What is a Christian Science Reading Room?  Does it have to do with Scientology?

Sincerely,
Looking At Libraries

Dear Looking At Libraries,

Christian Science is often confused with Scientology, but the two are different… both wrong, but different.  A Christian Science Reading Room is a building that the Christian Scientists maintain in varying communities, so people in that community can come and study their religion.

The Church of Christ, Scientist religion was founded in 1879 by a woman named Mary Baker Eddy.  Mrs. Eddy wrote a book called Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, and it became the centerpiece to her religious movement.  Christian Scientists are most famous for their stance that receiving medical care is a sin… utterly disregarding verses like 1 Tim 5:23.

The short summary is that Christian Scientists believe that all illnesses and diseases are a lie and can be healed by just thinking more faithfully.  This is a slight oversimplification, but it is the essence of their main doctrine.

Though this is the main problem with The Church of Christ, Scientist, other doctrinal errors include things like:

1. Teaching that the story of Adam and Eve is just an allegory.
2. Not partaking of the Lord’s Supper or teaching physical baptism for the remission of sins.
3. Teaching that it is impossible to understand the Bible without Mrs. Eddy’s book that we mentioned previously.
4. Teaching that heaven and hell aren’t physical places, just states of mind.