Mary Baker Eddy

Mary Baker Eddy was a highly influential American religious leader and author.

She is best known for founding The Church of Christ, Scientist, in 1879. This organization serves as the Mother Church for the Christian Science movement. Eddy was also a prolific writer and a pioneer in religious publishing.

In 1908, she established The Christian Science Monitor, a well-known newspaper. She also founded three religious magazines: The Christian Science Journal, The Herald of Christian Science, and the Christian Science Sentinel. Her most famous book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, was published in 1875. This work was later recognized by the Women's National Book Association as one of the "75 Books by Women Whose Words Have Changed the World."

Eddy was born Mary Morse Baker on July 16, 1821, in Bow, New Hampshire.

She grew up in a farmhouse built by her grandfather, Joseph Baker Jr. She was the youngest of six children born to Mark Baker and Abigail Barnard Baker. Her father was a farmer and a strict Calvinist member of the Tilton Congregationalist Church.

Neighbors described Mark Baker as a man with a volatile temper and very strong opinions. In contrast, her mother was described as a quiet, nurturing, and benevolent spiritual influence. These early years were marked by sudden, unexplained illnesses that often required medical attention. Historians have debated whether these episodes were physical or caused by psychological factors.

During her young adulthood, Eddy faced a series of profound personal losses.

In 1841, her brother Albert, whom she viewed as a mentor, passed away. In 1844, she married George Washington Glover, but he died of yellow fever only six months later. At the time of his death, Eddy was six months pregnant. She had to endure a difficult journey by train and steamboat back to New Hampshire. There, she gave birth to her only child, George Washington Glover II, in September 1844. The exhaustion of these events left her bedridden for several months. The decade continued with the death of her mother in 1849, followed just three weeks later by the death of her fiancé, John Bartlett.

Eddy's search for healing led her to several different practitioners and ideas.

In 1862, she sought treatment from Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, a man known for treating people without medicine. Eddy found his methods helpful, though the improvements were often temporary. She began to see a religious significance in his work that Quimby himself did not emphasize. Between 1862 and 1865, they engaged in deep discussions regarding healing methods. Eddy took detailed notes and even wrote dictations that were later attributed to Quimby in the "Quimby manuscripts." While some scholars argue she borrowed heavily from him, others contend she developed her own unique theories.

A pivotal moment in her life occurred on February 1, 1866. While living in Lynn, Massachusetts, Eddy slipped and fell on a patch of ice. She experienced intense emotional distress and required medical care, including morphine. Eddy later described this accident as a moment of spiritual revelation. She claimed that after rejecting medical treatments, she turned to the Bible. She believed that reading about Jesus healing the sick led to her full recovery. This event served as the foundation for what she called the discovery of Christian Science.

Eddy's relationship with Spiritualism remains a subject of historical discussion.

Some reports suggested she had acted as a medium in Boston and St. Louis. However, other biographers suggest she may have engaged with Spiritualism only to test its validity. For example, she once attempted to show a friend the flaws in the belief system by pretending to channel a deceased relative. While some view this as a deception, her followers often describe it as a way to guide people toward true spiritual understanding. Regardless of these experiences, she did not become a convinced believer in Spiritualism.

Mary Baker Eddy's legacy is recognized through various honors and lasting institutions.

In 1995, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Her writings continue to be studied, including her posthumously published collection titled Prose Works. The movement she started continues to influence how many people think about the relationship between faith and health. Her life serves as a significant example of how personal struggle can lead to the creation of new belief systems.