Part 2

No Adulterating Christian Science. SECTION 10. A member of this Church shall not publish profuse quotations from Mary Baker Eddy's copyrighted works without her permission, and shall not plagiarize her writings. This By-Law not only calls more serious attention to the commandment of the Decalogue, but tends to prevent Christian Science from being _adulterated_.

No Incorrect Literature. SECTION 11. A member of this Church shall neither buy, sell, nor circulate Christian Science literature which is not correct in its statement of the divine Principle and rules and the demonstration of Christian Science. Also the spirit in which the writer has written his literature shall be definitely considered. His writings must show strict adherence to the Golden Rule, or his literature shall not be adjudged Christian Science. A departure from the spirit or letter of this By-Law involves schisms in our Church and the possible loss, for a time, of Christian Science.

Obnoxious Books. SECTION 12. A member of this Church shall not patronize a publishing house or bookstore that has for sale obnoxious books.

Per Capita Tax. SECTION 13. Every member of The Mother Church shall pay annually a per capita tax of not less than one dollar, which shall be forwarded each year to the Church Treasurer.

Church Periodicals. SECTION 14. It shall be the privilege and duty of every member, who can afford it, to subscribe for the periodicals which are the organs of this Church; and it shall be the duty of the Directors to see that these periodicals are ably edited and kept abreast of the times.

Church Organizations Ample. SECTION 15. Members of this Church shall not unite with organizations which impede their progress in Christian Science. God requires our whole heart, and he supplies within the wide channels of The Mother Church dutiful and sufficient occupation for all its members.

Joining Another Society. SECTION 16. It shall be the duty of the members of The Mother Church and of its branches to promote peace on earth and good will toward men; but members of The Mother Church shall not hereafter become members of other societies except those specified in the Mother Church Manual, and they shall strive to promote the welfare of all mankind by demonstrating the rules of divine Love.

Forbidden Membership. SECTION 17. A member of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass., shall not be a member of any church whose Readers are not Christian Scientists and members of The Mother Church.

Officious Members. SECTION 18. A member of The Mother Church is not entitled to hold office or read in branch churches of this denomination except by invitation.

Legal Titles. SECTION 19. Students of Christian Science must drop the titles of Reverend and Doctor, except those who have received these titles under the _laws_ of the _State_.

Illegal Adoption. SECTION 20. No person shall be a member of this Church who claims a spiritually adopted child or a spiritually adopted husband or wife. There must be legal adoption and legal marriage, which can be verified according to the laws of our land.

Use of Initials "C.S." SECTION 21. A member of The Mother Church shall not place the initials "C.S." after his name on circulars, cards, or leaflets, which advertise his business or profession, except as a Christian Science practitioner.

Practitioners and Patients. SECTION 22. Members of this Church shall hold in sacred confidence all private communications made to them by their patients; also such information as may come to them by reason of their relation of practitioner to patient. A failure to do this shall subject the offender to Church discipline.

A member of The Mother Church shall not, under pardonable circumstances, sue his patient for recovery of payment for said member's practice, on penalty of discipline and liability to have his name removed from membership. Also he shall reasonably reduce his price in chronic cases of recovery, and in cases where he has not effected a cure. A Christian Scientist is a humanitarian; he is benevolent, forgiving, long-suffering, and seeks to overcome evil with good.

Duty to Patients. SECTION 23. If a member of this Church has a patient whom he does not heal, and whose case he cannot fully diagnose, he may consult with an M. D. on the anatomy involved. And it shall be the privilege of a Christian Scientist to confer with an M. D. on Ontology, or the Science of being.

Testimonials. SECTION 24. "Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (St. Paul). Testimony in regard to the healing of the sick is highly important. More than a mere rehearsal of blessings, it scales the pinnacle of praise and illustrates the demonstration of Christ, "who healeth all thy diseases" (Psalm 103:3). This testimony, however, shall not include a description of symptoms or of suffering, though the generic name of the disease may be indicated. This By-Law applies to testimonials which appear in the periodicals and to those which are given at the Wednesday evening meeting.

Charity to All. SECTION 25. While members of this Church do not believe in the doctrines of theosophy, hypnotism, or spiritualism, they cherish no enmity toward those who do believe in such doctrines, and will not harm them. But whenever God calls a member to bear testimony to Truth and to defend the Cause of Christ, he shall do it with love and without fear.

Uncharitable Publications. SECTION 26. A member of this Church shall not publish, nor cause to be published, an article that is uncharitable or impertinent towards religion, medicine, the courts, or the laws of our land.

The Golden Rule. SECTION 27. A member of The Mother Church shall not haunt Mrs. Eddy's drive when she goes out, continually stroll by her house, or make a summer resort near her for such a purpose.

Numbering the People. SECTION 28. Christian Scientists shall not report for publication the number of the members of The Mother Church, nor that of the branch churches. According to the Scripture they shall turn away from personality and numbering the people.

