Article August 3, 1981 Issue

One of a series of articles by young people who have in recent years become Christian Scientists. They explain how they became interested in Christian Science, what convinced them of its utility and truth, and how its teachings have changed their lives.

How I found Christian Science and entered its public practice

Written for the Sentinel

At the height of the Vietnam War, with the specter of the draft staring over my shoulder and my personal life feeling—and future prospects looking—like a total zero, I was overcome with depression, despair, and a sense of futility. Almost as a last resort I began reading Christ Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, which had been the center of my early religious training. The strict demands and requirements of these teachings began at once to instill order and purpose into my daily life.

Although not raised a Christian Scientist, I had occasionally attended a Christian Science Sunday School because my parents felt that it was the one church they knew of where children were sure to learn about the Bible. I was never particularly interested in what was being taught, however, and as I got older, I rejected organized religion as too limiting and restrictive. Now, though, with an ever-increasing desire to understand the Bible, I remembered that Christian Science claimed to unlock the spiritual meaning of the Scriptures. I began to read the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and my anxiety and frustration, along with thoughts of suicide, began to abate.

I quit the university I was attending and decided to file for conscientious objector status with the Selective Service. The way opened up to work as a dishwasher in a sanatorium for Christian Scientists. I wanted to know more of this religion that was so radically changing my outlook and my approach to life.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Poem
On St. John's vision
August 3, 1981
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit