Hodgson, Marcia2017-06-262017-06-262015http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11868/82Abstract As a third-generation Christian Scientist, I was brought up in a family that had no use for medicine and used prayer exclusively as its only form of healthcare. This thesis constitutes the beginning of a book about my upbringing and eventual departure from Christian Science. It includes several healings, and three traumatic experiences that sparked a gradual erosion of my belief in my childhood religion. Divided into five parts, this work includes 56 chapters and 231 pages. It begins with an inciting incident – my drowning under a canoe and my recovery without medical assistance – which took place when I was a sophomore at Principia, a high school for Christian Scientists in St. Louis, Missouri. This “healing” was the first that came through my own prayer and cemented my allegiance to the church as it planted a few latent seeds of doubt in my abilities as a practitioner of Christian Science. Also included is back story of how my grandparents became entangled in Mary Baker Eddy’s burgeoning spiritual-healing practices as well as background information on the history of the Christian Science church and its basic beliefs. Throughout this memoir, I have tried to present an honest assessment of my experience in Christian Science while taking into consideration how this strange cult-like faith might appear to an outsider.Christian scienceChildhoodThesis