Our Church Edifices. SECTION 29. The periodicals of our denomination do not publish descriptions of our church edifices, but they may quote from other periodicals or give incidental narratives.

No Monopoly. SECTION 30. A Scientist shall not endeavor to monopolize the healing work in any church or locality, to the exclusion of others, but all who understand the teachings of Christian Science are privileged to enter into this holy work, and "by their fruits ye shall know them."

Christian Science Nurse. SECTION 31. A member of The Mother Church who represents himself or herself as a Christian Science nurse shall be one who has a demonstrable knowledge of Christian Science practice, who thoroughly understands the practical wisdom necessary in a sick room, and who can take proper care of the sick.

The cards of such persons may be inserted in _The Christian Science Journal_ under rules established by the publishers.

Article IX--MARRIAGE AND DECEASE

A Legal Ceremony. SECTION 1. If a Christian Scientist is to be married, the ceremony shall be performed by a clergyman who is legally authorized.

Sudden Decease. SECTION 2. If a member of The Mother Church shall decease suddenly, without previous injury or illness, and the cause thereof be unknown, an autopsy shall be made by qualified experts. When it is possible the body of a female shall be prepared for burial by _one of her own sex_.

Article X--DEBATING IN PUBLIC

No Unauthorized Debating. SECTION 1. A member of this Church shall not debate on Christian Science in public debating assemblies, without the consent of the Board of Directors.

Article XI--COMPLAINTS

Departure from Tenets. SECTION 1. If a member of this Church shall depart from the Tenets and be found having the name without the life of a Christian Scientist, and another member in good standing shall from Christian motives make this evident, a meeting of the Board of Directors shall be called, and the offender's case shall be tried and said member exonerated, put on probation, or excommunicated.

Violation of By-Laws. SECTION 2. A member who is found violating any of the By-Laws or Rules herein set forth, shall be admonished in consonance with the Scriptural demand in Matthew 18:15-17; and if he neglect to accept such admonition, he shall be placed on probation, or if he repeat the offense, his name shall be dropped from the roll of Church membership.

Violation of Christian Fellowship. SECTION 3. Any member who shall unjustly aggrieve or vilify the Pastor Emeritus or another member, or who does not live in Christian fellowship with members who are in good and regular standing with this Church, shall either withdraw from the Church or be excommunicated.

Preliminary Requirement. SECTION 4. No church discipline shall ensue until the requirements according to the Scriptures, in Matthew 18:15-17, have been strictly obeyed, unless a By-Law governing the case provides for immediate action.

Authority. SECTION 5. The Christian Science Board of Directors has power to discipline, place on probation, remove from membership, or to excommunicate members of The Mother Church. Only the members of this Board shall be present at meetings for the examination of complaints against church members; and they alone shall vote on cases involving The Mother Church discipline.

Members in Mother Church Only. SECTION 6. A complaint against a member of The Mother Church, _if said member belongs to no branch church_ and if this complaint is not for _mental malpractice_, shall be laid before this Board, and within ten days thereafter, the Clerk of the Church shall address a letter of inquiry to the member complained of as to the validity of the charge. If a member is found guilty of that whereof he is accused and his previous character has been good, his confession of his error and evidence of his compliance with our Church Rules shall be deemed sufficient by the Board for forgiveness for once, and the Clerk of the Church shall immediately so inform him. But a second offense shall dismiss a member from the Church.

Working Against the Cause. SECTION 7. If a member of this Church shall, mentally or otherwise, persist in working against the interests of another member, or the interests of our Pastor Emeritus and the accomplishment of what she understands is advantageous to this Church and to the Cause of Christian Science, or shall influence others thus to act, upon her complaint or the complaint of a member for her or for himself, it shall be the duty of the Board of Directors immediately to call a meeting, and drop forever the name of the member guilty of this offense from the roll of Church membership.

No Unchristian Conduct. SECTION 8. If a member of this Church were to treat the author of our textbook disrespectfully and cruelly, upon her complaint that member should be excommunicated. If a member, without her having requested the information, shall trouble her on subjects unnecessarily and without her consent, it shall be considered an offense.

Not to Learn Hypnotism. SECTION 9. Members of this Church shall not learn hypnotism on penalty of being excommunicated from this Church. No member shall enter a complaint of mental malpractice for a sinister purpose. If the author of SCIENCE AND HEALTH shall bear witness to the offense of mental malpractice, it shall be considered a sufficient evidence thereof.

Publications Unjust. SECTION 10. If a member of The Mother Church publishes, or causes to be published, an article that is false or unjust, hence injurious, to Christian Science or to its Leader, and if, upon complaint by another member, the Board of Directors finds that the offense has been committed, the offender shall be suspended for not less than three years from his or her office in this Church and from Church membership.

