Talk to someone battling illness or disease who's decided to turn away from medicine and pursue alternative forms of health care, and you'll likely hear something about the need to attend to "the whole person." Call it "spirit" or "soul," mental or spiritual well-being, but there's an insatiable yearning for wholeness that demands more than just physical treatment.
Studies show that even patients who stick with traditional medicine are asking questions about where faith fits into the picture. Some actually want their doctors to pray with them. In short, a growing number of people are seeking solutions that involve a marriage—or at least a relationship—between science and spirituality. Which raises the question: Can the two work together to restore wholeness, to afford people happier, healthier, more productive lives?
Mary Baker Eddy, a thought-pioneer of the 19th century, essentially asked the same question. And, in her book, Science and Health, she answered it in no uncertain terms. What she discovered—through her study of the Bible and Jesus' ministry—was that Science and Christianity naturally work hand in hand, although it's important to note that her concept of "science" transcends the traditional, matterbased definition. This is the Science of the Christ, a systematic, Spiritbased approach to healing that's demonstrable and practical because it's rooted in divine Principle.
