God's Perfect Child: Living and Dying in the Christian Science Church

by Caroline Fraser

Book Overview

From Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former Christian Scientist Caroline Fraser comes the first unvarnished account of one of America's most controversial and little-understood religious movements.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805044310
• ISBN13: 9780805044317
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 565 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Factual and very well written.

As a child of a mother and grandmother who were rabid Christian Scientists and who abused me with their denial of all my bad feelings (error), both physical and emotional, this book was of great interest to me. I can attest that everything I read was fact, regarding CS beliefs and ways of "denying" sickness, pain and unpleasantness. This author obviously did her homework and knows of what she speaks. For anyone in recovery from Christian Science or anyone who just wants the "facts", this is an excellent book. In my opinion, this author was factual and possibly overly fair to this dangerous religious cult. Also, in my opinion, Mary Baker was mentally ill, but highly charismatic, so was able to found a "religion" based on her personal (mentally ill) beliefs.

Exposure of a church of lies-THANK-YOU SO MUCH!!

Awesome and intelligently written. Well documented. Finally someone who knows about it exposes the lies and damage. You won't believe what this book reveals. Protect your family and children-secrets revealed in this book show you what happens to those who buy in to these beliefs and why the truth must come out and fought for the safety of all. I found this book significant in the revelation of what really goes on when some have no idea how tragically others are suffering.

Facing the music: "Divine Truth" in the key of 'D'...for disillusioning

Whatever your beliefs, and whether you are a former Christian Scientist or a continuing member of the Mother Church, you owe it to yourself to be willing find answers about Christian Science from a 3rd party, not your practitioner, your Teacher, your Sunday School Teacher, or your parents. Documented, footnoted, and deliberate, this book takes you beyond the sanitized biographies of MBE and the history of the church put out by the CSP in the Reading Room. This book was, for me, not only eye-opening in terms of the origins of the church (and the continuing 'dissenting' movement I had no idea existed), but also affirming: Learning that there are others who suffered at the hands of well-meaning, compassionate people who otherwise were caring, giving parents, except when it came to acknowledging your pain, disease, or injury -- when they became emotionally unavailable, sometimes pretending they didn't understand when you asked to go to a doctor...or assuring you that healing would take place as soon as you acknowledged the "Divine Truth" of your relationship with God. When you became no longer an individual but a 'divine idea' that couldn't really be sick, injured, or in pain, because that wasn't part of God and couldn't be part of you either, as His creation. More shocking still was the realization after reading this book that based on the exclusions for CS treatment still provided in many state laws, abused and neglected animals may have more protections afforded them than the children of praticing Christian Scientists. Before I get hauled over the coals (immaterial though they may be) for 'not really understanding' the message of Christian Science by some readers: My Sunday School teacher was at one time 1st reader for my church, 1st reader for the Mother Church, a Class Teacher, Practitioner, and COP representative. If I didn't get the 'real message' of Christian Science from him, I don't know who else I would have been able to 'get' it from. A word of warning for Christian Scientists: Reading this book may result in a lot of difficult questions to yourself and others. Be prepared to process more than just a few lingering doubts by the time you get to the end of it.

Secrets & Lies

I marvel that Ms. Fraser got this book published. If you read this book, you too will marvel. I am a fourth generation, ex-Christian Scientist and the daughter of a CS practitioner. Ms. Fraser has provided me the missing link I have been searching for all my adult life. This book is the first chapter in the truth that will set me free. My life will forever be profoundly influenced by having read God's perfect Child and I recommend it as essential reading for others with backgrounds similar to mine.