Malinda Cramer

Malinda Elliott Cramer (June 12, 1844 – August 2, 1906) was a founder of the Church of Divine Science, faith healer, and an important figure in the early New Thought movement.

Hoping to alleviate a persistent health problem, she moved to San Francisco, California, in 1872, where she met Charles Lake Cramer, a photographer; they wed that year.

In 1885, perhaps under the impetus of Christian Scientist Miranda Rice,[2] Cramer had what she described as a divine revelation after an "hour of earnest meditation and prayerful seeking"[3] and a “realization of the oneness of Life, [and] a gleam of its Truth flashed across my mental vision.”[4] She reported being healed of her health problems within the following two years.

In 1893, she helped open the second Divine Science College in Oakland and undertook several cross-country missionary trips.

[7] Between 1893 and 1898, Cramer trained Nona L. Brooks,[8] ordaining her as a minister in the Church of Divine Science on December 1, 1898.