As a Christian Scientist, more than once I’ve asked myself the question, What do I have in common with my neighbors who are not Christian Scientists? Surprisingly, the answer that comes to me is—Everything! Doesn’t he or she desire to love, to be loved, to find happiness, to feel safe, to have an active, purposeful life? Another question: Do our friends, acquaintances, and neighbors identify one another as non-Lutheran, non-Catholic, non-Presbyterian, or perhaps, as non-believers? Maybe. Do we ourselves ever identify others as non-Christian Scientists?
A question of more significance is: Does God define any of us by our religion?
Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, wrote: “God is universal; confined to no spot, defined by no dogma, appropriated by no sect. Not more to one than to all, is God demonstrable as divine Life, Truth, and Love; and His people are they that reflect Him—that reflect Love” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 150).
