List of Christian Scientists (religious denomination)

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This list concerns the role members of the denomination called Church of Christ, Scientist had in world history. For a list about Christians who are also scientists go to List of Christian thinkers in science.

1 Nature of List
2 Politics and Entertainment
- 2.1 Political figures
- 2.2 Entertainment figures
3 Other fields
4 Notable people raised in Christian Science
5 Rumors about people's Christian Science faith
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Nature of List

The role the Church of Christ, Scientist played in certain fields at one time caused a good deal of attention. Primarily their representation in The Golden Age of Hollywood and in politics was the issue of debate. For a variety of reasons this attention was often negative and concerned real or alleged overrepresentation. The comparison with "Celebrity Scientologists" although misleading was intentionally invoked, perhaps, most recently in a 1999 article by Salon. For a less credible example a former member turned activist named Bonnie Burke wrote a very hostile letter about that role which she titled "Watergate and Christian Science" to the New York Press.(You have to scroll down some)

This list is primarily about documenting a historical phenomenon originating in American history, for good or ill. Although it can more simply be a source for those who wondered who was and wasn't Christian Scientist in history. For it to be useful as such you must cite a credible source to justify any addition and preferably say a sentence or two of why they belong.

[edit] Politics and Entertainment

[edit] Political figures

Nancy Witcher Astor In Sykes's Nancy the life of Lady Astor (Academy Chicago, 1984), and her own letters Nancy Astor’s Canadian Correspondence, 1912-1962 it mentions how much she promoted the religion. The effect it had on her election campaigns and her political views is mentioned in Karen J Musolf's From Plymouth to Parliament (St. Martin's Press, 1999)
Fred B. Balzar-[1]
Owen Brewster-[2][3]
Ralph Lawrence Carr-[4]
Thomas M. Davis-[5][6]
David Dreier-[7]
John Ehrlichman - Watergate Figure[8]
Bob Goodlatte-[9]
H.R. Haldeman-Watergate figure described as, in those days, A Christian Scientist who neither smokes nor drinks.Washington Post
Philip Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian-His death in 1940, which was when he was the British Ambassador to the United States of America, gained some attention due to his faith.Time Magazine obituary
Egil Krogh - Watergate FigureThe Atlantic Online
Scott McCallum-Milwaukee Sentinel mentioned how Wisconsin's Christian Scientist's "finally got their prayers answered" by his election.[10]
Henry Paulson-74th United States Secretary of the Treasury [11][12][13]
Charles H. Percy-[14]
Lamar S. Smith-Washington Post
Stansfield Turner - Admiral and former CIA Director[15]
William Hedgcock Webster-In the Salon article and NNDB.
John D. Works-An early, possibly the earliest, example of a Christian Scientist in the US Senate.[16][17]

Note: There is actual evidence Christian Scientists are overrepresented in the United States legislature. Adherents.com lists them as overrepresented by a factor of ten.[18]. However assuming that is credible, which it may not be due to the fact they do not put out membership statistics and certain credibility issues of the source, this should be put in perspective. They still represent less than 1% of the legislature even according to that source. In generalized US politics the Political Graveyard has fewer articles on Christian Scientist politicians than it does for almost any faith.[19] Further religions that represent less than .18% of the US population are automatically overrepresented in the legislature when they have any member in it. This is because there are 535 people in both houses and 1 in 535 is between .18 and .19%. For example that site lists the Community of Christ and Church of the United Brethren in Christ as far more overrepresented than Christian Science. Lastly a member of this denomination has never been in the US Supreme Court, US Vice Presidency, or been Head of Government in any other nation.

Of possible interest is that the five Christian Scientists currently in the United States House of Representatives are members of the Republican Party with three of the five being in the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership

[edit] Entertainment figures

Kenny L. Baker - A singer who also acted in musicals. He wrote hymns for the faith and later became a Christian Science practitioner.[20][21]
Blanche Calloway - Cab Calloway's sister and a bandleader.[22][23]
Carol Channing - Although she did see a Dr. Bill Cayhand in cases of more severe medical problems.[24].
Joan Crawford - convert from Catholicism.[25][26][27]
Doris Day - There is some evidence that she currently sees it solely as a philosophy, not a religion.[28][29]
Colleen Dewhurst-Discussed in pages 368-374 of her unfinished autobiography.[30]
Robert Duvall - Non-churchgoing, but as of 1998 he still counted it as his religion.[31][32]
Georgia Engel [33]
Horton Foote [34][35]
Joyce Grenfell - Niece of Nancy Astor, also wrote music.[36]
Corinne Griffith [37][38]
Lionel Hampton - Jazz Musician [39]
Howard Hawks - Film Director[40]
Peter Horton - Actor[41]
Leatrice Joy - Silent film star who retired to Greenwich, Connecticut, attending the chuch there for many years.
Alexandra Kent - Ballet Dancer[42]
Val Kilmer-He does Bible readings for a Church of Christ, Scientist congregation in New Mexico.[43][44][45]
Kay Kyser - A Christian Science practitioner and active promoter.[46](The link has more detail, in the 1950-1985 section)
Conrad Nagel - Actor[47]
Michael Nesmith-The Monkees [48]
Ginger Rogers - Christian Science beliefs and upbringing.[49][50][51]
Lilia Skala - Actress best known for playing the Mother Superior in Lilies of the Field, convert to the faith and mentioned it often.[52]
Jean Stapleton [53]
King Vidor [54]
Anna May Wong - However she also believed in reincarnation and there are disputed claims she embraced some Taoist principles.[55],[56]
Alfre Woodard [57]
Alan Young-He founded a broadcast division for the Christian Science church.[58]

Note: In the case of entertainment the uncertainty of the demographics is furthered by a lack of studies on the topic. Although Adherents.com recently did put out a table that states 20% of the entertainers the AFI picked in its "100 Years...100 Stars: Greatest Screen Legends" special were Christian Scientists.[59] The name of the list is in a sense misleading as there are only fifty entertainers on it, the other fifty places go to films each one did. In any event if Adherents.com's figures are true then the group is radically overrepresented, enough so that the Church of Christ, Scientist would be the third largest faith on the list. That said skepticism is warranted due to problems with the source hinted at earlier. In this case the figure appears to be counting anyone ever associated with this faith in any fashion whatsoever. Taking that caution into account the AFI list does include both Joan Crawford and Ginger Rogers [60]. As both of them were self-described members until death, as far as is known, this means the faith represented in least 4% of the names on the AFI list and 8% of the actresses in it.

