Lee Z. Johnson, Christian Science Committee on Publication: A Study of Group and Press Interaction (Syracuse University: doctoral dissertation, 1963)
From a sociological analysis of the policies and practices of the denomination in its interface with the public, Lee Z. Johnson’s doctoral study, Christian Science Committee on Publication: A Study of Group and Press Interaction:
“Like most minority groups, the Christian Scientists have more in common with, than distinct from, their fellow citizens. They share not only a common religious heritage, in Protestant countries at least, but also common cultural outlooks in favor of free institutions, the rights of the individual, the dignity of labor, the expectation of progress….
“Also, like other minority groups, Christian Scientists hold views that conflict at points with the majority outlook. In their case, the majority-minority disagreement is a conceptual problem, a Weltanschauung, with broad implications, turning on fundamental questions of materialism and spirituality, especially whether this dichotomy can meaningfully and practically be defined in terms of human experience. The best known side of the disagreement concerns choice of healing method…. Other churchmen pray, but the Scientist virtually alone ‘treats’ by prayer in lieu of other remedies…. A social analysis of the Christian Science Church must account for its radical position on treatment by prayer.”