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In a penetrating biography, famed science writer Martin Gardner profiles the life and teachings of the controversial founder of Christian Science, showing her to be a power-hungry individual whose life included spiritualism, drug addiction, and frequent hysterical rages. Includes Mark Twain's famous essay attacking Eddy, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Don't trust the 'star' ratings
Just a reminder. Books that address any controversy attract attempts to pack the Reader Reviews with negative comments.

The quality of reviews here is very uneven. The Kirkus review, for example, refers to Phineas Quimby as Phineas Parkhurst. This is a dead giveaway that the reviewer has not actually read the book.

Gardner's accusations against Mrs Eddy are thoroughly researched and documented. Most of them have been made before and remain unchallenged except by evasion and denial. What is new and helpful in this book is the description and commentary on other aspects of the larger New Thought movement. Many who would never give credence to Eddy are strongly influenced by the same strain of thought.

I would strongly recommend this book to any reader, not just those interested in Christian Science.

Wonderful expose of an idiotic cult
A searing indictment of the crank named Mary Baker Eddy. Christian Science is neith Christian nor Science and Mr. Gardner tells it like it is. I am not suprised at the bad reviews given this book by Christian Scientists, after all what else can you expect from an goup of ignorant and superstitious people, many of whom would rather see their children die than give them antibiotics. Christian Science is an dying cult and it is clear that there will be violent death throes coming from its members.

"Ill informed negativity"
In order to understand CS one has to devote their life to the continually unfoldment that is a result of studying Mrs. Eddy's teaching's. It is not unusual for sometime to totally miss the essence of CS . But the fact remains it is a demonstrable science. Most Christians Scientists have demonstrated good health , happiness and prosperity throughout their long lives. This speaks volumes. "Scientist's simply follow the example and teachings of Christ Jesus. Mrs. Eddy , thankfully explained the teachings of Christ to a degree that had not been done before.
She laid no claim to inventing the truth but rather explaining it through what she called "Christian Science". Naturally after her passing the "truth began to get diluted and hence demonstations were less frequent. She was simply trying to wake everyone up to the fact that " The truth will set them free"
from the erroneous thinking of mankind. It's evident that every
forward thinking person throughout history has been persecuted by those of lesser vision. Why should she be an exception.
"Forgive them father they know not what they do".

Insightful
You won't find any spin from brainwashed followers in this book.The truth shall set you free.

Mrs. Eddy surely differed greatly from Quimby.
Gardner's claim of plagiarism of Quimby's writings by Mrs. Eddy simply doesn't hold water. Quimby did reach the point of recognizing to a meager extend the influence of the human mind on the body. So by necessity, some of Mrs. Eddy's writings might seem to parallel Quimby's writings regarding the human mind/body relationship. But that's as far as any seeming similarity can be found between the two. Here's excerpts about what Mrs. Eddy says about Quimby in her book, Miscellaneous Writings:

"Having practised homoeopathy, it never occurred to the author to learn his [Quimby's] practice, but she did ask him how manipulation could benefit the sick. He answered kindly and squarely, in substance, 'Because it conveys electricity to them.' That was the sum of what he taught her of his medical profession.

"The readers of my books cannot fail to see that metaphysical therapeutics, as in Christian Science, are farther removed from such thoughts than the nebulous system is from the earth.

"I never heard him say that matter was not as real as Mind, or that electricity was not as potential or remedial, or allude to God as the divine Principle of all healing. He certainly had advanced views of his own, but they commingled error with truth, and were not Science."

Throughout the latter years of her time here on earth, Mrs. Eddy was constantly being accused of plagiarizing the writings of Quimby. Many of her detractors claimed that he was the one who healed her of her many years of invalidism. The truth is that she seemed to derive temporary benefit from his treatments, but soon after, lapsed into an even worse physical state. Eventually she was completely healed through her own study of the Bible and her faith in a higher power, far transcending the electricity/magnetism techniques that Quimby employed. It's obvious that Gardner didn't study Mrs. Eddy's writings sufficiently to discern the vast gulf between her teachings, and those of Quimby. And as other reviewers have noted, he misstates many facts regarding the life of Mary Baker Eddy, which seriously compromises and undermines his arguments from the starting line to the finish line. Don't waste your money on this one. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (20)

Excellent
Among the plethora of books infused with misinformation and calculated malice towards Christian Science, this one is really wonderful to read. The author is a well respected Cambridge graduate who has thoroughly done her research (unlike the biased worked produced by Caroline Fraser). Gill is a true scholar. I would also recommend her work on the Nightengales.

