Q: Is Christian Science supposed to be completely different from other churches and beliefs? It seems to me that Pentecostal churches are on fire for God, Baptists are involved in the literal meaning of the Bible, and Christian Science is more intellectual. —A participant at the Portland, Oregon, Youth Spiritual Activist Summit
A: There are certainly a variety of ways in which Christian denominations differ in their worship of God. As you point out, the general perceptions of these differences are probably just as diverse; yet, there is a common thread that unites the efforts of Christians. It is the grand idea that Christ Jesus is the way to salvation. Rather than focusing on labels that divide, we can value the common ground that exists.
Whatever church an individual belongs to, it is a spiritual yearning that brings that person there. The fact that Jesus healed people wherever he went has set seekers throughout the ages to thinking about a sense of life that transcends material laws—a spiritual sense of life. Sometimes believers think that this spiritual sense will come to fruition only after they die and go to heaven—yet they still cherish the hope of its existence. Christian Science offers the idea that spiritual sense, with its Spirit-based view of God and man, is a present reality. Mary Baker Eddy writes, “The Principle and proof of Christianity are discerned by spiritual sense” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 210).
