Testimony of Healing June 2, 1923 Issue

I want to send an undying wave of gratitude throughout...

Fred Cannings

I want to send an undying wave of gratitude throughout the world for complete deliverance from the blackest mental night, solely through the study of Christian Science and its interpretation of the Bible, together with loyal help given me by a practitioner of Christian Science.

From boyhood I had read the Bible; but I was unable to accept a denominational presentation of it, because in the light of such the Bible promised salvation from human troubles conditionally. After attending ten different denominational churches, and traveling in this country to hear many well-known preachers, my mental condition was one of utter despair. I had also read many theological books, but found in them no practical aid to salvation. Gratitude, however, is due to Christian friends for kindness shown to me during this period, and for their many efforts to help me.

Eleven years ago a complete mental breakdown resulted, and, after personal appeals to several ministers of religion, I ruminated that my concept of religion seemed in my dilemma only an irritating theory, which mocked me in my extremity. I suffered acutely from fear, insomnia, and internal troubles, for which I took drugs, underwent massage and other treatment in a nursing home, and was finally ordered therefrom—by a specialist—to London, the hope being that by endeavoring to concentrate my thought on its varieties I might regain my equilibrium. Not one of these forms of treatment gave me mental relief, although I received kind and earnes attention from my friends and medical advisers. I returned to my work, after six months of idleness, in a very unstable state, and resolved not to think seriously about anything. I put the Bible away, let religion go, but never abandoned the thought that God was to be understood.

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