The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, Tenets. SECTION 11. If a member of The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, or a member of a branch of this Church break the rules of its Tenets as to unjust and unmerciful conduct--on complaint of Mrs. Eddy our Pastor Emeritus--and this complaint being found valid, his or her name shall be erased from The Mother Church and the branch church's list of membership and the offender shall not be received into The Mother Church or a branch church for twelve years.

Special Offense. SECTION 12. If a member of this Church, either by word or work, represents falsely to or of the Leader and Pastor Emeritus, said member shall immediately be disciplined, and a second similar offense shall remove his or her name from membership in The Mother Church.

Members of Branch Churches. SECTION 13. A member of both The Mother Church and a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, or a Reader, shall not report nor send notices to The Mother Church, or to the Pastor Emeritus, of errors of the members of their local church; but they shall strive to overcome these errors. Each church shall separately and independently discipline its own members,--if this sad necessity occurs.

Article XII--TEACHERS

Probation. SECTION 1. For sufficient reasons it may be decided that a teacher has so strayed as not to be fit for the work of a Reader in church or a teacher of Christian Science. Although repentant and forgiven by the Church and retaining his membership, this weak member shall not be counted loyal till after three years of exemplary character. Then the Board of Directors may decide if his loyalty has been proved by uniform maintenance of the life of a consistent, consecrated Christian Scientist.

Misteaching. SECTION 2. If a member of this Church is found trying to practise or to teach Christian Science contrary to the statement thereof in its textbook, SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, it shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to admonish that member according to Article XI, Sect. 4. Then, if said member persists in this offense, his or her name shall be dropped from the roll of this Church.

MEETINGS

Article XIII--REGULAR AND SPECIAL MEETINGS

Annual Meetings. SECTION 1. The regular meetings of The Mother Church shall be held annually, on Monday following the first Sunday in June. No other than its of officers are required to be present. These assemblies shall be for listening to the reports of Treasurer, Clerk, and Committees, and general reports from the Field.

Meetings of Board of Directors. SECTION 2. The annual meeting of the Christian Science Board of Directors, for electing officers and other business, shall be held on Monday preceding the annual meeting of the Church. Regular meetings for electing candidates to membership with The Mother Church, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before these meetings, shall be held on the Friday preceding the first Sunday in June, and on the first Friday in November of each year. Special meetings may be held at any time upon the call of the Clerk.

Called only by the Clerk. SECTION 3. Before calling a meeting of the members of this Church (excepting its regular sessions) it shall be the duty of the Clerk to inform the Board of Directors and the Pastor Emeritus of his intention, and to state definitely the purpose for which the members are to convene. The Clerk must have the consent of this Board and the Pastor Emeritus, before he can call said meeting.

CHURCH SERVICES

Article XIV--THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PASTOR

Ordination. SECTION 1. I, Mary Baker Eddy, ordain the BIBLE, and SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES, Pastor over The Mother Church,--The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass.,--and they will continue to preach for this Church and the world.

The Lesson-Sermon. SECTION 2. The subject of the Lesson-Sermon in the morning service of The Mother Church, and of the branch Churches of Christ, Scientist, shall be repeated at the other services on Sunday. The correlative Biblical texts in the Lesson-Sermon shall extend from Genesis to Revelation.

Article XV--READING IN PUBLIC

Announcing Author's Name. SECTION 1. To pour into the ears of listeners the sacred revelations of Christian Science indiscriminately, or without characterizing their origin and thus distinguishing them from the writings of authors who think at random on this subject, is to lose some weight in the scale of right thinking. Therefore it is the duty of every member of this Church, when publicly reading or quoting from the books or poems of our Pastor Emeritus, first to announce the name of the author. Members shall also instruct their pupils to adopt the aforenamed method for the benefit of our Cause.

Article XVI--WELCOMING STRANGERS

The Leader's Welcome. SECTION 1. Mrs. Eddy welcomes to her seats in the church, persons of all sects and denominations who come to listen to the Sunday sermon and are not otherwise provided with seats.

The Local Members' Welcome. SECTION 2. It shall be the duty and privilege of the local members of The Mother Church to give their seats, if necessary, to strangers who may come to attend the morning services.

Article XVII--SERVICES UNINTERRUPTED

Continued Throughout the Year. SECTION 1. The services of The Mother Church shall be continued twelve months each year. One meeting on Sunday during the months of July and August is sufficient. A Christian Scientist is not fatigued by prayer, by reading the Scriptures or the Christian Science textbook. Amusement or idleness is weariness. Truth and Love rest the weary and heavy laden.

Easter Observances. SECTION 2. In the United States there shall be no special observances, festivities, nor gifts at the Easter season by members of The Mother Church. Gratitude and love should abide in every heart each day of all the years. Those sacred words of our beloved Master, "Let the dead bury their dead," and "Follow thou me," appeal to daily Christian endeavors for the living whereby to exemplify our risen Lord.

