NOTE:
This edition of the Church Manual--the
Eighty-eighth--was the last authorized editon by Mary Baker
Eddy
Manual
of The Mother Church
The
First Church of Christ
Scientist
In
Boston, Massachusetts
BY
MARY BAKER EDDY
EIGHTY-EIGHTH
EDITION
BOSTON,
U.S.A.
Published by Allison V.
Stewart
FALMOUTH AND ST. PAUL
STREETS
1910
COPYRIGHT,
1895
By CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
COPYRIGHT 1895, 1896,
1897, 1898, 1899, 1901
By JAMES A. NEAL and THOMAS W. HATTEN
COPYRIGHT, 1903, 1904,
1906, 1908
By MARY BAKER G. EDDY
PRINTED IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA
EXTRACT FROM A
LETTER IN "MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS"
By Mary Baker
Eddy
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THE Rules and By-Laws in the
Manual of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, originated not in
solemn conclave as in ancient Sanhedrim. They were not arbitrary opinions nor
dictatorial demands, such as one person might impose on another. They were
impelled by a power not one's own, were written at different dates, and as the
occasion required. They sprang from necessity, the logic of events, - from the
immediate demand for them as a help that must be supplied to maintain the
dignity and defense of our Cause; hence their simple, scientific basis, and
detail so requisite to demonstrate genuine Christian Science, and which will do
for the race what absolute doctrines destined for future generations might not
accomplish. |
|
Tenets
of The Mother
Church
The First
Church of Christ, Scientist*
To be signed by those uniting with The First
Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass.
[*From Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.]
1. As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired
Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life. 2. We
acknowledge and adore one supreme and infinite God. We acknowledge His Son, one
Christ; the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter; and man in God's image and
likeness. 3. We acknowledge God's forgiveness of sin in the destruction of
sin and the spiritual understanding that casts out evil as unreal. But the
belief in sin is punished so long as the belief lasts. 4. We acknowledge
Jesus' atonement as the evidence of divine, efficacious Love, unfolding man's
unity with God through Christ Jesus the Way-shower;
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and we acknowledge that man is saved through
Christ, through Truth, Life, and Love as demonstrated by the Galilean Prophet
in healing the sick and overcoming sin and death. 5. We acknowledge that the
crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection served to uplift faith to under-
stand eternal Life, even the allness of Soul, Spirit, and the nothingness of
matter 6. And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in
us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do
unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.
MARY BAKER EDDY
Page 17
Historical
Sketch
In the spring of 1879, a little band of earnest
seekers after Truth went into deliberations over forming a church without
creeds, to be called the CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST. They were members of
evangelical churches, and students of Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy in Christian
Science, and were known as "Christian Scientists."At a meeting of the Christian
Scientist Association, April 19, 1879, on motion of Mrs. Eddy, it was voted. To
organize a church designed to commemorate the word and works of our Master,
which should reinstate primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing.
Mrs. Eddy was appointed on the committee to draft the Tenets of the Mother
Church. The chief corner stone whereof is, that Christian Science, as taught
and demonstrated by our Master, casts out error, heals the sick, and restores
the lost Israel:
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for "the stone which the builders rejected, the
same is become the head of the corner." The charter for the Church was obtained
June, 1879,* and the same month the members, twenty-six in number, extended a
call to Mary Baker Eddy to become their pastor. She accepted the call, and was
ordained A. D. 1881. Although walking through deep waters, the little Church
went steadily on, increasing in numbers, and at every epoch saying, "Hitherto
hath the Lord helped us." On the twenty-third day of September, 1892, at the
request of Rev. Mary Baker Eddy, twelve of her students and Church members met
and reorganized, under her jurisdiction, the Christian Science Church and named
it, THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST. At this meeting twenty others of
Mrs. Eddy's students and members of her former Church were elected members of
this Church, -- those with others that have since been elected were known as
"First Members." The Church Tenets, Rules, and By- Laws, as prepared by Mrs.
Eddy, were adopted. A By-Law adopted March 17, 1903, changed the title of
"First Members" to "Executive Members." (On July 8, 1908, the By-Laws
pertaining to "Executive Members" were repealed.)
Page 19
THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, IN
BOS- TON, MASS., is designed to be built on the Rock, Christ; even the
understanding and demonstration of divine Truth, Life, and Love, healing and
saving the world from sin and death; thus to reflect in some degree the Church
Universal and Triumphant.
Page 20 ** No
page found ** |
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CHURCH OFFICERS
Rev. MARY
BAKER EDDY
Pastor
Emeritus
Christian Science Board of
Directors
IRA O. KNAPP
STEPHEN A. CHASE
ARCHIBALD McCLELLAN
ALLISON V. STEWART
JOHN V. DITTEMORE
WILLIAM D. BALDWIN
President
Judge CLIFFORD P. SMITH
First Reader
Conducts services and reads
from
the Christian Science
textbook,
"SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO
THE
SCRIPTURES" by Mary Baker Eddy
Mrs. CAROL HOYT POWERS
Second Reader
Reads from the SCRIPTURES
JOHN V. DITTEMORE
Clerk
The First Church of Christ,
Scientist, Falmouth, Norway,
and St. Paul Streets, Boston,
Mass.
STEPHEN A. CHASE
Treasurer
Box 56, Fall River,
Mass. |
|
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Church By-Laws
CHURCH
OFFICERS
Article I - NAMES,
ELECTION, AND DUTIES
Names. SECTION 1. The Church officers
shall consist of the Pastor Emeritus, a Board of Directors, a President, a
Clerk, a Treasurer, and two Readers.
President. SECTION 2. The President shall
be elected, subject to the approval of the Pastor Emeritus, by the Board of
Directors (1) on Monday preceding the annual meeting of the Church. The
President shall hold office for one year, and the same person is eligible for
election but once in three years.
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Clerk and Treasurer. SECTION 3. The term
of office for the Clerk and the Treasurer of this (1) See under "Deed of Trust"
for incorporation of the "Christian Science Board of Directors." Church (also
for the editors and the manager of The Christian Science Publishing Society,
and the manager of the general Committee on Publication in Boston) is one year
each, dating from the time of election to office. Incumbents who have served
one year or more, may be re-elected, or new officers elected, at the annual
meeting held for this purpose, by a unanimousvote of the Christian Science
Board of Direc- tors and the consent of the Pastor Emeritus given in her own
handwriting.
Readers. SECTION 4. Every third year
Readers shall be elected in The Mother Church by the Board of Directors, which
shall inform thePastor Emeritus of the names of its candidates before they are
elected; and if she objects, said candidates shall not be chosen. The Directors
shall fix the salaries of the Readers.
Directors. SECTION 5. The Christian
Science Board of Directors shall consist of five members. They shall fill a
vacancy occurring on that Board after the candidate is approved by the Pastor
Emeritus. A majority vote or the request of Mrs. Eddy shall dismiss a member.
Members shall neither report the discussions of this Board, nor those with Mrs.
Eddy.
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Church Business. SECTION 6. The business
of The Mother Church shall be transacted by its Christian Science Board of
Directors. The manager of the general Committee on Publication in the United
States shall order no special action to be taken by said Committee that is not
named in the Manual of this Church without consulting with the full Board of
Directors of The Mother Church and receiving the written consent of said
Board.
Publishing Buildings. SECTION 7. It shall
be the duty of the Christian Science Board of Di- rectors to provide a suitable
building for the publication of The Christian Science Journal,
Christian Science Sentinel, Der Herold der Christian Science, and all
other Christian Science literature published by The Christian Science
Publishing Society. It shall also be the duty of the Christian Science Board of
Directors to provide suitable rooms, conveniently and pleas- antly located in
the same building, for the publication and sale of the books of which Mary
Baker Eddy is, or may be, the author, and of other literature connected
therewith.
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Trusteeships and Syndicates. SECTION 8.
Boards of Trustees and Syndicates may be formed by The Mother Church, subject
to the approval of the Pastor Emeritus.
Duties of Church Officers. SECTION 9. Law
constitutes government, and disobedience to the laws of The Mother Church must
ultimate inannulling its Tenets and By-Laws. Without a proper system of
government and form of action, nations, individuals, and religion are
unprotected; hence the necessity of this By-Law and the warning of Holy Writ:
"That servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared nothimself, neither did
according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes." It is the duty of
the Christian Science Board of Directors to watch and make sure that the
officers of this Church perform the functions of their several offices promptly
and well. If an officer fails to fulfil all the obligations of his office, the
Board of Directors shall immediately call a meeting and notify this officer
either to resign his place or to perform his office faithfully; then failing to
do either, said officer shall be dismissed from this Church, and his dismissal
shall be written on the Church records.It is the duty of any member of this
Church, and especially of one who has been or who is the First Reader of a
church, to inform the Board of Directors of the failure of the Committee on
Publication or of any other officer in this Church to perform his of official
duties. A Director shall not make known the name of the complainant. If the
Christian Science Board of Directors fails to fulfil the requirements of this
By-Law, and a member of this Church or the Pastor Emeritus shall complain
thereof to the Clerk and the com- plaint be found valid, the Directors shall
resign their office or perform their functions faithfully. Failing to do thus,
the Pastor Emeritus shall ap- point five suitable members of this Church to
fill the vacancy. The salary of the members of the Board of Directors shall be
at present two thousand five hundred dollars each annually.
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Article
II - READERS OF THE MOTHER CHURCH
Election. SECTION 1. The
Readers for The Mother Church shall be a man and a woman, one to read the
BIBLE, and one to read SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE
SCRIPTURES.
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Eligibility. SECTION 2. The Directors
shall select intelligible Readers who are exemplary Christians and good English
scholars. They must be members of The Mother Church.
Removal. SECTION 3. If a Reader in The
Mother Church be found at any time inadequate or unworthy, he or she shall be
removed from office by a majority vote of the Board of Directors and the
consent of the Pastor Emeritus, and the vacancy supplied.
First Reader's Residence. SECTION 4.
Unless Mrs. Eddy requests otherwise, the First Reader of The Mother Church
shall occupy, during his term of Readership, the house of the Pastor Emeritus,
No. 385 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. The Board of Directors shall pay from the
Church funds the taxes and rent on this property; the Board shall attend to the
insur- ance before it expires, suitably furnish the house, and keep the
property in good repair, so long as Mrs. Eddy does not occupy the house herself
and the occupants are satisfactory to her.
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Article
III - DUTIES OF READERS OF THE MOTHER CHURCH AND OF ITS BRANCH
CHURCHES
Moral Obligations. SECTION l. The Readers
of The Mother Church and of all its branch churches must devote a suitable
portion of their time to preparation for the reading of the Sunday lesson, - a
lesson on which the prosperity of Christian Science largely depends. They must
keep themselves unspotted from the world, uncontaminated with evil, that the
mental atmosphere they exhale shall promote health and holiness, even that
spiritual animus so universally needed.
First Readers' Duties. SECTION 2. It
shall be the duty of the First Readers to conduct the principal part of the
Sunday services, and theWednesday evening meetings.
