Christian Science

Christian Science is a monotheistic Christian religion associated with the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally known as the Christian Science church. It was founded in 1879 in New England by Mary Baker Eddy, who wrote the 1875 book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which outlines the theology of Christian Science. The book was originally called Science and Health; the subtitle with a Key to the Scriptures was added in 1883 and later amended to with Key to the Scriptures. Eddy revised the book across the next 35 years until her death in 1910, with the final major revision in 1906. She introduced a 100-page chapter, "Fruitage", which gave first-person reports of healings attributed to reading the volume. By 2001, Science and Health had sold over nine million copies. The Bible remains Christian Science's central text.

Eddy and 26 followers were granted a charter by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1879 to found the "Church of Christ (Scientist)"; the church would be reorganized under the name "Church of Christ, Scientist" in 1892. The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, was built in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1894. Known as the "thinker's religion", Christian Science became the fastest growing religion in the United States, with nearly 270,000 members by 1936 — a figure which had declined to just over 100,000 by 1990 and reportedly to under 50,000 by 2009. The church is known for its newspaper, The Christian Science Monitor , which won seven Pulitzer Prizes between 1950 and 2002, and for its public Reading Rooms around the world.