I learned about Christian Science from a friend in high school. I was an active member of a Protestant church and was concerned that my friend declined an aspirin when she had a headache. She explained that she was a Christian Scientist and was accustomed to turning to God for healing. I began to read about Christian Science so I could help her see what I believed to be the fallacy of this “dangerous” religion.

Over several months, we had a lot of conversations about God and our relationship to Him, and I was also able to ask questions of my friend’s mother, who was a Christian Science practitioner. But I continued to try to reason my friend out of her faith.

One day, I became ill. I had all the symptoms of a seasonal flu. Alone in my room, I thought, “Well, what would my friend do if she were confronted with this illness?” For just a few minutes, I sincerely prayed. I acknowledged that there is one God, that God is good, that God created all, and that God’s creation, including man (everyone’s true identity), is very good, as the first chapter of Genesis tells us. I also acknowledged that God is all-powerful—certainly strong enough to maintain everything in His creation in perfection. Next, I admitted to myself that this sickness could not be part of God’s plan for me or have a place in reality. It had to be a lie, and I didn’t have to believe it.