How did Mary Baker Eddy’s Congregationalist upbringing influence her religious beliefs?

Mary Baker Eddy’s Congregationalist upbringing profoundly shaped her religious development, serving as both a foundation and a catalyst for her eventual departure from traditional orthodoxy.12

Her early life in a strict New Hampshire home instilled in her a deep, Bible-centered piety. She was particularly influenced by the "New Light" tradition of Jonathan Edwards, which emphasized an emotional, heartfelt response to God’s love and majesty.12

However, Eddy struggled with the "relentless theology" of her father’s Calvinist predestination, which she found difficult to reconcile with a God of love in a world marked by suffering and pain. This tension, exacerbated by significant personal misfortunes and chronic illness, drove her to seek a more profound understanding of faith. While she rejected the "hellfire determinism" of her youth, her Congregationalist roots prevented her from adopting the Unitarianism or Transcendentalism of her era, leading her instead to develop the unique, scripturally focused theology of Christian Science.12