Suitable Selections. SECTION 3. The First
Readers shall read, as a part of the Wednesday evening services, selections
from the SCRIPTURES, and from SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE
SCRIPTURES.
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Order of Reading. SECTION 4. The First
Read- ers in the Christian Science churches shall readthe correlative texts in
SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES; and the Second Readers shall
read the BIBLE texts. The readings from the SCRIPTURES shall precede the
readings from SCIENCE AND HEALTH. The Readers shall not read from copies or
manuscripts, but from the books.
Naming Book and Author. SECTION 5. The
Readers of SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, before commencing to
read from this book, shall distinctly announce the full title of the book and
give the author's name. Such announcement shall be made but once during the
lesson.
Readers in Branch Churches. SECTION 6.
These Readers shall be members of The Mother Church. They shall read
understandingly and be well educated. They shall make no remarks explanatory of
the LESSON-SERMON at any time, but they shall read all notices and remarks that
may be printed in the CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY. This By-Law applies to
Readers in all the branch churches.
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Enforcement of By-Laws. SECTION 7. It
shall be the duty of every member of The Mother Church, who is a First Reader
in a Church of Christ, Scientist, to enforce the discipline and by-laws of the
church in which he is Reader.
A Reader not a Leader. SECTION 8. The
Church Reader shall not be a Leader, but he shall maintain the Tenets, Rules,
and discipline of the Church. A Reader shall not be a President of a
church.
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CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
Article
IV - QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP
Believe in Christian
Science. SECTION l. To become a member of The
Mother Church, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass., the
applicant must be a believer in the doctrines of Christian Science, according
to the platform and teaching contained in the Christian Science textbook,
SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, by Rev. Mary Baker Eddy. The
BIBLE, together with SCIENCE AND HEALTH and other works by Mrs. Eddy, shall be
his only textbooks for self-instruction in Christian Science, and for teaching
and practising metaphysical healing.
Free from Other Denominations. SECTION 2.
This Church will receive a member of another Church of Christ, Scientist, but
not a church member from a different denomination until that membership is
dissolved.
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Children when Twelve Years Old. SECTION
3. Children who have arrived at the age of twelve years, who are approved, and
whose applications are countersigned by one of Mrs. Eddy's loyal students, by a
Director, or by a student of the Board of Education, may be admitted to
membership with The Mother Church.
Article
V - APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP
Students of the
College. SECTION 1. Applications for membership with The Mother Churchfrom
students of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College who studied with Rev. Mary
Baker Eddy, shall be signed by the Christian Science Board of Directors as
evidence of the loyalty of the applicants.
Other Students. SECTION 2. Applicants for
membership who have not studied Christian Science with Rev. Mary Baker Eddy,
can unite with this Church only by approval from students of Mrs. Eddy, loyal
to the teachings of the textbook, SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE
SCRIPTURES, or from members of The Mother Church, as provided in Article VI,
Sect. 2, of these By-Laws.
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Students' Pupils. SECTION 3. Applications
for membership with The Mother Church, coming from pupils of loyal students who
have taken the Primary or Normal Course at the Massachusetts Metaphysical
College or in the Board of Education, or from pupils of those who have passed
an examination by the Board of Education, shall have the approval and signature
of their teachers, except in such cases as are provided for in Sect. 4 of this
Article.
Exceptional Cases. SECT. 4. Loyal
Christian Scientists whose teachers are deceased, absent, or disloyal, or those
whose teachers, for insufficient cause, refuse to endorse their applications
for membership with The Mother Church, - can apply to the Clerk of this Church,
and present to him a recommendation signed by three members thereof in good
standing, after which, the unanimous vote of the Board of Directors may admit
said applicant to membership.
Addressed to Clerk. SECTION 5. All
applica tions for membership must be addressed to the Clerk of the Church.
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Endorsing Applications. SECTION 6. A
member of The Mother Church shall not endorse nor countersign an application
for membership therewith until after the blank has been properly filled out by
an applicant. A member who violates this By-Law shall be disciplined.
Notice of Rejection. SECTION 7. If an
application for membership with The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in
Boston, Mass., is rejected, the Clerk of the Church shall send to the applicant
a notice of such rejection; but neither the Clerk nor the Church shall be
obliged to report the cause for rejection.
Article
VI - RECOMMENDATION AND ELECTION
Pupils of Normal Students. SECTION 1. One
Normal student cannot recommend the pupil of another Normal student, so long as
both are loyal to their Leader and to the Christian Science textbook, except as
provided for in Article V, Sect. 4.
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Members of The Mother Church. SECTION 2.
Only members of The Mother Church are qualified to approve for membership
individuals who are known to them to be Christians, and faithful, loyal
students of the textbook, SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES. If the
approver is not a loyal student of Mrs. Eddy, a Director of this Church, or a
student of the Board of Education who holds a degree, the application must be
countersigned by one of these.
Election. SECTION 3. Applicants for
membership in this Church, whose applications are correctly prepared, may be
elected by majority vote of the Christian Science Board of Directors at the
semi-annual meetings held for this purpose.
Article
VII -PROBATIONARY MEMBERSHIP
Members who once
Withdrew. SECTION 1. Individuals who have heretofore been members of
this Church, or were members of the Church of Christ, Scientist, organized in
1879 by Mary Baker Eddy, but who have voluntarily withdrawn, may be received
into this Church on one year's probation, provided they are willing and anxious
to live according to its requirements and make application for membership
according to its By-Laws. If, at the expiration of said one year, they are
found worthy, they shall be re- ceived into full membership, but if not found
worthy their applications shall be void.
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Members once Dismissed. SECTION 2. A full
member or a probationary member, who has been excommunicated once, and who
afterward, when sufficient time has elapsed thoroughly to test his sincerity,
gives due evidence of having genuinely repented and of being radically
reformed, shall be eligible to probationary mem- bership upon a unanimous vote
of the Christian Science Board of Directors.
Ineligible for Probation. SECTION 3. If a
member has been twice notified of his excommunication, he shall not again be
received into this Church.
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DISCIPLINE
Article
VIII -GUIDANCE OF MEMBERS
A Rule for Motives and Acts. SECTION 1.
Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts
of the members of The Mother Church. In Science, divine Love alone governs man;
and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking
sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness. The members of
this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from
prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced
erroneously.
To be Read in Church. SECTION 2. The
above Church Rule shall be read in The Mother Church and in the branch churches
by the First Reader on the first Sunday of each month. On Communion day the
Church Tenets are to be read.
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Christ Jesus the Ensample. SECTION 3. He
who dated the Christian era is the Ensample in Christian Science. Careless
comparison or irreverent reference to Christ Jesus is abnormal in a Christian
Scientist, and is prohibited. When it is necessary to show the great gulf
between Christian Science and theosophy, hypnotism, or spiritualism, do it, but
without hard words. The wise man saith, "A soft answer turneth away wrath."
However despitefully used and misrepresented by the churches or the press, in
return employ no violent invective, and do good unto your enemies when the
opportunity occurs. A de- parture from this rule disqualifies a member for
office in the Church or on the Board of Lectureship, and renders this member
liable to dis- cipline and, possibly, dismissal from The Mother Church.
Daily Prayer. SECTION 4. It shall be the
duty of every member of this Church to pray each day: "Thy kingdom come;" let
the reign of divine Truth, Life, and Love be established in me, and rule out of
me all sin; and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern
them!
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Prayer in
Church. SECTION 5. The prayers in Christian
Science churches shall be offered for the congregations collectively and
exclusively.
Alertness to Duty. SECTION 6. It shall be
the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against
aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty
to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. BY his works he shall be judged, and
justified or condemned.
One Christ. SECTION 7. In accordance with
the Christian Science textbooks, the BIBLE, and SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO
THE SCRIPTURES, and in accord with all of Mrs. Eddy's teachings, members of
this Church shall neither entertain a belief nor signify a belief in more than
one Christ, even that Christ whereof the Scripture beareth testimony.
No Malpractice. SECTION 8. Members will
not intentionally or knowingly mentally malpractise, inasmuch as Christian
Science can only be practised according to the Golden Rule: "All things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." (Matt.
7:12.)A member of The Mother Church who mentally malpractises upon or treats
our Leader or her staff without her or their consent shall be disciplined, and
a second offense as aforesaid shall cause the name of said member to be dropped
forever from The Mother Church.
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Formulas Forbidden. SECTION 9. No member
shall use written formulas, nor permit his
patients or pupils to use them, as auxiliaries to teaching Christian Science or
for healing the sick. Whatever is requisite for either is contained in the
books of the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. Sometimes she may
strengthen the faith by a written text as no one else can.
No Adulterating Christian Science.
SECTION 10. A member of this Church shall not publish profuse quotations from
Mary Baker Eddy's copyrighted works without her permission, and shall not
plagiarize her writings. This By-Law not only calls more serious attention to
the commandment of the Decalogue, but tends to pre- vent Christian Science from
being adulterated.
No Incorrect Literature. SECTION 11. A
member of this Church shall neither buy, sell, nor circulate Christian Science
literature which is not correct in its statement of the divine Principle and
rules and the demonstration of Christian Science. Also the spirit in which the
writer has written his literature shall be definitely considered. His writings
must show strict adherence to the Golden Rule, or his literature shall not be
adjudged Christian Science. A departure from the spirit or letter of this
By-Law involves schisms in our Church and the possible loss, for a time, of
Christian Science.
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Obnoxious Books. SECTION 12. A member of
this Church shall not patronize a publishing house or bookstore that has for
sale obnoxious books.
Per Capita Tax. SECTION 13. Every member
of The Mother Church shall pay annually a per capita tax of not less than one
dollar, which shall be forwarded each year to the Church Treasurer.
Church Periodicals. SECTION 14. It shall
be the privilege and duty of every member, who can afford it, to subscribe for
the periodicals which are the organs of this Church; and it shall be the duty
of the Directors to see that these periodicals are ably edited and kept abreast
of the times.
Church Organizations Ample. SECTION 15.
Members of this Church shall not unite with organizations which impede their
progress in Christian Science. God requires our whole heart, and he supplies
within the wide channels of The Mother Church dutiful and sufficient occupation
for all its members.
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Joining Another Society. SECTION 16. It
shall be the duty of the members of The Mother Church and of its branches to
promote peace on earth and good will toward men; but members of The Mother
Church shall not hereafter become members of other societies except those
specified in the Mother Church Manual, and they shall strive to promote the
welfare of all mankind by demonstrating the rules of divine Love.
Forbidden Membership. SECTION 17. A
member of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass., shall not be
a member of any church whose Readers are not Christian Scientists and members
of The Mother Church.
Officious Members. SECTION 18. A member
of The Mother Church is not entitled to hold office or read in branch churches
of this denomination except by invitation.
Legal Titles. SECTION 19. Students of
Christian Science must drop the titles of Reverend and Doctor, except those who
have received these titles under the laws of the State.