Author more honest than many but lacks spiritual context
I agree with the person who said that this book is probably better for non-Christian Scientists. On the positive side, it MAY help to undo some of the damage done by dishonest authors and may inspire others to investigate further the life of the greatest discoverer of our age.

An honest look at what Mrs. Eddy "had to meet" is necessary and parallel to one's own progress in Christian Science, because she met it all. This context is hard to grasp for "non-Scientists" of course. No one who begins to understand Christian Science could miss the idea that Mrs. Eddy's experience was not "sugar-coated." But that's just the beginning, or rather the beginning of the beginning. It wasn't human effort, and it wasn't a magic wand. Ms. Gill's biography barely begins to convey what she went through, other than the social constrictions of the era. This understanding of what she did and how she did it, has to run parallel with one's growing understanding of Christian Science, or one is not understanding it.

A person more familiar with the teachings of Christian Science will want more spiritual perspective, and be mindful of what Mrs. Eddy herself says, in her own autobiography, "Retrospection and Introspection," that the mere recital of the events of a life without providing its spiritual nexus -- (I'm paraphrasing)-- is meaningless. .

Although I was endeavoring to respect the author's intentions of being fair, when I got to the end, it was like a big "clunk". I felt like, where was God in all of this? Where is the sense of how God was working in Mrs. Eddy's life? (If this is what they mean by "sugar-coating", then give me the sugar-coating every time.)

"Biographies" are meaningful only according to the degree that they convey the correct sense of an individual's character. You can't begin to understand Mrs. Eddy until you begin to understand Christian Science. As she so succintly put it: The individual and his ideal can never be severed."

Another book that students of Christian Science who think of themselves as "feminists" might find interesting is Paul Smillie's "Mary Baker Eddy:
The Historical and Prophetic Perspective", available from The Gethsemane Foundation. It has a lot of thought-provoking ideas. Also good is David Keyston's "The Healer," a concise volume illustrating how Mrs. Eddy practiced what she preached.

Regarding biographies of Mary Baker Eddy in general, please see my review of Bliss Knapp's "Destiny of the Mother Church."

Exhaustive and, at times, exhausting
I bought this book at the Christian Science reading room in Boston next to the Mother Church at the recommendation of one of the staff members.She said the book was a good fit for someone who wasn't a Christian Scientist, but wanted to learn more about Mrs. Eddy. I found Gillian Gill's carefully documented biography to be thorough in most respects.Some of the financial issues were glossed over -- How did Ms. Eddy really become so wealthy?While she certainly isn't fawning, Ms. Gill seems too gentle in her treatment of Mrs. Eddy's paranoia about "malicious animal magnetism."The second half of the book is markedly more readable than the first.

Charisma
Biographers of Eddy have assumed she was an ordinary woman in possession of an astonishing achievement and success.This strikes Gill as an absurdity.Surely her talent must account for her achievement. Mary Baker Eddy's freedom from domestic care was won at enormous cost when she was separated from her six year old son.She lived with her second husband, Daniel Patterson, in North Groton, New Hampshire between 1855 and 1860.After 1862 she began a transition.By 1875 she was active and independent.She first consulted Quimby, a healer, in 1862.Both Quimby and Mary Baker Eddy were autodicts.Mary Baker Eddy suffered from life-long loneliness.During the Civil War Daniel Patterson had the look of a fool and a failure because he was captured by the rebel forces while he was, remarkably, sight-seeing.The situation encouraged Mary to take an independent stand.For such an undertaking good health was requisite.Under the ministrations of P.P. Quimby she was healed.She became a Quimby disciple and publicist.She made several visits to Portland, Maine between 1863 and 1865.Quimby published nothing in his lifetime.He was barely literate.The Quimby papers were, in all probability, transcriptions of Quimby dictations.Quimby died in 1866.Eddy's healing in 1866 after a fall on the ice, as her marriage was collapsing, was produced through Bible reading.It was a turning point.

