Jewish Science
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jewish Science, is a Judaic sect comparable with Mary Baker Eddy's Christian Science. It is an interpretation of Jewish philosophy that was originally conceived by Rabbi Alfred G. Moses in the early 1900s and elaborated upon in his 1916 book Jewish Science: Divine Healing in Judaism. The movement was institutionalized in 1922 with Rabbi Morris Lichtenstein's founding of the "Society of Jewish Science".
Jewish Science shares several principles with Christian Science, however it is intended to function as a counterweight to this Christian movement. It emphasizes the role of prayer and "Divine healing" as self help methods essential to a Jewish person's physical and spiritual health, but does not rule out the importance of medical intervention. Early on Jewish Science was denounced as "quackery" by members of Reform Judaism. Thanks to radio broadcasts on WMCA and the establishment of the Jewish Science Interpreter the sect attracted thousands of adherents, helping its rise to prominence in the Jewish community.
[edit] References
- A Look Back at 'Jewish Science' - Jenna Weissman Joselit, The Forward
- Jewish Science groups explore karma, reincarnation, Jewish News Weekly
- From Christian Science to Jewish Science - book, history of the sect; subscription required for full text.