparent miracles were performed. Mary Baker Eddy reasoned that Christ Jesus' works must be repeatable since the principles that enabled them are the same throughout time, and can be discovered and understood. And that is what she set out to do. She was herself healed instantly through the above type of reasoning, while apparently dying from a near fatal spinal injury. She determined afterwards to discover the science that made such a healing possible, that could be taught to others as a practical remedy for healing disease. She called her method "Christian Science".

Mary Baker Eddy taught Christian Science for many years and wrote a textbook on it (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures). Its efficacy has been proven in countless cases of healing for more than a century, and is still being proven. Nevertheless, as a science it must be understood. Nor is it an ordinary science. Its principles are truth, which puts it into direct opposition with the empiricism of the dark ages that already began in Plato's time through the perversion of reason by Aristotle. It should be realized that the nature of Christianity is actually not a religious one. Religions are founded on dogma that are accepted by faith. Christianity, on the other hand unfolded at the pinnacle of the highest development of reason and understanding. The concept of Christianity cannot be isolated, therefore, from its roots in the Platonic/Socratic method for the scientific discovery of truth.

Mary Baker Eddy's discovery of Christian Science did not occur by accident, but is located once again in an environment of advanced humanist and scientific development built on the Platonic/Socratic method. Mary Baker Eddy's period may well be regarded as a scientific and spiritual renaissance, one of the most advanced perhaps, which still existed in North America in her time. The foundation for this renaissance was already destroyed in Europe through the Jacobin terror of the French Revolution that was instigated for this end, and the terror unleashed later by Napoleon who finished the imperial crusade against the European elite of advanced thinkers.

Christian Science could only have unfolded in the mental 'sanctuary' that existed in North America, which was later disabled by Adam Smith who introduced the religious doctrine of greed based economics on behalf of the same imperial masters who instigated the Jacobin assault against the elite thinkers of Europe. Christian Science must therefore regarded for what it really is, something exceedingly precious; a science that literally came down from God during a brief window of time when the human intellect had reached the height of scientific and spiritual development at which the development of this science became a possibility and occurred. In this sense Christian Science must also be seen as a mirror in which he see ourselves, a lofty manifestation of the human intellect, a precious spark of our infinity nature and our oneness with God.

Indeed, Christian Science is very precious, for the window of humanist development in which it came to light no longer exists. This means we cannot understand Christian Science on the platform of modern empiricist thinking that rules the minds of humanity in this age. The modern empiricist kind of thinking echoes Aristotle's notion that there is no truth except in what one can see and touch. This represents a total perversion of the Platonic/Socratic method of scientific discovery which rests on seeing with the mind's eye the universal principles that the senses cannot discern or emotions respond to. Christian Science must be seen with the mind's eye. Indeed, this is what the name, that Mary Baker Eddy selected, stands for in duplicate affirmation. This is what it means to be Christian, and also what Science is all about. Both terms are really synonymous with each other. As a matter of fact, the synonymous nature of Christianity and Science had already been recognized more than 2000 years ago by the Apostle John, as we find it recorded in his book of Revelation.

Indeed it is natural, in light of the above background, that the most spiritually minded advanced scientific thinker of Christ Jesus' disciples would predict with a great sense of certainty the end of all evil as the inevitable consequence of mankind's continuing spiritual and scientific development. The Apostle John was that man, the most spiritually and scientifically minded disciple of Christ Jesus. His metaphoric prediction of the end of all evil through scientific and spiritual development can be found at the very end of the book of Revelation in the Bible, or the Apocalypse as it is often called.