n
a person who believes in Christian Science , a form of Christianity started by Mary Baker Eddy in Boston , US, in 1879. She said that the mind is the only thing that is real, that the physical world is just an illusion (= false idea), and that suffering and death can be overcome by prayer alone. Christian Scientists do not take medicine or go into hospital, but talk to a Christian Science Practitioner who helps them deal with their illness. They have no priests, and their services are very simple, consisting of readings from the Bible and the works of Mary Baker Eddy, religious songs, and accounts from people who have been cured.