A commitment and a contribution

By Hugo Smoter

I Grew Up in Warsaw, Poland, in a household that was open to all sorts of religious ideas. My grandmother and mom investigated several religions, and I was exposed to them as a child. My mother used to read to me at bedtime from the Bhagavad-Gita and the Bible, as well as from traditional storybooks.

I never felt any pressure whatsoever to choose a religion. Poland is a largely Catholic country, so most of my friends in first grade went to catechism classes. The fact that I didn't go along with them was unusual. Christian Science was not the family religion, but we were familiar with it, and occasionally I went to a Christian Science Society in Warsaw.

At some point, about halfway through first grade, I became curious about what all my friends were learning in catechism class, and I began attending, too. I loved both of my religion teachers very much—the Christian Science Sunday School teacher and the Catholic nun who taught catechism. I thought they were both just wonderful.

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