A RECENT FRENCH parliamentary report called the wearing of the burqa—a full-length veil covering Muslim women—"unacceptable," and recommended that lawmakers forbid it in trains and buses, in state venues such as hospitals and public buildings ("What's hiding behind France's proposed burqa ban?" The Christian Science Monitor, January 27, 2010). The drafting of a bill and a parliamentary debate will now follow.

Many see being discreet with one's religion as a necessary part of being French. New immigrants are introduced to the constitutional concept of laÏcité, or secularism, through a short film depicting a church, synagogue, and mosque, followed by a smiling couple closing their front door to the camera.

Even those with limited French language skills can't help but infer that, to be socially acceptable, religious practices are to be contained within the private precincts of one's own home. This may surprise those who believe that more open expressions of faith, and fellowship among practitioners of differing religions, will benefit the community, but it is not unusual in an increasingly secular Europe.

"Nonreligious culture in Europe is growing," notes mid-2005 research published by Encyclopedia Britannica. Those who describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, nonbelievers, or de-religionized secularists rank collectively in the single digit percentile in Italy, but in Sweden the figure is up to 85 percent. The BBC recently reported that Denmark is made up of mostly nominal Christians who don't go to church—the implication being that Christianity is considered more a cultural than religious identifier.

As spiritual and religious topics are more and more taboo in polite company, the ridiculing of religion and the characterization of religious people as extreme are becoming more common, and don't target only Muslims. Critics fear that creating an atmosphere of "don't ask, don't tell" among the faithful prevents the believer from observing his or her religion, instead of promoting freedom of thought and freedom of religion.

Mary Baker Eddy challenged atheistic views that would exclude God from public discourse and from finding practical everyday expression. She introduced an understanding of God whose presence can be experienced in daily life—a livable Truth and divine Life. She wrote: "For man to know Life as it is, namely God, the eternal good, gives him not merely a sense of existence, but an accompanying consciousness of spiritual power that subordinates matter and destroys sin, disease, and death. This, Jesus demonstrated; ... This spiritual power, healing sin and sickness, was not confined to the first century; it extends to all time, inhabits eternity, and demonstrates Life without beginning or end" (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 189).

Prayer that opens one up to explore a more spiritual view of God as divine Life can help enlarge humanity's access to a free, open, and wholly spiritual relationship with their Creator. The Bible explains, "The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations" (Ps. 33:11). To know more of Life, God, as eternal good, is to experience the "counsel of the Lord," or the divine plan of good, in daily life.

A number of years ago I was invited to speak to an association of atheists on the topic of Christian Science. I'll admit I was prepared for a debate, even perhaps for some hostility or opposition toward the ideas I was sharing about a present and demonstrable God whose healing power could be demonstrated in a tangible way. Rather, I encountered a thoughtful and respectful audience eager to know why I believed and practiced prayer-based healing. It's hard to argue with experience. And God-experiences—moments of profound connection to a sense of good, of love—speak to a desire that is universal: the longing to experience lasting good.

I shared a bit of my own life story. When my husband passed on suddenly, I experienced a crisis of faith. I was running on automatic, zombie-style, and turned my back completely on anything related to God. I was angry—disillusioned. I was so, so sad. But after a conversation with a friend—a Christian Scientist who discerned my struggle—stirred me to think deeply about who or what I considered to be God, I had one of the most powerful spiritual experiences of my life. I became aware of a God who was wholly good, divine Good itself—not some judgmental anthropomorphic figure who answers one prayer and denies another.

My struggle with and rejection of God was really a rejection of a humanized material belief about God, and not of the reality of Life as God that was now being revealed to me. It boiled down to a question of vocabulary. God was Good, and a spiritual and permanent sense of unchanging good was what I naturally craved. As I lost the feeling of being disconnected from Life and from God, the grief and sadness lifted. A complete turnaround resulted. I became more grounded in my spirituality, and as a result found my prayers to be much more effective in bringing healing to others.

During the meeting with the atheists, my sharing of personal faith led to a thoughtful discussion. My atheist friends were open to a dialogue on Life, Principle, Truth, Love—terms used synonymously in Christian Science to describe the universal and good that is God. For me it was no longer a "meeting with atheists." I was conversing with fellow spiritual seekers who were looking for a functional vocabulary to describe what they intuitively sought—an understanding of practical and lasting good.

Mary Baker Eddy once wrote, "The seeker of Truth will find it" (A 10433, The Mary Baker Eddy Collection, The Mary Baker Eddy Library). The God-experience isn't optional; we can't close our doors to it or legislate it out. A social atheism that would foster indifference to faith, discourage open discussion of moral and spiritual precepts, or deny spirituality a place at the table in discussions of healthcare, does not have sovereign power. Mrs. Eddy's book Science and Health states: "Spiritual rationality and free thought accompany approaching Science, and cannot be put down. They will emancipate humanity, and supplant unscientific means and so-called laws" (p. 223).

It can take courage to speak of spirituality and things of God where cultural doors seem closed. But this is a conversation many of our neighbors are longing to have. We can pray for the words and the opportunity to make a genuine connection, and a healing difference.

Humanity's access to a practical relationship with God must not be lost in a public debate that pits the religious and secular against each other as opponents. Nor can genuine religious experience that results from a spiritual connection with God be phased out by cultural shifts or legislative acts. From an entirely spiritual standpoint, nothing can come between any man, woman, or child, and his or her ability to know and experience God. CSS