My first serious encounter with the writings of Mary Baker Eddy was when I was in my teens. I was full of fear—so much so that I couldn’t sleep, get myself to attend my college classes, or do the homework. Looking for help, I started reading Mrs. Eddy’s primary work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, more earnestly. I still remember saying to myself while reading: “Finally someone understands me!” Or at another point, “Yes—that’s exactly what’s been bothering me.” Or “Why didn’t I ever notice that?” Or “OK, I can do that.” I read all the way through Science and Health in a week, and it brought me peace. The fear disappeared with a better understanding of God, and I was able to go forward with my studies.
Others I know who have had a wide variety of healings while reading Mrs. Eddy’s writings along with the Bible also say that these books feel like friends. We take our questions to them. We turn to them for help if we aren’t feeling well. We find healing and answers there, and the answers come with such compassion and acknowledgment of who we really are as God’s loved children, that even corrections and demands feel like support.
So it’s not surprising if we become interested in the author of Science and Health herself and look for articles about her or biographies of her life.