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Illegal Adoption. SECTION 20. No person
shall be a member of this Church who claims a spiritually adopted child or a
spiritually adopted hus- band or wife. There must be legal adoption and legal
marriage, which can be verified according to the laws of our land.
Use of Initials "C.S." SECTION 21. A
member of The Mother Church shall not place the initials "C.S." after his name
on circulars, cards, or leaflets, which advertise his business or profes- sion,
except as a Christian Science practitioner.
Practitioners and Patients. SECTION 22.
Members of this Church shall hold in sacred confidence all private
communications made to them by their patients; also such information as may
come to them by reason of their relation of practitioner to patient. A failure
to do this shall subject the offender to Church discipline. A member of The
Mother Church shall not, under pardonable circumstances, sue his patient for
recovery of payment for said member's practice, on penalty of discipline and
liability to have his name removed from membership. Also he shall reasonably
reduce his price in chronic cases of recovery, and in cases where he has not
effected a cure. A Christian Scientist is a humanitarian; he is benevolent,
forgiving, long-suffering, and seeks to overcome evil with good.
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Duty to Patients. SECTION 23. If a member
of this Church has a patient whom he does not heal, and whose case he cannot
fully diagnose, he may consult with an M. D. on the anatomy in- volved. And it
shall be the privilege of a Christian Scientist to confer with an M. D. on
Ontology, or the Science of being.
Testimonials. SECTION 24. "Glorify God in
your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (St. Paul). Testimony in regard
to the healing of the sick is highly important. More than a mere rehearsal of
blessings, it scales the pinnacle of praise and illustrates the demonstration
of Christ, "who healeth all thy diseases" (Psalm 103:3). This testimony,
however, shall not include a description of symptoms or of suffering, though
the generic name of the disease may be indicated. This By-Law applies to
testimonials which appear in the periodicals and to those which are given at
the Wednesday evening meeting.
Charity to All. SECTION 25. While members
of this Church do not believe in the doctrines of theosophy, hypnotism, or
spiritualism, they cherish no enmity toward those who do believe in such
doctrines, and will not harm them. But whenever God calls a member to bear
testimony to Truth and to defend the Cause of Christ, he shall do it with love
and without fear.
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Uncharitable Publications. SECTION 26. A
member of this Church shall not publish, nor cause to be published, an article
that is uncharitable or impertinent towards religion, medicine, the courts, or
the laws of our land.
The Golden Rule. SECTION 27. A member of
The Mother Church shall not haunt Mrs. Eddy's drive when she goes out,
continually stroll by her house, or make a summer resort near her for such a
purpose.
Numbering the People. SECTION 28.
Christian Scientists shall not report for publication the number of the members
of The Mother Church, nor that of the branch churches. According to the
Scripture they shall turn away from personality and numbering the people.
Our Church Edifices. SECTION 29. The
periodicals of our denomination do not publish descriptions of our church
edifices, but they may quote from other periodicals or give incidental
narratives.
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No Monopoly. SECTION 30. A Scientist
shall not endeavor to monopolize the healing work in any church or locality, to
the exclusion of others, but all who understand the teachings of Christian
Science are privileged to enter into this holy work, and "by their fruits ye
shall know them."
Christian Science Nurse. SECTION 31. A
member of The Mother Church who represents himself or herself as a Christian
Science nurse shall be one who has a demonstrable knowledge of Christian
Science practice, who thoroughly understands the practical wisdom necessary in
a sick room, and who can take proper care of the sick. The cards of such
persons may be inserted in The Christian Science Journal under rules
established by the publishers.
Article
IX - MARRIAGE AND DECEASE
A Legal Ceremony. SECTION 1. If a
Christian Scientist is to be married, the ceremony shall be performed by a
clergyman who is legally authorized.
Sudden Decease. SECTION 2. If a member of
The Mother Church shall decease suddenly, without previous injury or illness,
and the causethereof be unknown, an autopsy shall be made by qualified experts.
When it is possible the body of a female shall be prepared for burial by one
of her own sex.
Page 50
Article
X - DEBATING IN PUBLIC
No Unauthorized
Debating. SECTION 1. A member of this Church
shall not debate on Christian Science in public debating assemblies, without
the consent of the Board of Directors.
Article
XI -COMPLAINTS
Departure from
Tenets. SECTION 1. If a member of this Church
shall depart from the Tenets and be found having the name without the life of a
Christian Scientist, and another member in good standing shall from Christian
motives make this evident, a meeting of the Board of Directors shall be called,
and the offender's case shall be tried and said member exonerated, put on
probation, or excommunicated.
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Violation of By-Laws. SECTION 2. A member
who is found violating any of the By-Laws or Rules herein set forth, shall be
admonished in consonance with the Scriptural demand in Matthew 18:15-17; and if
he neglect to accept such admonition, he shall be placed on probation, or if he
repeat the offense, his name shall be dropped from the roll of Church
membership.
Violation of Christian Fellowship.
SECTION 3. Any member who shall unjustly aggrieve or vilify the Pastor Emeritus
or another member, or who does not live in Christian fellowship with members
who are in good and regular standing with this Church, shall either withdraw
from the Church or be excommunicated.
Preliminary Requirement. SECTION 4. No
church discipline shall ensue until the requirements according to the
Scriptures, in Matthew 18:15-17, have been strictly obeyed, unless a By-Law
governing the case provides for immediate action.
Authority. SECTION 5. The Christian
Science Board of Directors has power to discipline, place on probation, remove
from membership, or to excommunicate members of The Mother Church. Only the
members of this Board shall be present at meetings for the examination of com-
plaints against church members; and they alone shall vote on cases involving
The Mother Church discipline.
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Members in Mother Church Only. SECTION 6.
A complaint against a member of The Mother Church, if said member belongs to
no branchchurch and if this complaint is not for mental
malpractice, shall be laid before this Board, and within ten days
thereafter, the Clerk of the Church shall address a letter of inquiry to the
member complained of as to the validity of the charge. If a member is found
guilty of that whereof he is accused and his previous character has been good,
his confession of his error and evidence of his compliance with our Church
Rules shall be deemed sufficient by the Board for forgiveness for once, and the
Clerk of the Church shall immediately so inform him. But a second offense shall
dismiss a member from the Church.
Working Against the Cause. SECTION 7 . If
a member of this Church shall, mentally or other- wise, persist in working
against the interests of another member, or the interests of our Pastor
Emeritus and the accomplishment of what she understands is advantageous to this
Church and to the Cause of Christian Science, or shall influence others thus to
act, upon her complaint or the complaint of a member for her or for himself, it
shall be the duty of the Board of Directors immediately to call a meeting, and
drop forever the name of the member guilty of this offense from the roll of
Church membership.
No Unchristian Conduct. SECTION 8 . If a
member of this Church were to treat the author of our textbook disrespectfully
and cruelly, upon her complaint that member should be excommunicated. If a
member, without her having requested the information, shall trouble her on
subjects unnecessarily and without her consent, it shall be considered an
offense.
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Not to Learn Hypnotism. SECTION 9.
Members of this Church shall not learn hypnotism on penalty of being
excommunicated from this Church. No member shall enter a complaint of mental
malpractice for a sinister purpose. If the author of SCIENCE AND HEALTH shall
bear witness to the offense of mental malpractice, it shall be considered a
sufficient evidence thereof.
Publications Unjust. SECTION 10. If a
member of the Mother Church publishes, or causes to be published, an article
that is false or unjust, hence injurious, to Christian Science or to its
Leader, and if, upon complaint by another member, the Board of Directors finds
that the offense has been committed, the offender shall be suspended for not
less than three years from his or her office in this Church and from Church
membership.
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The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist,
Tenets. SECTION 11. If a member of The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist,
or a member of a branch of this Church break the rules of its Tenets as to
unjust and unmerciful conduct on complaint of Mrs. Eddy our Pastor Emeritus and
this complaint being found valid, his or her name shall be erased from The
Mother Church and the branch church's list of membership and the offender shall
not be received into The Mother Church or a branch church for twelve years.
Special Offense. SECTION 12. If a member
of this Church, either by word or work, represents falsely to or of the Leader
and Pastor Emeritus, said member shall immediately be disciplined, and a second
similar offense shall remove his or her name from membership in The Mother
Church.
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Members of Branch Churches. SECTION 13. A
member of both The Mother Church and a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, or a
Reader, shall not report nor send notices to The Mother Church, or to the
Pastor Emeritus, of errors of the members of their local church; but they shall
strive to overcome these errors. Each church shall separately and independently
discipline its own members, if this sad necessity occurs.
Article
XII -TEACHERS
Probation. SECTION 1. For sufficient
reasons it may be decided that a teacher has so strayed as not to be fit for
the work of a Reader in church or a teacher of Christian Science. Although
repentant and forgiven by the Church and retaining his membership, this weak
member shall not be counted loyal till after three years of exemplary
character. Then the Board of Directors may decide if his loyalty has been
proved by uniform maintenance of the life of a consistent, consecrated
Christian Scientist.
Misteaching. SECTION 2. If a member of
this Church is found trying to practise or to teach Christian Science contrary
to the statement thereof in its textbook, SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE
SCRIPTURES, it shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to admonish that
member according to Article XI, Sect. 4. Then, if said member persists in this
offense, his or her name shall be dropped from the roll of this
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MEETINGS
Article
XIII - REGULAR AND SPECIAL MEETINGS
Annual Meetings. SECTION 1. The regular
meetings of The Mother Church shall be held annually, on Monday following the
first Sunday in June. No other than its of officers are required to be present.
These assemblies shall be for listening to the reports of Treasurer, Clerk, and
Committees, and general reports from the Field.
Meetings of Board of Directors. SECTION
2. The annual meeting of the Christian Science Board of Directors, for electing
officers and other business, shall be held on Monday preceding the annual
meeting of the Church. Regular meetings for electing candidates to membership
with The Mother Church, and for the transaction of such other business as may
properly come before these meetings, shall be held on the Fri- day preceding
the first Sunday in June, and on the first Friday in November of each year.
Special meetings may be held at any time upon the call of the Clerk.
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Called only by the Clerk. SECTION 3.
Before calling a meeting of the members of this Church (excepting its regular
sessions) it shall be the duty of the Clerk to inform the Board of Directors
and the Pastor Emeritus of his intention, and to state definitely the purpose
for which the members are to convene. The Clerk must have the consent of this
Board and the Pastor Emeritus, before he can call said meeting.
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CHURCH SERVICES
Article
XIV - THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PASTOR
Ordination. SECTION 1. I, Mary Baker
Eddy, ordain the BIBLE, and SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES,
Pastor over The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in
Boston, Mass., and they will continue to preach for this Church and the
world.
The Lesson-Sermon. SECTION 2. The subject
of the Lesson-Sermon in the morning service of The Mother Church, and of the
branch Churches of Christ, Scientist, shall be repeated at the other services
on Sunday. The correlative Biblical texts in the Lesson-Sermon shall extend
from Genesis to Revelation.
