Thoughtful people over the centuries have searched for satisfying insight into such questions as "Where does evil come from? Why does God permit it?" Mary Baker Eddy struggled with these questions. And her constant turning to God led her to shift the inquiry. She was impelled to know does, not why. "Does God permit evil?" "Does evil have an origin?" This was a radical redirection, but her love of the Bible and her love for God just wouldn't let her be satisfied with dogmatic ways of thinking and searching. And she wanted something far beyond philosophical answers. She wanted practical answers. Healing answers. Her search led her to the discovery of Christian Science, and she recorded her findings in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
From the Office of the Publisher,
the Writings of Mary Baker Eddy
A friend once mentioned being startled at how many specific questions Mrs. Eddy asks in her book. He had discovered over five hundred of them. He wrote, "I knew that Mrs. Eddy most likely wanted us to answer these, so I set out to read the textbook not from chapter to chapter, or from paragraph to paragraph, but from question to question. I soon realized that I could not proceed to the next question until I had thoroughly answered or thought out for myself the current question I was pondering. Some answers came quickly. Some required a little more thought and examination. And yes, there were a few that took a couple of days of mental argument and listening. However, I persisted. ... Answering her questions, ... I have felt a closer relationship to both Science and Health and its author."
