Christian Science
1875
Mark Twain applies his legendary wit to one of the 19th century's most controversial new religions, and the result is a lacerating satire that feels remarkably contemporary. The book opens with a deliciously absurd premise: Twain himself has fallen off a cliff, sustained painful injuries, and now faces a Christian Science practitioner who insists his suffering is merely a figment of his imagination. What follows is a masterclass in logical demolition, as Twain dismantles the movement's central claim, that the material world is illusion and disease a mental error, with the same incisive reasoning he once turned on human folly everywhere. The portrait of Mary Baker Eddy is particularly devastating, skewering both her opaque prose and the unchecked authority she wielded over followers. Yet this is no mere polemic; Twain's humor lifts the work into something transcendentally funny, whether he's describing the contortions of practitioners explaining why their own doctors work or cataloging the logical impossibilities at the movement's core. Written when Christian Science was still a nascent force racing toward its peak of 270,000 members, Twain's critique reads like prophecy. For readers who relish sharp satire, American literary history, or watching a genius pick apart a flawed philosophy, this is essential reading.
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“Often it does seem such a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat.””
— Mark Twain
“all democrats are insane, but not one of them knows it””
— Mark Twain
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Twain, Mark. Christian Science. Lex, lex-books.com/book/christian-science-a8b98b29-e5c3-453e-b1cf-ec5a5efe83be.Twain, M. (1875). Christian Science. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/christian-science-a8b98b29-e5c3-453e-b1cf-ec5a5efe83beTwain, Mark. Christian Science. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/christian-science-a8b98b29-e5c3-453e-b1cf-ec5a5efe83be.