Article
XV -READING IN PUBLIC
Announcing Author's
Name. SECTION 1. To pour into the ears of
listeners the sacred revelations of Christian Science indiscriminately, or
without characterizing their origin and thus distinguishing them from the
writings of authors who think at random on this subject, is to lose some weight
in the scale of right thinking. Therefore it is the duty of every member of
this Church, when publicly reading or quot- ing from the books or poems of our
Pastor Emeritus, first to announce the name of the author. Members shall also
instruct their pupils to adopt the aforenamed method for the benefit of our
Cause.
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Article
XVI -WELCOMING STRANGERS
The Leader's Welcome. SECTION 1. Mrs.
Eddy welcomes to her seats in the church, persons of all sects and
denominations who come to listen to the Sunday sermon and are not otherwise
provided with seats.
The Local Members' Welcome. SECTION 2. It
shall be the duty and privilege of the local members of The Mother Church to
give their seats, if necessary, to strangers who may come to attend the morning
services.
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Article
XVII -SERVICES UNINTERRUPTED
Continued Throughout the Year. SECTION 1.
The services of The Mother Church shall be continued twelve months each year.
One meeting on Sunday during the months of July and August is sufficient. A
Christian Scientist is not fatigued by prayer, by reading the Scriptures or the
Christian Science textbook. Amusement or idleness is weariness. Truth and Love
rest the weary and heavy laden.
Easter Observances. SECTION 2. In the
United States there shall be no special observances, festivities, nor gifts at
the Easter season by members of The Mother Church. Gratitude and love should
abide in every heart each day of all the years. Those sacred words of our
beloved Master, "Let the dead bury their dead," and "Follow thou me," appeal to
daily Christian endeavors for the living whereby to exemplify our risen
Lord.
Laying a Corner Stone. SECTION 3. No
large gathering of people nor display shall be allowed when laying the Corner
Stone of a Church of Christ, Scientist. Let the ceremony be devout. No special
trowel should be used. (See SCIENCE AND HEALTH, page 140.)
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Overflow Meetings. SECTION 4. A Church of
Christ, Scientist, shall not hold two or more Sunday services at the same hour.
Article
XVIII -COMMUNION
No more
Communion. SECTION 1. The Mother Church of
Christ, Scientist, shall observe no more Communion seasons.
Communion of Branch
Churches. SECTION 2. The Communion shall be
observed in the branch churches on the second Sunday in January and July of
each year, and at this service the Tenets of The Mother Church are to be
read.
Article
XIX - MUSIC IN THE CHURCH
Soloist and Organist. SECTION 1. The
music in The Mother Church shall not be operatic, but of an appropriate
religious character and of a recognized standard of musical excellence; it
shall be played in a dignified and suitable man- ner. Music from the organ
alone should continue about eight or nine minutes for the voluntary and six or
seven minutes for the postlude, the offertory conforming to the time required
to take the collection. The solo singer shall not neglect to sing any special
hymn selected by the Board of Directors.
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Article
XX - SUNDAY SCHOOL
The Sunday
School. SECTION 1. Pupils may be received in
the Sunday School classes of any Church of Christ, Scientist, up to the age of
twenty years, and by transfer from another Church of Christ, Scientist, up to
that age, but no pupil shall remain in the Sunday School of any Church of
Christ, Scientist, after reaching the age of twenty. None except the officers,
teachers, and pupils should attend the Sunday School exercises.
Teaching the Children. SECTION 2. The
Sabbath School children shall be taught the Scriptures, and they shall be
instructed according to their understanding or ability to grasp the simpler
meanings of the divine Principle that they are taught.
Subject for Lessons. SECTION 3. The first
lessons of the children should be the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 3-17), the
Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6: 9-13), and its Spiritual Interpretation by Mary Baker
Eddy, Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5: 3-12). The next lessons consist of such
questions and answers as are adapted to a juvenile class, and may be found in
the Christian Science Quarterly Lessons, read in Church services. The
instruction given by the children's teachers must not deviate from the absolute
Christian Science contained in their textbook.
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READING ROOMS
Article
XXI
Establishment. SECTION 1. Each
church of the Christian Science denomination shall have a Reading Room, though
two or more churches may unite in having Reading Rooms, provided these rooms
are well located.
Librarian. SECTION 2. The individuals who
take charge of the Reading Rooms of The Mother Church shall be elected by the
Christian Science Board of Directors, subject to the approval of Mary Baker
Eddy. He or she shall have no bad habits, shall have had experience in the
Field, shall be well educated, and a devout Christian Scientist.(1)
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Literature in Reading Rooms. SECTION 3.
The literature sold or exhibited in the reading rooms of Christian Science
Churches shall consist only of Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, and other writings by this author; also the
literature published or sold by The Christian Science Publishing Society.
RELATION AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS TO PASTOR EMERITUS
Article
XXII
The Title of Mother
Changed. SECTION 1. In the year eighteen
hundred and ninety-five, loyal Christian Scientists had given to the author of
their textbook, the Founder of Christian Science, the individual, endearing
term of Mother. At first Mrs. Eddy objected to being called thus, but afterward
consented on the ground that this appellative in the Church meant nothing more
than a tender term such as sister or brother. In the year nineteen hundred and
three and after, owing to the public misunderstanding of this name, it is the
duty of Christian Scientists to (1)See also Article XXV, Sect. 7. drop the word
mother and to substitute Leader, already used in our
periodicals.
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A Member not a Leader. SECTION 2. A
member of The First Church of Christ, Sci- entist, in Boston, Mass., shall not
be called Leader by members of this Church, when this term is used in
connection with Christian Science.
Obedience Required. SECTION 3. It shall
be the duty of the officers of this Church, of the editors of the Christian
Science Journal, Sentinel, and Der Herold, of the members of the
Committees on Publication, of the Trustees of The Christian Science Publishing
Society, and of the Board of Education promptly to comply with any written
order, signed by Mary Baker Eddy, which applies to their official functions.
Disobedience to this By-Law shall be sufficient cause for the removal of the
offending member from office. The vacancy shall be supplied by a majority vote
of the Christian Science Board of Directors, and the candidate shall be subject
to the approval of Mary Baker Eddy.
Understanding Communications. SECTION 4.
If the Clerk of this Church shall receive a copy of this fact before presenting
it to the Church and obtain a clear understanding of the matter, then act in
accordance therewith.
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Interpreting Communications. SECTION 5.
If at a meeting of this Church a doubt or disagreement shall arise among the
members as to the signification of the communications of the Pastor Emeritus to
them, before action is taken it shall be the duty of the Clerk to report to her
the vexed question and to await her explanation thereof.
Reading and Attesting Letters. SECTION 6.
When a letter or a message from the Pastor Emeritus is brought before a meeting
of this Church, or she is referred to as authority for business, it shall be
the duty of the Church to inquire if all of the letter has been read, and to
require all of it to be read; also to have any authority supposed to come from
her satisfactorily attested.
Unauthorized Reports. SECTION 7. Members
of this Church shall not report on authority an order from Mrs. Eddy that she
has not sent, either to the Boards or to the executive bodies of this Church.
The Pastor Emeritus is not to be consulted on cases of discipline, on the cases
of candidates for admission to this Church, or on the cases of those on trial
for dismissal from the Church.
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Private Communications. SECTION 8. A
strictly private communication from the Pastor Emeritus to a member of her
Church shall not be made public without her written consent.
Unauthorized Legal Action. SECTION 9. A
member of this Church shall not employ an attorney, nor take legal action on a
case not provided for in its By-Laws - if said case relates to the person or to
the property of Mary Baker Eddy - without having personally conferred with her
on said subject.
Duty to God. SECTION 10. Members of this
Church who turn their attention from the divine Principle of being to
personality, sending gifts, congratulatory despatches or letters to the Pastor
Emeritus on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, or Easter, break a rule of this
Church and are amenable therefor.
Opportunity for Serving the Leader.
SECTION 11. At the written request of the Pastor Emeritus, Mrs. Eddy, the Board
of Directors shall immediately notify a person who has been a member of this
Church at least three years to go in ten days to her, and it shall be the duty
of the member thus notified to remain with Mrs. Eddy three years consecutively.
A member who leaves her in less time without the Directors' consent or who
declines to obey this call to duty, upon Mrs. Eddy's complaint thereof shall be
excommunicated from The Mother Church. Members thus serving the Leader shall be
paid semi-annually at the rate of one thousand dollars yearly in addition to
rent and board. Those members whom she teaches the course in Divinity, and who
remain with her three consecutive years, receive the degree of the
Massachusetts Metaphysical College.
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Location. SECTION 12. Rev. Mary Baker
Eddy calls to her home or allows to visit or to locate therein only those
individuals whom she engages through the Christian Science Board of Directors
of the Mother Church. This By-Law takes effect on Dec. 15, 1908.
Agreement Required. SECTION l3. When the
Christian Science Board of Directors calls a student in accordance with Article
XXII, Sect. 11, of our Church Manual to the home of their Leader, Mrs. Eddy,
said student shall come under a signed agreement to remain with Mrs. Eddy if
she so desires, during the time specified in the Church Manual.
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Incomplete Term of Service. SECTION 14.
If a student who has been called to serve our Leader in accordance with Article
XXII, Sect. 11, of the Church Manual leaves her before the expira- tion of the
time therein mentioned such student shall pay to Mrs. Eddy whatsoever she may
charge for what she has taught him or her during the time of such service.
Help. SECTION 15. If the author of the
Christian Science textbook call on this Board for household help or a handmaid,
the Board shall immediately appoint a proper member of this Church therefor,
and the appointee shall go im- mediately in obedience to the call. "He that
loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.'' (Matt. 10:37.)
Students with Mrs. Eddy. SECTION 16.
Students employed by Mrs. Eddy at her home shall not take care of their
churches or attend to other affairs outside of her house.
Mrs. Eddy's Room. SECTION l7. The room in
The Mother Church formerly known as "Mother's Room" shall hereafter be closed
to visitors.
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Pastor Emeritus to be Consulted. SECTION
18. The Mother Church shall not make a church By- law, nor enter into a
business transaction with a Christian Scientist in the employ of Rev. Mary
Baker Eddy, without first consulting her on said subject and adhering strictly
to her advice thereon.
THE MOTHER CHURCH AND BRANCH CHURCHES
Article
XXIII
Local
Self-government. SECTION 1. The Mother Church
of Christ, Scientist, shall assume no general official control of other
churches, and it shall be controlled by none other. Each Church of Christ,
Scientist, shall have its own form of government. No conference of churches
shall be held, unless it be when our churches, located in the same State,
convene to confer on a statute of said State, or to confer harmoniously on
individual unity and action of the churches in said State.
Titles. SECTION 2. "The First Church of
Christ, Scientist," is the legal title of The Mother Church. Branch churches of
The Mother Church may take the title of First Church of Christ, Scientist;
Second Church of Christ, Scientist; and so on, where more than one church is
established in the same place; but the article "The" must not be used before
titles of branch churches, nor written on applications for membership in naming
such churches.