Between 1866 and 1870 Mrs. Eddy moved nine times.She was penniless. Hiram Crafts was MBE's first student.While living with Mrs. Webster she met Richard Kennedy and Sarah Bagley.In 1870 MBE and Richard Kennedy moved to Lynn.Kennedy was a healer and MBE a teacher.The early students, except for Putney Bancroft, were a source of endless trouble to Eddy.By 1872 Kennedy had declared his independence.Nearly all of the Eddy-Kennedy correspondance has disappeared. SCIENCE AND HEALTH appeared in print in 1875.Many revisions took place in the foundational text, finally issued for posterity in 1907.MBE underwent social ostracism and cultural and intellectual isolation.She was writing alone in a cultural vacuum.Gill characterizes the work as the loneliest book she has encountered.

The author of the biography functions as a sort of counsel to the defense as she evaluates MBE's essential intergrity and authenticity.She separates the strands of the rival schools of biographers, Milmine-Dakin-Dittemore versus Peel-Wilbur. Asa Gilbert Eddy and Mary Baker Glover, (after separating from Patterson she resumed using the Glover surname), were married January 1, 1877.Gilbert proved to be very useful.He died June 3, 1882.In August 1882 Calvin Frye was offered employment by Mrs. Eddy at her Massachusetts Metaphysical College.His employment with her extended to the end of her life in 1910.Calvin Frye had grown up in the shadow of his mother's insanity.

Mrs. Eddy's religion succeeded as she created a persona appealing to both the rich financier and the aspiring artisan.John Wilson, University Press, became the printer of SCIENCE AND HEALTH to the great betterment of the book in its subsequent editions.Between 1885 and 1891 some editorial services were provided by James Henry Wiggin, a Unitarian minister.Gill argues that SCIENCE AND HEALTH is a flawed but fascinating and radical work.Mary Baker Eddy was unschooled but brilliant.By the end of the 1880's Christian Science was a religious force.It was challenged by the New Thought Movement.

In 1889 Mrs. Eddy moved from Boston to New Hampshire and thereafter appeared in public infrequently.She closed the Metaphysical College and other Christian Science institutions underwent reorganization.In 1892 the Mother Church was established.The building of the church on Norway Street was completed in eight months.Joseph Armstrong wrote interestinglyof the building of the church and the extension.The directors supplied on-site supervision of the work. Part of Mrs. Eddy wanted to be entertained and adored.There was, for example, her adopted son Ebenezer Foster.Unfortunately Foster exploited his influence.This biographer identifies one of the problems in Mrs. Eddy's dealings with others is that she hated noise.Pleasant View was a garden and a farm.In her first decade at Concord she enjoyed relative anonymity.In the nineteenth century New Hampshire was a tourist mecca.

A rigid household routine enabled Mrs. Eddy to cope with uneven progress in Christian Science affairs.In her pursuit of domestic perfection Mrs. Eddy may have been a little mad.Household workers learned to fear her anger.Mrs. Eddy taught her last Christian Science class in 1898.Students received special invitations to join the gathering in Concord. In 1906 the New York WORLD reported that Mrs. Eddy was more dead than alive.Her reclusiveness puzzled friends and family.The citizens of Concord were prepared to combat the press attacks.After the Next of Friendslaw suit Mrs. Eddy moved to Chestnut Hill, (to a great barn of a place, she said).Within three weeks the rooms were reduced to the dimensions of those at Pleasant View and the dwelling became more tailored to Mrs. Eddy's needs.In the end Mrs. Eddy and her followers dealt with Josephine Woodbury and Augusta Stetson, errant leaders of the movement.

Gillian Gill finds that Eddy was not an hysteric, a drug-addict, or deficient in maternal feelings.Acts to change the structure of the religion undertaken subsequent to 1889 are called amusingly the great disestablishment by Gill.Notes, source book descriptions, and an index follow the epilogue in this accomplished and judicious retelling of the life of Mary Baker Eddy.

