The Integrity of the Church
 is Under Attack

in defense of the church organization
relating to a court challenge against the work
of Mary Baker Eddy

 The current attack is two fold.

1. Attacking the validity of the church organization and its board of directors.

To rebuff the attack, it should be noted that the Mother Church organization as set forth in the Manual, and the Manual itself, are not isolated constructs that exist outside of the framework of Mary Baker Eddy's comprehensive structure for scientific and spiritual development. A careful study shows that the Manual as a complete structure is an integrated element of the vast structure of scientific interrelationships that Mary Baker Eddy has established on the foundation of the city foursquare from Revelation 21. This vast structure comprises all of Mary Baker Eddy's major works, including the Manual and the church structure that it defines, and draws them together into a comprehensive scientific structure for the definition of Christian Science and its development through future ages.

If a single element is eradicated, that is defined in the Manual, which is a part of this structure together with the textbook chapters and other parts, the integrity of the whole becomes compromised and a part of Mary Baker Eddy's work becomes lost. This must not be allowed to happen. Evidently, the people who have launched this court challenge against certain aspects defined in the Manual that are a part of Mary Baker Eddy's overall structure, are unaware of what they are attacking.

It also appears that the Christian Science Board of Directors is itself unaware of the deeply rooted connection between the Manual and Mary Baker Eddy's structure for scientific and spiritual development that appears to be so deeply linked with her discovery of Christian Science that most of her major scientific works are integrated elements of that comprehensive structure. If this deep, formal connection were understood throughout the field, and by the Christian Science directors,, the court challenges might have been rebuffed more readily, or might not have been launched in the first place.

Mary Baker Eddy's deep integration of the Manual into her structure for scientific and spiritual development, as an element of her science that must not be altered, may have been in part for the protection of the integrity of the church structure itself. The recognition, even at thus late date, of this interrelationship, may well help protect the integrity of the church structure and the church organization.

2. Attack against the commercial trademark status of the cross and crown seal and Mary Baker Eddy's signature.

It should be noted that the cross and crown seal is a symbol that is deeply connected with the fundamental design of Mary Baker Eddy's structure for scientific and spiritual development, and cannot be divorced from it. Anyone who is working with the foursquare matrix and what Mary Baker Eddy has build on it, including the Glossary of the textbook, will soon realize that the Glossary cannot be related to this structure unless one recognizes the existence of the five different types of dual definitions that she has incorporated into the Glossary. The recognition of these five types is crucial to one's understanding of her work. 

Since the integration of the Glossary is by far the most challenging aspect of ones understanding of her development structure, the recognition of these five types represent a certain conceptual completeness. Evidently the symbol of the five star crown represents these crucial five types of dual definitions. This means that the cross and crown symbol has no relevance anywhere in the world except on the cover of her books. It is as if she is saying, if you understand what this five star crown symbolizes, then you understand the structure of my work and you understand me. Then you also understand Christian Science, and I am willing to put my signature to this statement.

It is obvious that the cross and crown seal, and her signature in conjunction with it, can never be applied to anything other than her books without incurring a great loss to what she has created, involving a fraudulent use of those symbols. The protection of her signature and of the seal as a commercial trademark is therefore vital for maintaining the integrity of her work. Nor would the surrendering of this protection be of use to anyone, since the cross and crown symbol and her signature could never be honestly applied to anything else than her books.

If the recognition of the deep connection of the cross and crown symbol with her scientific structure for spiritual and scientific development were recognized in the field and by the directors, and were understood, the protection that is currently in place for these symbols, that represent this structure, would never be challenged. 

Hopefully, this recognition, if it comes to light soon, may help to maintain the protection that has been wisely established in the past.

Rolf A. F. Witzsche

Home Page