Customer Reviews

Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Authority

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Mary Baker Eddy was a controversial woman, and biographers often either laud or vilify her depending on their personal bias. Peel's 3-volume biography is a welcome departure from this pattern. His work is carefully researched, with extensive references, and is probably the most definitive and complete biography of Mrs. Eddy on record. His impartial, objective viewpoint lets the reader make up his or her own mind regarding a noted religious and historical figure.

Yes! I've finished the three-part Peel series! Peel's biographies are seen by many as the most complete and definitive account of Mary Baker Eddy's life. This is for good reason - Peel had some of the best access to documents regarding Mrs. Eddy, conducted some of the most thorough research, and had the most to say. While Peel is a Christian Scientist, non-Christian Scientists can enjoy these books.

I have read several other Mary Baker Eddy biographies, and feel these volumes, as well as the Gillian Gill tome, are in a class by themselves concerning the story of Mary Baker Eddy's life. Gill seems to be more concerned with the trials Mrs. Eddy had to face, especially the Next Friends suit. Neither have any glaring omissions, but Peel seems to focus more on Mrs. Eddy's vision of transforming her discovery of Christian Science into an international denomination and beyond. This makes sense - as a Christian Scientist, Peel is more concerned than Gill with the saga of Christian Science and how it is entwined with Mrs. Eddy's history.

While Peel may be slightly more sympathetic with Mrs. Eddy than Gill, neither one biographer provides a whitewash of her travails. While this is the most exciting volume of Peel's three volumes, I would not recommend one picking up the book right here. One would do much better to start at the beginning (The Years of Trial), slow as is may be. You'll enjoy it once it really starts to pick up.

If there are large numbers of "Christian Scientists" agreeing with the reviewer who called this biography "definitive", it explains a lot.

This is a very subtle, misleading downgrading of Mary Baker Eddy and it ought to be seen for what it is. It misrepresents her motives and humanizes her demonstration of the Christ, which is actually a contradiction in terms. Actually the word "negates" comes to mind in connection with what it actually tries to do. The Bible is very clear that the "human" must be "swallowed up" by the divine. (St. Paul).

Paul Smillie, in his book, "A Defense of Mary Baker Eddy and the Remnant of Her Seed" makes some good points regarding what is wrong with this book. (That does not mean I agree with everything he says in that book.)

For what it is worth, (and I don't think it's worth much even if it is true), it is reported that this third volume of the Peel trilogy was ghost-written by someone other than Robert Peel.

And as far as misrepresenting Mrs. Eddy's motives, the prime example is the idea conveyed in this book that she saw her mission to be, to found a HUMAN ORGANIZATION that would last forever.

Nice little piece of back-stabbing propaganda promoting ecclesiasticism and its attendant tyranny.

In the 1890's Mary Baker Eddy had a son and an adopted son, but her real child was the Christian Science movement. Fearing idolatry, she had her book CHRIST AND CHRISTMAS withdrawn. The church in Boston was to be built on a triangular plot of filled-in tideland on Norway Street. When the church was completed, Mrs. Eddy addressed the congregation notably one Sunday on sin and repentance.

There were two streams of Mary Baker Eddy history. One was supplied by supporters, the other by opponents of her cause. Alfred Farlow, Committee on Publication, was one of the people tasked with establishing the official history. Early Eddy manuscripts showed the residual influence of Quimby. Mrs. Eddy herself was unable to engage in retrospective analysis since she was concerned about the future of the movement. In the later years Mrs. Eddy sought to discourage her followers from haunting her drive and using other means to get her attention.

The controversy with the ambitious Augusta Stetson is recounted. The challenges of other followers are given in considerable detail. Finally there is the indication of the issues involved in moving forward after Mrs. Eddy's death to the erection of her movement on the foundation of less personal authority. The notes at the back of the book are one of the best features of it.

I read this biography in college. I was able to draw several conclusions from the chapters. Chapter 1. A scandal would harm her adopted son. Chapter 2. A really good leader can attract a lot of admirers. Chapter 3. By not trying to outdo others, she created a very tolerant church. Chapter 4. A Concord newspaper owner thought Mary Baker Eddy was a fake. Political Interlude. To introduce Christian Science on Mainland China was dangerous. Chapter 5. The establishment of the Committee on Publication was greatly needed at the time of a court case that was filled with propaganda against her church. Chapter 6. Teachers and readers in the East would be better off if they had solid learning and culture. Interlude Semantic. A mistaken metaphysical concept is a topic at a meeting with Governors of the church. Chapter 7. She said much work needed to be done. Chapter 8. She decided that the Mother Church reader should become the reader at the Concord church. Chapter 9. She immediately was sure Einstein had made a great discovery. Chapter 10. She thinks it is vital for anyone to demonstrate this Science. At times while reading the biography I was reminded of the period in history when German scholars inspired Charles Briggs to question the authorship of the Bible, the biblical account of Creation, and the divinity of Jesus.