Christian Science Reading Room
Encyclopedia
Church of Christ, Scientist
The Church of Christ, Scientist was founded in 1879 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, by Mary Baker Eddy. She was the author of the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Christian Science teaches that the "allness" of God denies the reality of sin, sickness, death, and the material world...
normally maintain a Christian Science Reading Room in their community where the public can study, borrow, or purchase Christian Science
Christian Science
Christian Science is a system of thought and practice derived from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible. It is practiced by members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist as well as some others who are nonmembers. Its central texts are the Bible and the Christian Science textbook,...
literature. There are approximately 2000 Christian Science Reading Rooms worldwide.
Such information includes the Christian Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is the central text of the Christian Science religion. It was written by Mary Baker Eddy, inspired by studies of the Bible she undertook in 1867 following a healing experience....
, other writings by Mary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science , a Protestant American system of religious thought and practice religion adopted by the Church of Christ, Scientist, and others...
(who established reading rooms as a church activity), and other items published by the Christian Science Publishing Society
Christian Science Publishing Society
The Christian Science Publishing Society was established in 1898 by Mary Baker Eddy and is the publishing arm of The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located, along with the Mary Baker Eddy Library, in the Publishing Society building at the Christian Science...
.
Reading rooms are usually placed in public places—often storefronts—though occasionally situated within a church building itself, open either full or part-time, and attended by either a regular librarian or by members to assist or answer inquiries.
The first Christian Science Reading Room was established in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1888. The Christian Science Journal proudly noted that it was in "one of the most eligible locations in Boston... in the Hotel Boylston, over the Steinert piano warehouses... where some of the best concerts are held." According to Paul Eli Ivey, "By the early twentieth century, Christian Science reading rooms began to appear in the business districts of cities and featured the Christian Science Monitor as well as religious literature."
In many parts of the U.S., Christian Science Reading Rooms are ubiquitous parts of the downtown landscape. A book by Kristin Hahn speaks of "Breezing by the Christian Science Reading Rooms prominently centered on main streets all across America." Novelists use them to characterize respectable-but-shabby commercial districts. A mystery novel by Loren D. Estleman characterizes the location of a detective office by putting it among a beauty school, a plumbing supply store, "a hearing-aid shop, [and] a Christian Science reading room next to a medical supply outlet." A fictional cop in a novel by Peter Plate steers a patrol car "past Siegal's Tuxedo Shop, Queen's Shoes, Discoteca Latina, The Eggroll Express, The Christian Science Reading Room, and Duc Loi's Meat and Fish Company." The Simpsons' fictional town of Springfield contains one. More seriously, a private school guide mentions that because a certain school adheres to the Christian Science philosophy, "parents should consider stopping in to a Christian Science Reading Room for more information to be sure that they are in sync with the approach."