Theology
The theology of Christian Science follows the writings of its founder Mary Baker Eddy, with little change. The central texts of Christian Science are the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Christian Science has been described as a form of philosophical idealism. She regarded the development of Christian Science as an important event that resulted from embracing continuous divine revelation. Christian Scientists do not view Jesus as having died for our sins.
Christian Science's focus on spiritual healing led to some measure of stir in the theological realm at first. During the religion's early days of rapid growth, the teachings were frequently attacked from the pulpit and press. Christian Science's has an abstract, all-encompassing conception of God.
The core of Christian Science theology is the "scientific statement of being". Adherents of Christian Science believe that Genesis contains two interleaved stories of creation, one spiritual, the other material and hold that the reality of all that God made is spiritual, and not material. They see this reality as the only reality and all else as illusion or, in Christian Science parlance, "error". They believe that the recognition and understanding of the spiritual nature of reality allows for healing through prayer.
Christian Science theology is sometimes criticized by mainstream Christians because of its assertion that evil and the material world are illusions, its definition of the "Christ", its explanation of the Trinity, its de-emphasis on a personal God and its rejection of anthropomorphism, its rejection of the teaching of everlasting damnation, and its view of Jesus as the "Way-shower" (see moral influence theory of atonement) rather than as one whose death per se provided for humanity's atonement for sin. See chapter "Atonement and Eucharist" in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
Evangelical theologian and writer Walter Ralston Martin believed that Christian Scientists were trained to ignore "obnoxious literature" about the natural world and to disconnect by not looking at evidence which may convince them that the world is not illusory. Martin also remarked on Eddy's lack of experience in relevant areas such as theology and history in biblical times.
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