Scholarships

Out of all of the scholarships and sources found there was an underlying common topic of Mary Baker Eddy being a woman. When we think back down the lines of history we often see men as these great, powerful, and glorified creatures who had a great deal of influence on our society today so its easy to see how a woman stepping forward to take leadership can make many people uncomfortable. Due to Eddy’s gender her beliefs received a lot of scrutiny and was closely analyzed to find even the smallest error. Critics have even gone as far as saying Eddy’s foundation of Christian Science is stolen, “ [Phineas Parkhurst] “mind cure” expanded on the mesmeric belief in magnetic influence by introducing the notion that illness was based on false belief. Quimby’s most famous patient, Mary Baker Eddy, transformed this belief in the power of mind over matter into and extraordinarily successful religious movement and gigantic corporate empire.”( Schrager 30).  Accusations continued to be thrown at Eddy as she was denounced as a feminist and mesmerist. According to a Mind over Matter article, “Eddy’s followers tended to gain the status of enemy whenever they threatened to become her rivals. She would acuse them of attempting to poison her mind through “Malicious Animal Magnetism”.(Schrager) Just as any other religion there will be some errors in everything that we do for the simple fact that we are humans.

 Despite the Eddy’s criticism her message was still powerful and influential to many people, as she believed, “To grasp the reality and order of being in its Science, you must begin by reckoning God as the divine Principle of all that really is. Spirit, Life, Truth, Love, combine as one, and are the Scriptural names for God. All substance, intelligence, wisdom, being, immortality, cause, and effect belong to God. These are His attributes, the eternal manifestations of the infinite divine Principle, Love. No wisdom is wise but His wisdom; no truth is true, no love is lovely, no life is Life but the divine; no good is, but the good God bestows.”(Simmons 75)