One of the best biographies I've read about Mary Baker Eddy
I have read a number of biographies about Mary Baker Eddy and this is probably one of the best. Don't skip the footnotes! They are long but well worth reading. I kept one bookmark in the book and another in the footnotes. A few parts that I really enjoyed was learning more about Mary Baker Eddy's life before her discovery of Christian Science. There seems to be very little reliable information on this time period and Gillian Gill fills this void. I also enjoyed reading about the Next Friends case. Gillian Gill seems to have gone further than any previous biographer and actually read what seems to be practically everything on this subject - from newspaper clippings in Lynn, court transcripts, letters between the individuals filing the lawsuit, and more. It is the clearest explanation of the lawsuit I have ever read. And on top of this, I have a little clearer idea of what life must have been like for women in the 1800s - whether you writing a book about the Bible and healing or not. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (11)

Topic of interest and writer famous
I purchased this in order to read some of Willa Cather's early journalistic efforts and at the same time learn more about the founder of Christian Science from a person who was contemporary with her.It was an eye-opener with several gems of the English language.

Good, but biased
This book presents a wealth of interesting insights into Mary Baker Eddy and the founding of the Christian Science. And it is very convincing in its view that Mary Baker Eddy received much of her spiritual information through her one-time mentor Phineaus P. Quimby. It is unfortunate that she did not credit him as she probably should have, but this book dwells too much on that particular aspect. What is more important, in my estimation, is that she gained a good understanding and then managed to communicate and circulate these ideas to others.

I have years of metaphysical study under my belt, and I feel I have a very good understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as He meant it. (I am writing a book on the subject.) Although I came to my conclusions long before I investigated Christian Science, Ms. Eddy obviously found many of the same deep truths.

Truth is One, and opinion is not Truth. Man is imperfect, and any seeker who wants to find the deepest Truth must discover what Christ is truly saying. The orthodox understanding of the Gospels comes to us through men and doctrines of the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries of the current era, when the earth was in the very darkest part of its cycle (as the wisest in the East realize: see The Holy Science by Sri Yuktswar). Jesus said the He did not come to change, but to fulfill the Law, which is Love. God is not limited, and in modern times Christ has clarified His Gospel for those with "ears to hear."A Course in Miracles is the ultimate teacher for those who are ready for it. And if one studies it, one will see that P. Quimby and Mary Baker Eddy were indeed onto something well ahead of the rest of us in the West (though we are but children compared to the East, which has long understood and kept many of these ancient truths alive). [The Second Coming of Christ, a two volume set by Paramhansa Yogananda, is a revelation of the true meaning of the New Testament, and his Autobiography of a Yogi is a must-read for all Spiritual seekers.]

I recommend you read The Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy and the History of Christian Science - but only after you read all of the other material I have mentioned in this review!

God Blesses!

Do more research.
December 2007 The Mary Baker Eddy Library has the real and whole story. I think that it must have been built to make everything available to everybody. Before you get lopsided on this book, better visit or call MBE Library for the Betterment of Humanity.
The real test of all this is to read her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.When you feel the change that comes over your whole life you'll be in a better position to write a review. And, it doesn't matter if you are an atheist, a Mormon,catholic or anything in between.

I am not a Christian Scientist.....
but I would not hesitate to write a book about a church that condones the death of children and adults and causes untold emotional suffering and insanity. Period!

An Observation
It seems that all the reviews here show a bias that was held before this particular book was read. If one had a a prejudice agains Christian Science, they thought the book was wonderful. If one was in favor of Christian Science, they thought the book was terrible.

My feeling is, that at least in the US where we treasure religious freedon, to write a book that trashes another's belief is despicable. Everyone should be able to follow their beliefs without someone trashing them.

I am not Catholic, but I am not going to write a book denouncing the pope.

