Testimony of Healing August 11, 1986 Issue

During a vacation in California a few years ago, I went to a...

PHILIP A. SMITH

During a vacation in California a few years ago, I went to a secluded surfing beach. To reach it, I had to walk a mile through brush and cactus. This led to a steep trail that took me down a cliff of rain-eroded earth to the beach.

Leaving the water after my last ride on the waves, I accidentally stepped on a stingray and was stung. I lay down on the beach for a moment, when a lifeguard came to where I was and offered me aid, explaining that a sting of this kind was serious and dangerous. I was advised to remain still; activity, it was believed, would make the poison work faster. Several people were soon standing around me. They were all very kind and solicitous, telling me of the seriousness of the situation. I was offered a painkiller as well as transportation to a nearby hospital, and was told I should have a tetanus shot.

Being new to Christian Science, I had not yet really taken a stand for this way of life. But as I lay back on my blanket, I decided that medication was not what I wanted. Then it dawned on me that this sting or injury, according to Christian Science, was really a belief, an imposition, and that I could reject this threat to my freedom because it was a lie about God's man.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Testimony of Healing

Many years ago I began attending services each Sunday at...