I was seated at an interfaith dinner next to someone I didn’t know, who asked me to explain my religion, Christian Science, to her. She said she was unfamiliar with it and wanted to understand some of its basic ideas. After about ten minutes, she asked quite sincerely, “So then, do you ever get to see Tom Cruise?” Oh dear. I realized that when many people hear the words Christian Science, they process Scientology. I think it will help Christian Scientists, Scientologists, and those who perhaps don’t know much about either, to explain the distinction a little more clearly.
In trying to explain someone else’s religion, I turn to the Golden Rule for guidance. I want to treat others as I would like them to treat me. As a non-Scientologist, I can’t claim that I can talk about the faith fully, but my hope is to be fair and informative. We all benefit by learning about our similarities and differences.
Starting with the most obvious differences, Christian Science was founded in 1879 as a Christian denomination, by a woman—Mary Baker Eddy. Scientology was founded in 1953 as an independent religion, by a man—L. Ron Hubbard.