Dennis R. ... Read more

Product Description
Making some of Mary Baker Eddy's autobiographical writings available for the first time, the Title offers a candid look at a remarkable life. Here, Eddy tells her own story - tells it as no one else can. With a probing and insightful introduction by Jana K. Riess, religion book review editor for "Publisher's Weekly," this volume promises to take a prominent place in the growing genre of women's spiritual memoir. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Letters of Mary Baker Eddy to Augusta E. Stetson
The letters of Mary Baker Eddy to Augusta E. Stetson, C.S.D., writtenbetween 1889 and 1909, are reproduced from the Manuscript Collection in TheHuntington Library, San Marino, California.This priceless collection ofletters, written over a period of twenty years, breathes the spirit ofgenuine Christian Science, and reveals Mary Baker Eddy's love for her "bestbeloved" student, Augusta E. Stetson.Original publication of EmmaPublishing Society.Burgundy cloth; color portrait; 113 pages; EmmaPublishing Society, 1990. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Love's Chosen Love: A Record of Events Leading Up to Two Letters
A record of events leading up to two letters from Mary Baker Eddy toAugusta E. Stetson following Mrs. Stetson's excommunication from The MotherChurch in November 1909 by the Christian Science Board of Directors. Reveals the special relationship between Mary Baker Eddy, "Love's chosenlove," and Augusta E. Stetson, Mrs. Eddy's "best beloved" student. Original publication of Emma Publishing Society.Booklet; 22 pages; EmmaPublishing Society, 1995. ... Read more

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PERSISTENT PILGRIM is the most in-depth, serious biography of Mary Baker Eddy since the Peel trilogy a generation ago and the first one-volume story of the life of the founder of Christian Science to be written by a Christian Scientist in almost 50 years. In an easily accessible book of approximately 320 pages, Richard Nenneman, who a few years ago retired as Editor-in-Chief of The Christian Science Monitor, traces the outlines of her life and the religion she described as a discovery in terms understandable to any general reader.A fascinating aspect of this biography is that Nenneman researched and read every single available piece of correspondence written by Mary Baker Eddy that is in The Mother Church archives; yet he does not use extracts or quoted materials heavily. The book examines the woman behind the public image, including her upbringing, family and personal tragedies, religious development, lawsuits, etc. These excerpts from Mrs. Eddy's letters vividly portray her challenges and her dealings with her students and later with her young church. The author does not believe that a religious biography can be written without a point of view, but he does not draw back from presenting Mrs. Eddy as a woman who could be volatile. In fact, while the book necessarily traces the development of Christian Science, it is even more a story of Mrs. Eddy's personal development, growth, and ability to lead others through her spiritual maturity. Her story culminates in the almost continual challenges she faced and overcame during the last decade of her life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Wonderful perspective
This book provided me with a wonderful perspective on Mary Baker Eddy'shealing gift and how she established it, against considerable odds, as asystem, supported by a church and a publishing house, which remainsavailable for personal study through her book, Science & Health withKey to the Scriptures.

A pedestrian volume
Having read a good number of biographies on Mary Baker Eddy, I found this particular volume to be well-intended but ineffective.About 95% of Nennemann's book has already been covered, repeatedly in some cases and inmore detail, by other books; but the little new light he throws on thesubject is interesting (particularly Eddy's discomfort with ChristianScience promoting itself in proximity to Eastern religions andSpiritualism).The author seems to have genuine respect and affection forhis subject, while presenting her in a non-idealized way --something to beappreciated; but the writing lacked style and content.Intending no greatdisrespect, whereas another reviewer mentioned the book kept him awake, Ihad exactly the reaction.

Perceptive and affectionate
This fairly short biography of Mary Baker Eddy gives a fuller and deeper appreciation of her character than even Robert Peel's three volume work.Nenneman relates the events of her life in a way that throws real light onthe way Christian Science itself informed her actions and graduallydeveloped her perceptions.The reader may still want to turn to Peel'swork for detailed analysis but this well-documented book is the very bestplace to start a study of this religious figure.It reminds one of EdmundMorris' Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.Real feeling for the subject pervadesevery page. ... Read more

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This short overview of Mary Baker Eddy's life is also an interesting sketch of the religion she established, and a look at some of the pioneer workers in the early years of the Christian Science Church. Includes black-and-white period photographs. ... Read more

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A brief illustrated biography of the woman who founded Christian Science. ... Read more