Laying a Corner Stone. SECTION 3. No large gathering of people nor display shall be allowed when laying the Corner Stone of a Church of Christ, Scientist. Let the ceremony be devout. No special trowel should be used. (See SCIENCE AND HEALTH, page 140.)

Overflow Meetings. SECTION 4. A Church of Christ, Scientist, shall not hold two or more Sunday services at the same hour.

Article XVIII--COMMUNION

No more Communion. SECTION 1. The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, shall observe no more Communion seasons.

Communion of Branch Churches. SECTION 2. The Communion shall be observed in the branch churches on the second Sunday in January and July of each year, and at this service the Tenets of The Mother Church are to be read.

Article XIX--MUSIC IN THE CHURCH

Soloist and Organist. SECTION 1. The music in The Mother Church shall not be operatic, but of an appropriate religious character and of a recognized standard of musical excellence; it shall be played in a dignified and suitable manner. Music from the organ alone should continue about eight or nine minutes for the voluntary and six or seven minutes for the postlude, the offertory conforming to the time required to take the collection. The solo singer shall not neglect to sing any special hymn selected by the Board of Directors.

Article XX--SUNDAY SCHOOL

The Sunday School. SECTION 1. Pupils may be received in the Sunday School classes of any Church of Christ, Scientist, up to the age of twenty years, and by transfer from another Church of Christ, Scientist, up to that age, but no pupil shall remain in the Sunday School of any Church of Christ, Scientist, after reaching the age of twenty. None except the officers, teachers, and pupils should attend the Sunday School exercises.

Teaching the Children. SECTION 2. The Sabbath School children shall be taught the Scriptures, and they shall be instructed according to their understanding or ability to grasp the simpler meanings of the divine Principle that they are taught.

Subject for Lessons. SECTION 3. The first lessons of the children should be the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 3-17), the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6: 9-13), and its Spiritual Interpretation by Mary Baker Eddy, Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5: 3-12). The next lessons consist of such questions and answers as are adapted to a juvenile class, and may be found in the Christian Science Quarterly Lessons, read in Church services. The instruction given by the children's teachers must not deviate from the absolute Christian Science contained in their textbook.

READING ROOMS

Article XXI

Establishment. SECTION 1. Each church of the Christian Science denomination shall have a Reading Room, though two or more churches may unite in having Reading Rooms, provided these rooms are well located.

Librarian. SECTION 2. The individuals who take charge of the Reading Rooms of The Mother Church shall be elected by the Christian Science Board of Directors, subject to the approval of Mary Baker Eddy. He or she shall have no bad habits, shall have had experience in the Field, shall be well educated, and a devout Christian Scientist.[3]

Literature in Reading Rooms. SECTION 3. The literature sold or exhibited in the reading rooms of Christian Science Churches shall consist only of _Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures_, by Mary Baker Eddy, and other writings by this author; also the literature published or sold by The Christian Science Publishing Society.

[3] See also Article XXV, Sect. 7.

RELATION AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS TO PASTOR EMERITUS

Article XXII

The Title of Mother Changed. SECTION 1. In the year eighteen hundred and ninety-five, loyal Christian Scientists had given to the author of their textbook, the Founder of Christian Science, the individual, endearing term of Mother. At first Mrs. Eddy objected to being called thus, but afterward consented on the ground that this appellative in the Church meant nothing more than a tender term such as sister or brother. In the year nineteen hundred and three and after, owing to the public misunderstanding of this name, it is the duty of Christian Scientists to drop the word _mother_ and to substitute Leader, already used in our periodicals.

A Member not a Leader. SECTION 2. A member of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass., shall not be called Leader by members of this Church, when this term is used in connection with Christian Science.

Obedience Required. SECTION 3. It shall be the duty of the officers of this Church, of the editors of the _Christian Science Journal_, _Sentinel_, and _Der Herold_, of the members of the Committees on Publication, of the Trustees of The Christian Science Publishing Society, and of the Board of Education promptly to comply with any written order, signed by Mary Baker Eddy, which applies to their official functions. Disobedience to this By-Law shall be sufficient cause for the removal of the offending member from office.

The vacancy shall be supplied by a majority vote of the Christian Science Board of Directors, and the candidate shall be subject to the approval of Mary Baker Eddy.

Understanding Communications. SECTION 4. If the Clerk of this Church shall receive a communication from the Pastor Emeritus which he does not fully understand, he shall inform her of this fact before presenting it to the Church and obtain a clear understanding of the matter,--then act in accordance therewith.

Interpreting Communications. SECTION 5. If at a meeting of this Church a doubt or disagreement shall arise among the members as to the signification of the communications of the Pastor Emeritus to them, before action is taken it shall be the duty of the Clerk to report to her the vexed question and to await her explanation thereof.