List of Christian Scientists (religious denomination)
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This list concerns the role that 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.
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[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 relative over-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 over-representation. 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 Scientists "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: Due to church policy there is no official counting of membership, The American Religious Identification Survey estimates that in 2001 there were 194,000 Christian Science adults out of an adult US population of nearly 208 million, This places Christian Science as less than .1% of the US adult population. As 4 current members of the US House of Representatives are Christian Scientists this makes them among small faiths that are greatly overrepresented. Other faiths in this situation are the Community of Christ and Church of the United Brethren in Christ, both of which are more overrepresented than Christian Science in the legislature by virtue of having any representation in it[18]. In other branches Christian Scientists are almost nonexistent as there has never been in the US Supreme Court, or US Vice Presidency. It is believed that outside the US Christian Scientists are rarer and almost non-existent in the politics of other nations.
Of possible interest is that the four Christian Scientists currently in the United States House of Representatives are members of the Republican Party. Many of them are in the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership. President Bush's cabinet also includes a Christian Scientist with the appointment of Henry Paulson.
[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.[19][20]
- Blanche Calloway - Cab Calloway's sister and a bandleader.[21][22]
- Carol Channing - Although she did see a Dr. Bill Cayhand in cases of more severe medical problems.[23].
- Joan Crawford - convert from Catholicism.[24][25][26]
- Doris Day - There is some evidence that she currently sees it solely as a philosophy, not a religion.[27][28]
- Colleen Dewhurst-Discussed in pages 368-374 of her unfinished autobiography.[29]
- Robert Duvall - Non-churchgoing, but as of 1998 he still counted it as his religion.[30][31]
- Georgia Engel[32]
- Horton Foote[33][34]
- Joyce Grenfell - Niece of Nancy Astor, also wrote music.[35]
- Corinne Griffith[36][37]
- Lionel Hampton - Jazz Musician [38]
- Howard Hawks - Film Director[39]
- Peter Horton - Actor[40]
- Leatrice Joy - Silent film star who retired to Greenwich, Connecticut, attending the church there for many years.
- Alexandra Kent - Ballet Dancer[41]
- Val Kilmer-He does Bible readings for a Church of Christ, Scientist congregation in New Mexico.[42][43][44]
- Kay Kyser - A Christian Science practitioner and active promoter.[45](The link has more detail, in the 1950-1985 section)
- Martin Melcher - Producer, third husband of Doris Day.[46]
- 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]
- J D Salinger- Joined it as well as various other faiths [59]
Note: Many of these actors or entertainers worked in the 1930s. The relevance of this is that in 1936 a "special census" of CS members, despite their religious views, was made[60] and this would give more accurate estimates of their percentage of the population than in most periods. According to that census the religion made up about 269,000 people while the US population in that year was around 128 million.[61]. This means they numbered about .21% of the US population in that year. The study does not specify the percentages in Hollywood or other cities.
[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 over-representation exists.
[edit] Academia
- David E. Sweet, founding president of Metropolitan State University and later president of Rhode Island College[1]
[edit] Artists
- James Butt - "A dedicated Christian Scientist, his sacred solos for high voice and organ are now performed in many churches."[62]
- Joseph Cornell - Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is said to have been very important to him and his art.[63]
- "Fougasse" the noted cartoonist taught at the Christian Science Sunday School in Sloane Square, London, UK, for a number of years.
- Mina Loy University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Modern Poetry bios
- Winifred Nicholson[64][65]
- The Parents of James Hetfield, the singer and guitar player of Metallica were Christian Scientists. His mother's death eventually was the inspiration for the song The God That Failed.
[edit] Athletes
- Adin Brown - US Soccer player[66]
- Doug Jenkins - race car driver[67]
- Nile Kinnick-American college football player and Heisman Trophy winner.[68]
- Shannon Miller - American gymnast[69])
- George Sisler - Baseball Player[70]
- Jim Bereolos - College football player University of Tulsa
- Sid Bream - Former baseball player for the Atlanta Braves.
[edit] Exploration, Invention, and Science
- Laurance Doyle-Researcher at SETI[71]
- Bette Nesmith Graham-[72]
- Alan Shepard-First American in space.ObitTime Magazine
[edit] Notable people raised in Christian Science
- Jean Arthur (raised in it)
- Jonathan Carroll - Raised in it by Jewish converts to it, but no longer practicing.[73]
- Hart Crane - Raised in the faith, but never very observant.[74]
- Christina Crawford - Mentioned in Mommie Dearest.
- Ellen DeGeneres - She was not vaccinated as a child and says she felt "Left out."[75]
- Daniel Ellsberg - His parents were Jewish converts to Christian Science.[76]
- Henry Fonda - Raised Christian Scientist, but drifted later in life.[77]
- William Everson - Christian Scientist parents who became a member of the Dominican Order for 18 years.[78]
- Stewart Farrar-Abandoned it in favor of agnosticism and then Neopaganism[79]
- 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[80]
- Ralph Giordano - German writer. His parents were members of the Christian Science Church. This fact is mentioned in Giordano's autobiographical novel "The Bertinis".
- Kelsey Grammer - Informally raised in it, but left it after his sister's murder.[81][82]
- Spalding Gray - Christian Science upbringing which he used for humor.[83][84]
- 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.[85]
- Ernest Hemingway - His mother was a practicing Christian Scientist.
- 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.[86]
- James Hetfield - Of Metallica, his The God that Failed is a response to it[87]
- Bruce Hornsby - Rock Musician [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 Steel - Mentioned in interviews.[95]
- Julian Steward - His mother was a devout convert.
- 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."[96]
- William Thetford - His parents were of it, but left when he was seven due to the death of their daughter.
[edit] Rumors about people's Christian Science faith
- 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.[97]
- 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[98]. There is little or no evidence to support this, although his upbringing may have encouraged lack of interest in seeing doctors, and in fact most sources indicate he withdrew from the religion long before his death.[99]
