Book Review of God's Perfect Child
by Carolyn Fraser
Metropolitan Books
1999
Helen Fryman
In the freedoms bequeathed to the United States of America by the Founding Fathers, there is, noticed by only a few, a strange heritage where religion is concerned. In the emphasis on individual independence and self-reliance, in the heritage of the Age of Reason, and in the almost inherent -- and, sadly, sometimes deserved -- mistrust of authority, were the seeds of the many new religious factions that sprung up in the nineteenth century. Several, such as the Latter Day Saints and the Jehovah's Witnesses, have been well-documented. Many did not survive long enough for documentation. One did, which has not been well-documented until this book was written: the Christian Scientists.
In her book, God's Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church, Caroline Fraser has traced the roots of this church back before Mary Baker Eddy and shows its influence and similarity to many modern religious movements, including not only some of the alternate healing methods and homeopathic medicine in vogue today, but in movements such as Benny Hinn's, Kenneth Copeland's and Kenneth Hagin's. This is bound to irritate a number of people, but the documentation for everything Fraser presents is extensive, amounting to about seventy pages of endnotes and references.
The inside flap declares Fraser's book to be "A passionate exposé of religious zealotry, God's Perfect Child tells one of the most dramatic and least-known stories in American religious history." I did not find the book to be passionate. I found it to be intense, detailed, and very objective. Having been raised in this church, as Fraser was, and having reason to react passionately against it, she nevertheless has given them credit where credit is due. The history told is unvarnished, often critical, but sometimes sympathetic. The detail is immense and the referencing impressive. It is a professional work done in a professional manner which painstakingly details not only Mrs. Eddy's life and personality, but that of her most influential followers and ex-followers up until the present. It thus presents not just the history of a religious movement, but a part of American history as well. The research that went into this book is quite impressive.
The book is, at the very least, an eye-opener. What the Christian Science church teaches, and why, are only vaguely known to most people. Because of this, Christian Science influence on the legal system, which is also documented and referenced by Fraser, is largely unknown. It should be known. This book should be read. Christian Scientists should read this book so they will know more about their own church and its history. Christians should read this book because it will document for them what the Christian Scientist church actually entails. Politicians should certainly read this book to see how some have played into the hands of this special interest group. In short, this is not a book to be ignored.
The book's length seems a bit daunting. At about 450 pages of text, it is not the sort of book one reads in one sitting. But it is the sort of book one cannot help but come back to when it is put down. It keeps one's interest, even fascination. As a Christian, the only point I would want to raise is that I wish Fraser had taken the time to document much more fully where Christian Science differs from, and often contradicts, historic Christian Biblical doctrine. But, at 447 pages, perhaps she felt it was time to stop. And she was probably right. The book is excellent as it stands and will probably be the standard reference work on the Christian Science Church in the future.