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"The most interesting woman that ever lived," wrote Mark Twain of his contemporary, Mary Baker Eddy. Bright, frail, the youngest of six children, Mary Baker Eddy grew up on a New Hampshire farm, forty years before the Civil War. In her family home, the Bible was bedrock, but it was not until her near-death experience that she discovered its underlying principle, that would lead her to heal, teach and found a worldwide religious movement -- Christian Science. How this woman emerged from illness, poverty and dependence to become a leading moral and spiritual force for good is an absorbing story, clearly told. Skillful line drawings, historical photographs and engravings pique the readers' interest, both young and adult. ... Read more

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Rolling Away the Stone is a richly detailed account of the last two decades of the life of Mary Baker Eddy, a major religious thinker whose character and achievement are just beginning to be understood. This is the first book-length discussion of Eddy to make full use of the resources of the Mary Baker Eddy Collection in Boston. It focuses on her long-range legacy as a Christian thinker, specifically her challenge to the materialism that continues to threaten religious belief and practice in our time.

Hoping to retire in 1889 after seven turbulent years founding the Christian Science movement, Eddy believed the demands upon her would ease. Instead, during the 1890s and 1900s, she entered into the most active and fruitful period of her long life, becoming a nationally and even internationally known figure. The radical character of Eddy’s teaching, together with her position as a woman religious leader in a male-dominated society, aroused storm clouds of controversy that have continued to swirl around her memory today. The book opens with an account of the critical point in this controversy when her very sanity was challenged in a litigation that became one of the first media events of the 20th century.

Stephen Gottschalk also traces the fascinating relation between Eddy’s encounter with the problem of evil in the first half of her life and how Mark Twain, her best-known adversary, faced the same issue during his later years. Gottschalk then explores how Eddy’s challenge to materialism shaped her response to a series of crises that arose as she brought her life’s work to completion. This is a sensitive and serious biography of an important figure in American religious history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

My favorite biography
I have read most of the biographies of Mrs. Eddy and have found Rolling Away the Stone to be the most thought inspiring of them all.I felt the book brought a new dimension to the trials and victories of the discoverer of Christian Science.As a student of C.S. I felt a renewed impetus to put into practice the love for others which my religion demands.

Rolling Away the Stone
The book is in good condition and arrived in a timely manner.I have begun reading, but have not finished.At this point it is well written and researched.

Well done.
Too little is known about this woman in an age that is exploring spiritual healing.The world needs to know more about the Christianity she practiced: Christian Science. The book is a good way to get your feet wet, the next step would be to read Mary Baker Eddy's writings directly.

For those who seek Truth
This book is for people looking for the meaning of life, a meaning to be found only in the search for God. It explains the quest of Mary Baker Eddy, Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science at the end of the 20th century, a new Christian denomination, but also a way of thinking and living. Very scholarly, very interesting for people who feel concerned by "the new paradigm".Rolling Away the Stone: Mary Baker Eddy's Challenge to Materialism (Religion in North America)

scholarly research
Steve Gottschalk has done another thorough job of research into the life and times of Mary Baker Eddy. His careful analysis is greatly appreciated. ... Read more

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Follows the life of the woman who founded Christian Science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Quick inspiration
When I need an uplifting thought I know I can turn to any page and find a quick inspiration for the moment.Very timely.

Save your money
Save your money and read "God's Word", The Holy Bible.

Very Inspiring!
This is an inspiring little book. I was given a copy and loved each section but one of the quotes in: "Relating to the World" really caught my eye.

The quote that begins "...unite in prayer for peace: For the end of hostility and war among or between all nations, and religious sects, -- for Divine Love to make us one human family,..." was really helpful to me as I was praying about my individual trust in military might and the need to find my own spiritual solution for ending conflict.

It's nice to see some of Mary Baker Eddy's previously unpublished writing out in the open.Very inspiring and well worth the cost! ... Read more

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1930. Prologue; A Challenge; A Rich Girlhood; Finding Herself; Building the Book; Founder; At Pleasant View; The Full Grain in the Ear; By Their Fruits; Twenty Years After; Notes. ... Read more