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Mother Church Unique. SECTION 3. In its
relation to other Christian Science churches, in its By-Laws and
self-government, The Mother Church stands alone; it occupies a position that no
other church can fill. Then for a branch church to assume such position would
be disastrous to Christian Science. Therefore, no Church of Christ, Scientist,
shall be considered loyal that has branch churches or adopts The Mother
Church's form of government, except in such cases as are specially allowed and
named in this Manual.
Tenets Copyrighted. SECTION 4. Branch
churches shall not write the Tenets of The Mother Church in their church books,
except they give the name of their author and her permission to publish them as
Tenets of The Mother Church, copyrighted in SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE
SCRIPTURES.
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Manual. SECTION 5. Branch churches shall
not adopt, print, nor publish the Manual of The Mother Church. See Article
XXXV, Sect. 1.
Organizing Churches. SECTION 6. A member
of this Church who obeys its By-Laws and is a loyal exemplary Christian
Scientist working in the Field, is eligible to form a church in conformity with
Sect. 7 of this Article, and to have church services conducted by reading the
SCRIPTURES and the Christian Science textbook. This church shall be
acknowledged publicly as a Church of Christ, Scientist. Upon proper
application, made in accordance with the rules of The Christian Science
Publishing Society, the serv- ices of such a church may be advertised in The
Christian Science Journal. The branch churches shall be individual, and not
more than two small churches shall consolidate under one church government. If
the Pastor Emeritus, Mrs. Eddy, should relinquish her place as the head or
Leader of The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, each branch church shall
continue its present form of government in consonance with The Mother Church
Manual.
Requirements for Organizing Branch
Churches. SECTION 7. A branch church of The First Church of Christ,
Scientist, Boston, Mass., shall not be organized with less than sixteen loyal
Christian Scientists, four of whom are members of The Mother Church. This
membership shall include at least one active practitioner whose card is
published in the list of practitioners in The Christian Science
Journal.
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Privilege of Members. SECTION 8. Members
in good standing with The Mother Church, who are members of the faculty,
instructors, or students organization.
No Close Communion. SECTION 9. The Mother
Church and the branch churches shall not confine their membership to the pupils
of one teacher.
No Interference. SECTION 10. A member of
The Mother Church may be a member of one branch Church of Christ, Scientist, or
of one Christian Science society holding public services, but he shall not be a
member of both a branch church and a society; neither shall he exercise
supervision or control over any other church. In Christian Science each branch
church shall be distinctly democratic in its government, and no individual, and
no other church shall interfere with its affairs.
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Teachers' and Practitioners' Offices.
SECTION 11. Teachers and practitioners of Christian Science shall not have
their offices or rooms in the branch churches, in the reading rooms, nor in
rooms connected therewith.
Recognition. SECTION 12. In order to be
eligible to a card in The Christian Science Journal, churches and
societies are required to acknowl- edge as such all other Christian Science
churches and societies advertised in said Journal, and to maintain
toward them an attitude of Christian fellowship.
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GUARDIANSHIP OF CHURCH FUNDS
Article
XXIV
Church Edifice a Testimonial. SECTION 1.
Whereas, on March 20, 1895, the Christian Science Board of Directors, in behalf
of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Mass., presented to Rev. Mary
Baker Eddy their church edifice as a Testimonial of this Church's love and
gratitude, and she, with grateful ac- knowledgments thereof, declined to
receive this munificent gift, she now understands the finan- cial situation
between the Christian Science Board of Directors and said Church to be as
follows:
Financial Situation. SECTION 2. The
Christian Science Board of Directors owns the church edifices, with the land
whereon they stand, legally; and the Church members own the aforesaid premises
and buildings, beneficially. After the first church was built, the balance of
the building funds, which remained in the hands of the Directors, belonged to
the Church, and not solely to the Directors. The balance of the church building
funds, which can be spared after the debts are paid, should remain on safe
deposit, to be hereafter used for the benefit of this Church, as the right
occasion may call for it. The following indicates the proper management of the
Church funds:
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Report of Directors. SECTION 3. It shall
be the duty of the Christian Science Board of Directors to have the books of
the Church Treas- urer audited semi-annually, and to report at the annual
Church meeting the amount of funds which the Church has on hand, the amount of
its indebtedness and of its expenditures for the last year.
Finance Committee. SECTION 4. There
shall be a Committee on Finance, which shall consist of three members of this
Church in good standing. Its members shall be appointed annually by the
Christian Science Board of Directors and with the consent of the Pastor
Emeritus. They shall hold quarterly meetings and keep themselves thoroughly
informed as to the real estate owned by this Church and the amount of funds
received by the Treasurer of The Mother Church, who is individually responsible
for said funds. They shall have the books of the Christian Science Board of
Directors and the books of the Church Treasurer audited annually by an honest,
competent accountant. The books are to be audited on May first. Treasurer of
this Church shall submit them all to said committee for examination. This
committee shall decide thereupon by a unanimous Prior to paying bills against
the Church, the vote, and its endorsement of the bills shall render them
payable. If it be found that the Church funds have not been properly managed,
it shall be the duty of the Board of Directors and the Treasurer to be
individually responsible for the performance of their several offices
satisfactorily, and for the proper distribution of the funds of which they are
the custodians.
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God's Requirement. SECTION 5. God
requires wisdom, economy, and brotherly love to characterize all the
proceedings of the members of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ,
Scientist.
Provision for the Future. SECTION 6. In
case of any possible future deviation from duty, the Committee on Finance shall
visit the Board of Directors, and, in a Christian spirit and manner, demand
that each member thereof comply with the By-Laws of the Church. If any Director
fails to heed this admonition, he may be dis missed from office and the vacancy
supplied by the Board.
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Debt and Duty. SECTION 7. The Mother
Church shall not be made legally responsible for the debts of individuals
except such debts as are specified in its By-Laws. Donations from this Church
shall not be made without the written consent of the Pastor Emeritus. Also
important move- ments of the manager of the Committee on Publication shall be
sanctioned by the Board of Directors and be subject to the approval of Mary
Baker Eddy. (See Article I, Sect. 6.)
Emergencies. SECTION 8. The Treasurer,
personally, or through the Clerk of the Church, may pay from the funds of the
Church bills of immediate necessity not exceeding $200 for any one transaction,
and he may keep on deposit the sum of $500 with the Clerk, as a petty cash
fund, to be used by him for the payment of such bills. Such payments shall be
reported, on the first of the following month, to the Board of Directors and
the Committee on Finance, for their approval.
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Committee on Business. SECTION 9. The
Christian Science Board of Directors shall elect annually a Committee on
Business, which shall consist of not less than three loyal members of The
Mother Church, who shall transact promptly and efficiently such business as
Mrs. Eddy, the Directors, or the Committee on Publication shall commit to it.
While the mem- bers of this Committee are engaged in the transaction of the
business assigned to them they shall be paid from the Church funds. Before
being eligible for office the names of the persons nominated for said office
shall be presented to Mrs. Eddy for her written approval.
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY
Article
XXV
Board of Trustees. SECTION 1. The Board
of Trustees, constituted by a Deed of Trust given by Rev. Mary Baker Eddy, the
Pastor Emeritus of this Church, on January twentyfifth, 1898, shall hold and
manage the property therein conveyed, and conduct the business of "The
Christian Science Publishing Society" on a strictly Christian basis, for the
promotion of the interests of Christian Science.
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Disposal of Funds. SECTION 2. The net
profits of the business shall be paid over semi-annually to the Treasurer of
The Mother Church. He shall hold this money subject to the order of the
Christian Science Board of Directors, which is authorized to order its
disposition only in accordance with the By-Laws contained in this Manual.
Vacancies in Trusteeship. SECTION 3. The
Christian Science Board of Directors shall have the power to declare vacancies
in said trusteeship, for such reasons as to the Board may seem expedient.
Whenever a vacancy shall occur, the Pastor Emeritus reserves the right to fill
the same by appointment; but if she does not elect to exercise this right, the
remaining trustees shall fill the vacancy, subject to her approval.
Editors and Manager. SECTION 4. The term
of office for the editors and the manager of The Christian Science Publishing
Society is one year each, dating from the time of election to the office.
Incumbents who have served one year or more can be re-elected, or new officers
elected, by a unanimous vote of the Christian Science Board of Directors, and
the consent of the Pastor Emeritus given in her own handwriting.
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Suitable Employees. SECT. 5. A person who
is not accepted by the Pastor Emeritus and the Christian Science Board of
Directors as suitable, shall in no manner be connected with publishing her
books, nor with editing or publishing The Christian Science Journal,
Christian Science Sentinel, Der Herold der Christian Science, nor with The
Christian Science Publishing Society.
Periodicals. SECTION 6. Periodicals which
shall at any time be published by The Christian Science Publishing Society,
shall be copyrighted and conducted according to the provisions in the Deed of
Trust relating to The Christian Science Journal.
Rule of Conduct. SECTION 7. No
objectionable pictures shall be exhibited in the rooms where the Christian
Science textbook is published or sold. No idle gossip, no slander, no
mischief-making, no evil speaking shall be allowed.
Books to be Published. SECTION 8. Only
the Publishing Society of The Mother Church selects, approves, and publishes
the books and literature it sends forth. If Mary Baker Eddy disap- proves of
certain books or literature, the Society will not publish them. The Committees
on Publication are in no manner connected with these functions. A book or an
article of which Mrs. Eddy is the author shall not be published nor republished
by this Society without her knowledge or written consent.
Page 82
Removal of Cards. SECTION 9. No cards
shall be removed from our periodicals without the request of the advertiser,
except by a majority vote of the Christian Science Board of Directors at a
meeting held for this purpose or for the examination of complaints. Members of
this Church who practise other professions or pursue other vocations, shall not
advertise as healers, excepting those members who are officially engaged in the
work of Christian Science, and they must devote ample time for faithful
practice.
Page 83
TEACHING CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
Article
XXVI - TEACHERS
Motive in Teaching. SECTION 1. Teaching
Christian Science shall not be a question of money, but of morals and religion,
healing and uplifting the race.
Care of Pupils. SECTION 2. Christian
Scientists who are teachers shall carefully select for pupils such only as have
good past records and promising proclivities toward Christian Science. A
teacher shall not assume personal control of, or attempt to dominate his
pupils, but he shall hold himself morally obligated to promote their prog- ress
in the understanding of divine Principle, not only during the class term but
after it, and to watch well that they prove sound in sentiment and practical in
Christian Science. He shall persistently and patiently counsel his pupils in
conformity with the unerring laws of God, and shall enjoin them habitually to
study the Scriptures and SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES as a
help thereto.
Page 84
Defense against Malpractice. SECTION 3.
Teachers shall instruct their pupils how to de- fend themselves against mental
malpractice, never to return evil for evil, but to know the truth that makes
free, and thus to be a law, not unto others, but to themselves.
Number of Pupils. SECTION 4. The teachers
of Christian Science shall teach but one class yearly, which class shall
consist of not more than thirty pupils. After 1907, the Board of Education
shall have one class triennially, a Normal class not exceeding thirty pupils.
