Christian Science practitioner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Christian Science practitioner is an individual who devotes his or her time to the practice of healing through prayer according to the teachings of Christian Science. This usually takes the form of what is called Christian Science treatment, a systematized form of prayer involving the affirmation of absolute spiritual or metaphysical truth of the spiritual perfection of God, and of humans in God's image and likeness. Treatment relies on passages of the Bible and the Christian Science textbook Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, was thus in effect the first practitioner of Christian Science, but her third husband, Asa Gilbert Eddy, was the first to publicly advertise himself as such.
Practitioners historically advertised as a matter of practice in the Christian Science Journal, a listing conferred by the church organization, though not a mandatory one. To be listed in the Journal, the applicant must be a full-time practitioner and provide three cases where they healed their patient, including one wherein the patient was not a Chrisitan Scientist. These cases must be attested to by third parties. After intense lobbying by Christian Scientists, some insurance plans agreed to cover the cost of treatment received from a Christian Science practitioner listed in the Christian Science Journal. Payment for Christian Science treatment is considered a medical expense by the IRS.