Outside of that disputable source it seems possible that the Screen Actors Guild, or some entertainment industry study group, had some kind of "census" for entertainment in least at one time. A "special census" of CS members, despite their religious views, was made in 1936[61] and this would be in the period when in least a few of these celebrities were important. According to that census the religion made up about 269,000 people while the US population in that year was around 128 million.[62]. This means they numbered about .21% of the US population in that year. This is arguably the only year where a figure can be estimated with some level of accuracy. Most current estimates speculated that they represent a smaller percentage, possibly less than .1%, of the US at present. Figures for other nations are more difficult to find, but in most nations the percentage is presumed to be lower than in the US.

[edit] Other fields

Christian Scientists of note can be found in many other fields, including those where little or no discussion of real or alleged overrepresentation exists.

[edit] Artists

James Butt - "A dedicated Christian Scientist, his sacred solos for high voice and organ are now performed in many churches."[63]
Joseph Cornell - Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is said to have been very important to him and his art.[64]
Mina Loy University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Modern Poetry bios
Winifred Nicholson [65][66]
The Parents of James Hetfield, the singer and guitar player of Metallica were Christian Scientists.

[edit] Athletes

Adin Brown - US Soccer player[67]
Doug Jenkins - race car driver[68]
Nile Kinnick-American football player at a college level.[69]
Shannon Miller - American gymnast[70])
George Sisler - Baseball Player[71]
Jim Bereolos - College football player University of Tulsa

[edit] Exploration, Invention, and Science

Laurance Doyle-Researcher at SETI [72]
Bette Nesmith Graham-[73]
Alan Shepard-First American in space.Obit Time Magazine

[edit] Notable people raised in Christian Science

Jonathan Carroll - Raised in it by Jewish converts to it, but no longer practicing.[74]
Hart Crane - Raised in the faith, but never very observant.[75]
Christina Crawford - Mentioned in Mommie Dearest.
Ellen DeGeneres - She was not vaccinated as a child and says she felt "Left out."[76]
Daniel Ellsberg - His parents were Jewish converts to Christian Science.[77]
Henry Fonda - Raised Christian Scientist, but drifted later in life.[78]
William Everson - Christian Scientist parents who became a member of the Dominican Order for 18 years.[79]
Stewart Farrar-Abandoned it in favor of agnosticism and then Neopaganism [80]
Paul Feig - The creator of Freaks and Geeks, his Christian Science upbringing is mentioned in Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin[81]
Kelsey Grammer - Informally raised in it, but left it after his sister's murder.[82][83]
Spalding Gray - Christian Science upbringing which he used for humor.[84][85]
Keith Green - His Jewish mother was a practicing Christian Scientist. Source: No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green
Howard Hawks - registered as Christian Science and his mother was of that faith. He may have stayed active.[86]
Jim Henson - Detail in following section.
Audrey Hepburn-Her mother was a devout Christian Scientist, but she chose not be attached to any particular religion.[87]
James Hetfield - Of Metallica, his The God that Failed is a response to it[88]
Helmuth James Graf von Moltke - His parents were Christian Scientists.[89]
Marilyn Monroe - Her mother was obsessed with the faith, but was only minimally involved in her life due to mental illness.
V. S. Pritchett-His father was a Christian Scientist and he was raised in it, but later disparaging of it.[90]
Chris Shays - An active member for most of his life[91] [92], but no longer a practicing member.[93]
John Simpson - BBC Journalist[94]
Danielle Steele - Mentioned in interviews.[95]
Julian Steward - His mother was a devout convert.[96]
Elizabeth Taylor - Raised in it, but converted to Judaism on marrying Eddie Fisher. She remains Jewish to this day and jokes of herself as "a nice little Jewish girl."[97]
William Thetford - His parents were of it, but left when he was seven due to the death of their daughter.
Doreen Virtue - raised Christian Scientist, now writes for Hay House with no particular religious affiliations, although still has a strong faith.

[edit] Rumors about people's Christian Science faith

Albert Einstein-There are many rumors on the Internet that he gave Mary Baker Eddy the highest praise, mostly from CS sites[98], and often visited Christian Science Reading Rooms. That said the evidence for this is hearsay and there is no confirmed information to support this idea. Even the evidence of a passing interest is somewhat scant.
Jean Harlow - Legend had it that Harlow's mother, a possible follower of Christian Science, prevented doctors from attending to her dying daughter. This is a myth that has been extinguished as records prove Harlow received constant medical attention.(From her article) Further there is conflicting evidence about whether Harlow was even raised as a Christian Scientist or if her mother was an active member when her daughter died.[99]
Jim Henson-The rumor here isn't that he was a Christian Scientist per se. He actually was strongly of the faith until his 20s. The rumor being dealt with here though is the idea he stayed a devout member and that this is why he died young[100]. There is little or no evidence to support this, although his upbringing may have encouraged disinterest in seeing doctors, and in fact most sources indicate he withdrew from the religion long before his death.[101]