Pupil's Tuition. SECTION 5. A student's
price for teaching Christian Science shall not exceed $100.00 per pupil.
Associations. SECTION 6. The associations
of the pupils of loyal teachers shall convene annually. The pupils shall be
guided by the BIBLE, and SCIENCE AND HEALTH, not by their teachers personal
views. Teachers shall not call their pupils together, or assemble a selected
number of them, for more frequent meetings.
A Single Field of Labor. SECTION 7. A
loyal teacher of Christian Science shall not teach another loyal teacher's
pupil, except it be in the Board of Education. Outside of this Board each
student occupies only his own field of labor. Pupils may visit each other's
churches, and by invitation attend each other's associations.
Page 85
Caring for Pupils of Strayed Members.
SECTION 8. A loyal teacher of Christian Science may teach and receive into his
association the pupils of another member of this Church who has so strayed as
justly to be deemed, under the provisions of Article XII, Sect. 1, not ready to
lead his pupils.
Teachers must have Certificates. SECTION
9. A member of this Church shall not teach pupils Christian Science unless he
has a certificate to show that he has been taught by Mrs. Eddy or has taken a
Normal Course at the Massachusetts Metaphysical College or in the Board of
Education. Such members who have not been continuously active and loyal
Christian Scientists since receiving instruction as above, shall not teach
Christian Science without the approval of The Christian Science Board of
Directors.
Page 86
Article
XXVII - PUPILS
Authorized to Teach. SECTION 1. After a
student's pupil has been duly authorized to be a teacher of Christian Science,
or has been under the personal instruction of Mrs. Eddy, he is no longer under
the jurisdiction of his former teacher.
Without Teachers. SECTION 2. Those
beloved brethren whose teacher has left them, can elect an experienced
Christian Scientist, who is not in charge of an association of students and who
is ready for this high calling, to conduct the meetings of their
association.
Basis for Teaching. SECTION 3. The
teachers of the Normal class shall teach from the chapter Recapitulation in
SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, and from the Christian Science
Platform, beginning on page 330 of the revised editions since 1902, and they
shall teach nothing contrary thereto. The teachers of the Primary class shall
instruct their pupils from the said chapter on "Recapitulation" only.
Page 87
Church Membership. SECTION 4. Neither the
Pastor Emeritus nor a member of this Church shall teach Roman Catholics
Christian Science, except it be with the written consent of the authority of
their Church. Choice of patients is left to the wisdom of the practitioner and
Mrs. Eddy is not to be consulted on this subject.
Class Teaching. SECTION 5. Members of The
Mother Church who are authorized by its By-Laws to teach Christian Science,
shall not solicit, or cause or permit others to solicit, pupils for their
classes. No member of this Church shall advise against class instruction.
Teachers of Christian Science must have the
necessary moral and spiritual qualifications to elucidate the Principle and
rule of Christian Science, through the higher meaning of the Scriptures. "The
less the teacher personally controls other minds, and the more he trusts them
to the divine Truth and Love, the better it will be for both teacher and
student." (Retrospection and Introspection, page 84.)
Page 88
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Article
XXVIII -ORGANIZATION
Officers. SECTION 1. There
shall be a Board of Education, under the auspices of Mary Baker Eddy, President
of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, consisting of three members, a
president, vice-president, and teacher of Christian Science. Obstetrics will
not be taught.
Election. SECTION 2. The vice-president
shall be elected annually by the Christian Science Board of Directors.
Beginning with 1907, the teacher shall be elected every third year by said
Board, and the candidate shall be subject to the approval of the Pastor
Emeritus.
President not to be Consulted. SECTION 3.
The President is not to be consulted by students on the question of applying
for admission to this Board nor on their course or conduct. The students can
confer with their teachers on subjects essential to their progress.
Page 89
Presidency of College. SECTION 4. Should
the President resign over her own signature or vacate her office of President
of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, a meeting of the Christian Science
Board of Directors shall immediately be called, and the vice-president of the
Board of Education being found worthy, on receiving her approval shall be
elected to fill the vacancy.
Article
XXIX -APPLICANTS AND GRADUATES
Normal
Teachers.. SECTION 1. Loyal students who have
been taught in a Primary class by Mrs. Eddy and have practised Christian
Science healing acceptably three years, and who present such credentials as are
required to verify this fact, are eligible to receive the degree of C.S.D.
Qualifications. SECTION 2. Loyal
Christian Scientists' pupils who so desire may apply to the Board of Education
for instruction; and if they have practised Christian Science healing success-
fully three years and will furnish evidence of their eligibility therefor, they
are eligible to enter the Normal class. All members of this class must be
thorough English scholars.
Page 90
Certificates. SECTION 3. Students are
examined and given certificates by this Board if found qualified to receive
them.
Article
XXX - ACTION OF THE BOARD
Sessions. SECTION 1 . The term
of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College will open with the Board of Education
on the first Wednesday of December. The sessions will continue not over one
week. None but the teacher and members of the College class shall be present at
the sessions, and no Primary classes shall be taught under the auspices of this
Board.
Special Instruction. SECTION 2. Not less
than two thorough lessons by a well qualified teacher shall be given to each
Normal class on the subject of mental practice and malpractice. One
student in the class shall prepare a paper on said subject that shall be read
to the class, thoroughly discussed, and understood; this paper shall be given
to the teacher, and he shall not allow it or a copy of it to remain, but shall
destroy this paper.
Page 91
Signatures. SECTION 3. The signature of
the teacher and of the President of the College shall be on all certificates
issued.
Remuneration and Free Scholarship.
SECTION 4. Tuition of class instruction in the Board of Education shall be
$100.00. The bearer of a card of free scholarship from the President, Rev. Mary
Baker Eddy, shall be entitled to a free course in this department on
presentation of the card to the teacher. Only the President gives free
admission to classes.
Surplus Funds. SECTION 5. Any surplus
funds left in the hands of the Board of Education shall be paid over annually
to the Treasurer of The Mother Church.
Primary Students. SECTION 6. Students of
Christian Science, duly instructed therein and with good moral records, not
having the certificate of C.S.D. may enter the Normal class in the Board of
Education, which will be held once in three years beginning A. D. 1907;
provided their diplomas are for three consecutive years under Mrs. Eddy's daily
conversation on Christian Science, or from the Massachusetts Meta-physical
College Board of Education.
Page 92
Healing Better than Teaching. SECTION 7.
Healing the sick and the sinner with Truth dem- onstrates what we affirm of
Christian Science, and nothing can substitute this demonstration. I recommend
that each member of this Church shall strive to demonstrate by his or her
practice, that Christian Science heals the sick quickly and wholly, thus
proving this Science to be all that we claim for it. If both husband and wife
are found duly qualified to teach Christian Science, either one, not both,
should teach yearly one class.
Not Members of The Mother Church. SECTION
8. No person shall receive instructions in Christian Science in any class in
the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, nor receive the degree of C.S.B. or
C.S.D., who is not a member of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in
Boston, Mass. Only those persons who are members of this Church and possessed
of the qualifications named in Sect. 9 of Article XXVI of these By-Laws shall
be deemed loyal teachers of Christian Science.
Page 93
BOARD OF LECTURESHIP
Article
XXXI - ORGANIZATION AND DUTIES
Election. SECTION 1. This Church shall
maintain a Board of Lectureship, the members of which shall be elected annually
on Monday preceding the Annual Meeting, subject to the approval of the Pastor
Emeritus. The lecture year shall begin July 1 of each year.
Duty of Lecturers. SECTION 2. It is the
duty of the Board of Lectureship to include in each lecture a true and just
reply to public topics condemning Christian Science, and to bear testimony to
the facts pertaining to the life of the Pastor Emeritus. Each member shall mail
to the Clerk of this Church copies of his lectures before delivering them.
No Disruption of Branch Churches. SECTION
3. The Board of Lectureship is not allowed in anywise to meddle with nor to
disrupt the organization of branch churches. The lecturer can invite churches
within the city whither he is called to unite in their attendance on his
lecture, and so make for their churches a less lecture fee; but the churches
shall decide their action.
Page 94
Receptions. SECTION 4. As a rule there
should be no receptions nor festivities after a lecture on Christian Science,
but there may occur excep- tions. If there be an individual who goes to hear
and deride truth, he should go away contemplat- ing truth; and he who goes to
seek truth should have the opportunity to depart in quiet thought on
that subject.
Circuit Lecturer. SECTION 5. Upon the
written request of Mrs. Eddy, The Mother Church shall appoint a Circuit
Lecturer. His term of office, if approved, shall not be less than three years.
He shall lecture in the United States, in Canada, in Great Britain and Ireland.
A member shall neither resign nor transfer this sacred office.
Page 95
Article
XXXII - CALLS FOR LECTURES
The Directors. SECTION 1. When the need
is apparent, the Christian Science Board of Directors of The Mother Church may
call on any member of this Board of Lectureship to lecture at such places and
at such times as the cause of Christian Science demands.
From Branch Churches. SECTION 2. The
branch Churches of Christ, Scientist, may apply through their clerks to a
member of this Board of Lectureship for a speaker, and one shall be assigned
them by the Board.
From Societies. SECTION 3. If called for,
a member of the Board may lecture for a Society.
Annual Lectures. SECTION 4. The Mother
Church and the branch churches shall call on the Board of Lectureship annually
for one or more lectures.
No Lectures by Readers. SECTION 5. No
lecture shall be given by a Reader during his term of Readership. The duties
alone of a Reader are ample.
Page 96
No Wednesday Evening Lectures. SECTION 6.
The Board of Lectureship shall not appoint a lecture for Wednesday evening.
Lecture Fee. SECTION 7. The lecture fee
shall be left to the discretion of the lecturer.
Expenses. SECTION 8. The lecturer's
traveling expenses and the cost of hall shall be paid by the church that
employs him.
Exceptional Cases. SECTION 9. If a
lecturer receive a call to lecture in a place where he sees there is special
need, and the local church is unable to meet the expense, he is at liberty to
supply that need and trust to contributions for his fee.
Page 97
COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION
Article
XXXIII
In The Mother Church. SECTION 1. There
shall be appointed by The Mother Church a Committee on Publication, which shall
consist of one loyal Christian Scientist who lives in Boston, and he shall be
manager of the Committees on Publication throughout the United States, Canada,
Great Britain and Ireland. He shall be elected annually by a unanimous vote of
the Christian Science Board of Directors and the consent of the Pastor Emeritus
given in her own handwriting, and shall receive an annual salary, paid
quarterly, of not less than four thousand dollars.
