Testimony of Healing October 16, 1995 Issue

To learn that "Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter" (Science and Health, p. 264)...

Marguerite Ruffner with contributions from Lisa Heine

To learn that "Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter" (Science and Health, p. 264) has not only opened my own horizon of understanding, but has also meant healing and awakening for my dear mother. While I am not a church member, I rejoice in sharing the following experience.

Just before Labor Day in 1992, and under what seemed to be emergency conditions, I was called home to Ohio at my father's urgent request. The situation indeed appeared alarming; my mother, a lifelong Christian Scientist, had extreme difficulty moving from her bed. Her breathing was labored, and she lapsed periodically into delirium and unconsciousness.

When Mother became alert and could speak, I asked her whether she wanted to pass on, and she replied firmly, "No." She glanced toward the open Bible and Science and Health on her nightstand. Without another word, I knew I had two commitments to honor—despite contrary views expressed by other family members present, I must respect her choice for spiritual healing through Christian Science treatment, and protect the freedom of individual rights, as guaranteed by the United States Constitution.

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