Duties. SECTION 2. It shall be the duty
of the Committee on Publication to correct in a Christian manner impositions on
the public in regard to Christian Science, injustices done Mrs. Eddy or members
of this Church by the daily press, by periodicals or circulated literature of
any sort. This Committee on Publication shall be responsible for correcting or
having corrected a false newspaper article which has not been replied to by
other Scientists, or which has been forwarded to this Committee for the purpose
of having him reply to it. If the correction by the Committee on Publication is
not promptly published by the periodical in which it is desirable that this
cor- rection shall appear, this Committee shall immediately apply for aid to
the Committee on Business. Furthermore, the Committee on Pub- lication shall
read the last proof sheet of such an article and see that it is
published according to copy; he shall circulate in large quantities the papers
containing such an article, sending a copy to the Clerk of the Church. It shall
also be the duty of the Committee on Publication to have published each year in
a leading Boston newspaper the letter sent to the Pastor Emeritus by the Church
members in annual meeting as- sembled. The State Committees on Publication act
under the direction of this Committee on Publication.
Page 98
In Branch Churches. SECTION 3. The
Readers of the three largest branch churches in each State of the United States
and in Canada shall annually and alternately appoint a Committee on Publication
to serve in their localities. For the pur- poses of this By-Law, the State of
California shall be considered as though it were two States, the dividing line
being the 36th parallel of latitude. Each county of Great Britain and Ireland,
except as hereinafter specified, through the Readers of its three largest
branch churches, shall annually and alternately appoint a Committee on
Publication to serve in its locality. Each church is not necessarily confined
to its own members in select- ing this Committee, but if preferred, can appoint
a Committee on Publication who is in good fellowship with another Church of
Christ, Scientist. This By-Law applies to all States except Massachusetts, in
which the Committee on Publication is elected only by the Christian Science
Board of Directors. The Committee for the counties in which London, England, is
situated shall be appointed by the Christian Science Board of Directors, and he
shall, in addition to his other duties, act as District Manager of the
Committees on Publication for Great Britain and Ireland.
Page 99
Appointment. SECTION 4. The Committees on
Publication shall consist of men generally. Each State Committee shall be
appointed by the First and Second Readers of the church employing said
Committee. If prior to the meeting of the church for the election of officers,
Mrs. Eddy shall send to the First Reader of the church the name of a candidate
for its Committee on Publi cation, the Readers shall appoint said candidate. Or
if she shall send a special request to any Committee on Publication, the
request shall be carried out according to her directions.
Page 100
Removal from Office. SECTION 5. If the
Committee on Publication neglects to fulfil the obligations of his office
according to these By-Laws, and this becomes apparent to the Christian Science
Board of Directors, it shall be the duty of the Directors immediately to act
upon this important matter in accordance with said By-Laws. The Christian
Science Board of Directors may notify any Church of Christ, Scientist, to
remove its Committee on Publication and to appoint another Committee to fill
the vacancy; and it shall be the duty of that church to comply with this
request. In such cases it shall be the privilege of this Board to name the
Committee if it so desires, and any Committee so named by the Board shall be
elected by the branch church.
Page 101
Case of Necessity. SECTION 6. If a
suitable man is not obtainable for Committee on Publication, a suitable woman
shall be elected. If at any time the Christian Science Board of Directors shall
determine that the manager of the general Committee on Publication needs an
assistant, the Board shall, with the approval of the Pastor Emeritus, appoint
an assistant manager, who shall receive an adequate salary from The Mother
Church.
Page 102
CHURCH-BUILDING
Article
XXXIV
Building Committee. SECTION 1. There
shall be a Building Committee consisting of not less than three members, and
this committee shall not be dissolved until the new church edifice is
completed. This committee shall elect, dismiss, or supply a vacancy of its
members by a majority vote.
Designation of Deeds. SECTION 2. All
deeds of further purchases of land for The First Church of Christ, Scientist,
in Boston, Mass., shall have named in them all the trusts mentioned in the
deeds given by Albert Metcalf and E. Noyes Whitcomb in March, 1903; but this
rule shall not apply to land purchased for any purpose other than the erection
of a church edifice. Also there shall be incorporated in all such deeds the
phrase, "Mary Baker Eddy's Church, The Mother Church or The First Church of
Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass."
Page 103
The Mother Church Building. SECTION 3.
The edifice erected in 1894 for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in
Boston, Mass., shall neither be demolished, nor removed from the site where it
was built, without the written consent of the Pastor Emeritus, Mary Baker Eddy.
Page 104
CHURCH MANUAL
Article
XXXV
For The Mother Church Only. SECTION 1.
The Church Manual of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass.,
written byMary Baker Eddy and copyrighted, is adapted to The Mother Church
only. It stands alone, uniquely adapted to form the budding thought and hedge
it about with divine Love. This Manual shall not be revised without the written
consent of its author.
Seventy-third Edition the Authority.
SECTION 2. The Board of Directors, the Committee on Bible Lessons, and the
Board of Trustees shall each keep a copy of the Seventy-third Edition and of
subsequent editions of the Church Manual; and if a discrepancy appears in any
revised edition, these editions shall be cited as authority.
Page 105
Amendment of By-Laws. SECTION 3. No new
Tenet or By-Law shall be adopted, nor any Tenet or By-Law amended or annulled,
without the written consent of Mary Baker Eddy, the author of our textbook,
SCIENCE AND HEALTH.
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Page 107 --
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Page 108
Appendix.
Page
109
Appendix. |
|
Special Instructions Regarding Applications for Church
Membership
1. Loyal members of The Mother Church are
eligible to approve candidates to unite with this Church.
2. No persons are eligible to countersign
applications except loyal students of Mrs. Eddy, Directors, and students of the
Board of Education who have been given a degree, and are members of The Mother
Church.
3. Those who approve applicants should
have applications returned to them after being filled out by the applicants, as
required by Article V, Sect. 6, and should compare them with the forms here
given, and see that names are legibly written, before sending them to the Clerk
of the Church. If not correct, the applicant will be notified, and new
applications will be required, as none will be returned that are not correctly
made out. This requirement is to prevent applications being duplicated and the
confusion that might result therefrom. It is important that these seemingly
strict conditions be exactly complied with, as the names of the members of The
Mother Church will be recorded in the history of the Church and become a part
thereof.
Page
110
4. All names, whether of applicants,
signers, or countersigners, must be plainly written, and one, at least, of the
given names of each, written in full. Initials only of first names will not be
received. Women must sign Miss or Mrs. before their names as the case may be.
All names must be written the same in all places where they are
required. |
|
Page
111
TO
APPLICANTS
1. In filling out the application blank,
one of the Christian names must be written in full. Initials alone will not be
received.
2. If the applicant is a married woman
she must sign her own Christian name, not her hus- band's, and prefix her
signature with "Mrs;" unmarried women must sign "Miss."
3. There are two regular forms of
application. 1. For those who have studied Christian Science with an authorized
teacher; 2. For those who have not studied Christian Science with a teacher.
Applicants will find the chief points of these instructions illustrated in Form
1 and Form 2, on pages 114 and 118.
4. Those whose teachers are deceased,
absent, or disloyal, or those whose teachers refuse, without sufficient cause,
to sign applications (see Art. V, Sect. 4), will be furnished special forms on
application to the Clerk.
Page 112
5. When branch churches are designated by
number, as First Church, Second Church, etc., the number must be written First,
Second, as shown on page 118. The article "the" either capitalized (The), or
small (the), must not be used before titles of branch churches. See Article
XXIII, Sect. 2.
6. If the applicant is not a member of a
branch church, he should fill out his application in this respect according to
the form on page 114. |
|
Page 113 -- Page left blank
Page 114
Application I
PROPERLY SIGNED AND ENDORSED,
ACCORDINC TO ARTICLE V, SECT. 2
[Form omitted]
Page 115
Application I - (Continued)
PROPERLY SIGNED AND ENDORSED,
ACCORDING TO ARTICLE V, SECT. 2
[Form omitted]
Page 116
Application
I
PROPERLY
SIGNED AND ENDORSED,
ACCORDING TO
ARTICLE V, SECT. 2
[Form omitted]
Page 117
Application I
- (Continued)
PROPERLY
SIGNED AND ENDORSED,
ACCORDING TO
ARTICLE V, SECT. 2
[Form omitted]
Page 118
Application
II
SIGNED,
ENDORSED, AND COUNTERSIGNED,
ACCORDING TO
ARTICLE Vl, SECT. 2
[Form omitted]
Page 119
Application II
- (Continued)
SIGNED,
ENDORSED, AND COUNTERSIGNED,
ACCORDING TO
ARTICLE VI, SECT. 2
[Form omitted]
Page 120
Present Order of Services
in The Mother Church
Republished from the
Sentinel
SUNDAY
SERVICES
1. Hymn.
2. Reading a Scriptural Selection.
3. Silent Prayer, followed by the audible
repetition of the Lord's Prayer with its spiritual interpretation.
4. Hymn.
5. Announcing necessary notices.
6. Solo.
7. Reading the explanatory note on first
leaf of Quarterly.
8. Announcing the subject of the Lesson
Sermon, and reading the Golden Text.
9. Reading the Scriptural selection,
entitled "Responsive Reading," alternately by the First Reader and the
congregation.
10. Reading the Lesson-Sermon. (After the
Second Reader reads the BIBLE references of the first Section of the Lesson,
the First Reader makes the following announcement: "As announced in the
explanatory note, I shall now read correlative passages from the Christian
Science textbook, SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, by Mary Baker
Eddy. )
Page 121
11. Collection.
12. Hymn.
13. Reading the
scientific statement of being, and the correlative SCRIPTURE according to I
John 3:1-3.
14. Pronouncing
Benediction. The services should be preceded and followed by organ or piano
music of an appropriate character in all cases where this is possible. On the
first Sunday of each month Article VIII, SECT. 1, A Rule for Motives and
Acts, is to be read.
Page 122
WEDNESDAY MEETINGS
1. Hymn.
2. Reading from the BIBLE, and
correlative passages from SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES.
3. Silent Prayer, followed by the audible
repetition of the Lord's Prayer, its spiritual interpretation being
omitted.
4. Hymn.
5. Announcing necessary notices.
6. Experiences, testimonies, and remarks
on Christian Science.
7. Closing Hymn. The services should be
preceded and followed by organ or piano music of an appropriate character in
all cases where this is possible.
Page 123
Thanksgiving Day.
Order of Service for The Mother Church and
Branch Churches.
1. Hymn.
2. Reading the Thanksgiving Proclamation
of the President of the United States, or the Governor of the state, or both.
3. Reading a Scriptural Selection.
4. Silent Prayer, followed by the audible
repetition of the Lord's Prayer with its spiritual interpretation.
5. Hymn.
6. Reading the Explanatory Note on the
first leaf of the Quarterly.
7. Announcing the subject of the Lesson
Sermon, and reading the Golden Text.
8. Responsive Reading by the First Reader
and the congregation.
Page 124
9. Reading the
Lesson-Sermon prepared by the Bible Lesson Committee.
10. Solo.
11. Testimonies by
Christian Scientists, appropriate for the occasion.
12.
Hymn.
13. Reading the
Scientific Statement of Being, and the correlative SCRIPTURE according to I
John 3:1-3.
14. Pronouncing
Benediction. No collection is to be taken at this service. The services should
be preceded and followed by organ or piano music of an appropriate character in
all cases where this is possible.
Page 125
Present
Order of Communion Services
in
Branch Churches
1. Hymn.
2. Reading a Scriptural Selection.
3. Silent Prayer, followed by the audible
repetition of the Lord's Prayer with its spiritual interpretation.
4. Hymn.
5. Announcing necessary notices.
6. Reading Tenets of The Mother
Church.
7. Collection and Solo.
8. Reading the explanatory note on first
leaf of Quarterly.
9. Announcing the subject of the Lesson
Sermon, and reading the Golden Text.
10. Reading the scriptural selection
entitled "Responsive Reading" alternately by the First Reader and the
congregation.
11. Reading the Lesson-Sermon. (After the
Second Reader reads the BIBLE references of the first Section of the Lesson,
the First Reader makes the following announcement: "As announced in the
explanatory note, I shall now read correlative passages from the Christian
Science textbook, SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, by Mary Baker
Eddy.")
Page 126
12. The First
Reader briefly invites the congregation to kneel in silent Communion. This is
concluded by the audible repetition of the Lord's Prayer (spiritual
interpretation omitted).
13. Singing the
Doxology: "Be Thou, O God, exalted high; And as Thy glory fills the sky, So let
it be on earth displayed, Till Thou art here and now obeyed."
14. Reading the
scientific statement of being and the correlative SCRIPTURE according to I John
3:1-3.
15. Pronouncing
Benediction. The Church Tenets shall be read at this service. The services
should be preceded and followed by organ or piano music of an appropriate
character in all cases where this is possible.
Page 127
Order of Exercises for the Sunday School of the Mother
Church.
1. Call to order by
the Superintendent.
2. Hymn.
3. Subject of the
lesson announced; Golden Text repeated by the children; Responsive
Reading.
4. Silent prayer,
followed by the audiblerepetition of the Lord's Prayer in unison.
5. Instruction in
classes, in accordance with Sections 2 AND 3 of Article XX of the Manual of The
Mother Church.
6. Entire school
reassembles.
7. Hymn.
8. Scientific
Statement of Being read by the Superintendent.
9. School
dismissed.
Page 128
Deed of Trust
The following is a Copy
of the Deed of Trust
Conveying Land for Church Edifice KNOW
ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, That I Mary Baker G. Eddy of Concord in the
County of Merrimack and State of New Hampshire in consideration of one dollar
to me paid by Ira O. Knapp of Boston, Mas sachusetts, William B. Johnson of
Boston, Massachusetts, Joseph S. Eastaman of Chelsea, Massachusetts, and
Stephen A. Chase of Fall River, Massachusetts, the receipt whereof is hereby
acknowledged, and, also in consideration of the trusts and uses hereinafter
mentioned and established, do hereby give, bargain, sell, and convey to the
said Ira O. Knapp, William B. Johnson, Joseph S. Eastaman, and Stephen A. Chase
as trustees as hereinafter provided and to their legitimate successors in
office forever, a certain parcel of land situate
on Falmouth street in said Boston, bounded and
described as follows:
Page 129
Beginning at
the junction of Falmouth street, and a forty-foot street now called Caledonia
street; thence running Southwest on said Falmouth street one hundred andsixteen
and eighty-eight hundredths feet; thence Northwest at a right angle to a point
where a line drawn at right angles to said forty-foot street at a point thereon
one hundred and sixteen and fifty-five hundredths feet Northwest from the point
of beginning meets the said boundary at right angles to Falmouth street,
sixty-six and seventy-eight hundredths feet; thence at an obtuse angle on said
line at right angles to said forty-foot street sixty-seven and thirty-five
hundredths feet to said forty-foot street; thence Southeasterly on said
forty-foot street one hundred and sixteen and fifty-five hundredths feet to the
point of beginning; containing seven thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight
square feet more or less, and subject to the agreements and restrictions
mentioned in a deed recorded in Suffolk Registry of Deeds Lib. 1719, Fol 83so
far as the same are now legally operative. This deed of conveyance is made upon
the following express trusts and conditions which the said grantees by
accepting this deed agree and covenant for themselves and their successors in
office to fully perform and fulfil.
Page 130
1. Said grantees shall be
known as the "Chris- tian Science Board of Directors," and shall constitute a
perpetual body or corporation under and in accordance with section one, Chapter
39 of the Public Statutes of Massachusetts.(1) Whenever a vacancy occurs in
said Board the remaining members shall within thirty days fill the same by
election; but no one shall be eligible to that office who is not in the opinion
of the remaining mem- bers of the Board a firm and consistent believer in the
doctrines of Christian Science as taught in a book entitled SCIENCE AND HEALTH,
by Mary Baker G. Eddy beginning with the seventy-first edition thereof. (1)The
deacons, church wardens, or other similar officers of Churches or religious
societies, and the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal churches, appointed
according to the discipline and usages thereof, shall, if citizens of this
commonwealth, be deemed bodies corporate for the purpose of taking and holding
in succession all grants and donations, whether of real or personal estate,
made either to the and their successors, or to their respective churches, or to
the poor of their churches.
Page 131
2. Said Board shall within five years
from the date hereof build or cause to be built upon said lot of land a
suitable and convenient church edifice, the cost of which shall not be less
than fifty thousand dollars.
3. When said church building is completed
said Board shall elect a pastor, reader or speaker to fill the pulpit who shall
be a genuine Christian Scientist; they shall maintain public worship in
accordance with the doctrines of Christian Science in said church, and for this
purpose they are fully empowered to make any and all necessary rules and
regulations.
4. Said Board of Directors shall not
suffer or allow any building to be erected upon said lot except a church
building or edifice, nor shall they allow said church building or any part
thereof to be used for any other purpose than for the ordinary and usual uses
of a church.
5. Said Board of Directors shall not
allow or permit in said church building any preaching or other religious
services which shall not be consonant and in strict harmony with the doctrines
and practice of Christian Science as taught and explained by Mary Baker G. Eddy
in the seventy first edition of her book entitled SCIENCE AND HEALTH," which is
soon to be issued, and in any subsequent edition thereof.
Page 132
6. The congregation which
shall worship in said church shall be styled "The First Church of Christ,
Scientist."
7. Said Directors shall not
sell or mortgage the land hereby conveyed; but they shall see that all taxes
and legal assessments on said property are promptly paid.
8. Said church building
shall not be removed from said lot except for the purpose of rebuilding thereon
a more expensive or a more convenient structure in which said doctrines of
Christian Science only shall be preached and practised. If said church building
is removed for either of the purposes above set forth, any and all tablets and
inscriptions which are or shall be upon said church building at the time of
removal shall be removed therefrom and placed upon the walls of the new
edifice. If said building is burned, the Directors shall forthwith proceed to
rebuild the church.
9. Said Directors shall
maintain regular preaching, reading or speaking in said church on each Sabbath,
and an omission to have and maintain such preaching, reading or speaking for
one year in succession shall be deemed a breach of this condition.
Page 133
10. Whenever said Directors shall
determine that it is inexpedient to maintain preaching, reading or speaking in
said church in accordance with the terms of this deed, they are authorized and
required to reconvey forthwith said lot of land with the building thereon to
Mary Baker G. Eddy, her heirs and assigns forever by a proper deed of
conveyance.
11. The omission or neglect on the part
of said Directors to strictly comply with any of the conditions herein
contained shall constitute a breach thereof, and the title hereby conveyed
shall revert to the grantor Mary Baker G. Eddy, her heirs and assigns forever,
upon her entry upon said land and taking possession thereof for such breach. To
Have and to Hold the above granted premises with all the privileges and
appurtenances thereon belonging to said grantees and their successors in office
to the uses and trusts above described forever.
Page 134
And the said grantor for herself and her heirs,
executors and administrators covenants with the said grantees and their
successors in office that she is lawfully seized in fee simple of the afore
said premises, that they are free from all incum brances not herein mentioned
or referred to, that she has good right to sell and convey the same to the said
grantees and their successors in office as aforesaid, and that she will and her
heirs, executors, and administrators shall, warrant and defend the same to the
said grantees and their successors in office forever against the lawful claims
and demands of all persons. In witness whereof I the said Mary Baker G. Eddy
have hereto set my hand and seal this 1st day of September, 1892. MARY BAKER G.
EDDY. Signed, sealed, and delivered in presence of LAURA E. SARGENT. R. E.
WALKER. September 1st, 1892. STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, MERRIMACK. Then personally
appeared the above named Mary Baker G. Eddy and acknowledged the foregoing
instrument to be her free act and deed, Before me R. E. WALKER.
Page 135
Notary Public. September 2, 1892.
SUFFOLK REGISTRY OF DEEDS, Lib. 2081, Fol. 257.
Page 136
Deed
Conveying Land for Church Purposes
METCALE to KNAPP et al. Trs. Libro
2886, Fol. 521. KNOW ALL MEN, That I, Albert Metcalf, the grantor in a certain
deed given to Ira O. Knapp and others dated October 23, 1896, and recorded with
Suffolk Deeds, Book 2591, page 398, do hereby declare that the land conveyed by
said deed was conveyed to the grantees therein, as they are the Christian
Science Board of Directors, upon the trusts, but not subject to the conditions
mentioned in the deed creating said Board given by Mary Baker G. Eddy to Ira O.
Knapp and others, dated September 1st, 1892, and recorded with Suffolk Deeds,
Book 2081, page 257. In addition to the trusts contained in said deed of
September 1, 1892, from Mary Baker G. Eddy,
Page 137
this property is conveyed on the further trusts
that no new Tenet or By-Law shall be adopted, nor any Tenet or By-Law amended
or annulled by the grantees unless the written consent of said Mary Baker G.
Eddy, the author of the textbook SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE
SCRIPTURES," be given therefor, or unless at the written request of Mrs. Eddy
the Executive Members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, (formally
called the "First Members,") by a two thirds vote of all their number, decide
so to do. And that the same inscription which is on the outside of the present
church edifice shall be placed on any new church erected on said lot. And in
consideration of one dollar to me paid by said Ira O. Knapp, William B.
Johnson, Joseph Armstrong and Stephen A. Chase, the receipt whereof is hereby
acknowledged, I do hereby confirm the deed as above mentioned, and do grant and
release unto them, their heirs, successors and assigns in trust as aforesaid,
the premises therein described. In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand
and seal this nineteenth day of March, A. D. nineteen hundred and three. ALBERT
METCALF. [Seal]
Page 138
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS SUFFOLK March
20th, 1903 Then said Albert Metcalf at knowledged the foregoing instrument to
be his free act and deed. Before me MALCOLM McLOUD. Justice of the Peace.
March 20, 1903. at twelve o'clock and sixteen minutes P.M. Received,
Entered and Examined. Attest: THOS. F. TEMPLE, Reg. A true copy from the
RECORDS OF DEEDS for the COUNTY OF SUFFOLK, Lib. 2886, Fol. 521. Attest: CHAS.
W. KIMBALL, Asst. Reg. |
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