Our Sunday School class of eight eleventhgraders decided to write you a letter. We wanted to tell you some of the good things you've done to help us be good Christian Scientists, and some of the things you do that turn us off.

The best thing you can do is really live Christian Science every day. Always reminding us of it isn't going to convince us. If we feel your love, if we know you are honest, and if we see you turning to Truth to solve problems, that's more than any talk can do.

We're glad you've given us a religion. One girl in our class told of meeting two kids whose parents were of different faiths. They were afraid of biasing their children in one direction or another, and so they didn't give their children any religion at all. These kids felt deprived, and we also felt that they had missed something. So thank you for all the hymns you sang to us when we were little and for seeing that we got to Sunday School.

Now that we're in high school, things are a little different from what they were in grade school. For some reason, whenever we're forced to do anything, we feel like resisting.

We appreciate it when we can just quietly discuss things with you. If we question or doubt, please don't get all upset and think that we're leaving all the ideas we've been taught for years. Can't we just talk together without your suddenly feeling it's time for a whole hour's lecture? We love to discuss things with you, but we really don't like to be lectured to.

Another thing. If we do something wrong, explain to us why it is wrong, not just say that it's wrong because we're Christian Scientists and Christian Scientists don't do that. One of us has a brother who got drunk, and his mother said he shouldn't drink because he was a Christian Scientist. Now the brother says he's not a Christian Scientist, and so he feels he can drink all he wants. In other words, don't use the letter of Christian Science as the only reason for all the disciplining that you should be doing in any case.

Also, when we're talking about something in the human situation, please don't suddenly shift the conversation to the absolute, spiritual basis of things. For example, one of us was talking to our parents about Darwin and was trying to have an interesting conversation, and the parent kept shifting it to perfect God and perfect man, which would be fine at certain times, but wasn't appropriate right then.

We appreciate it when you let us try to use Christian Science by ourselves. One boy's brother worked for himself when he had a broken ankle. The ankle healed very quickly. Now he's really excited about Christian Science. Support us so that these healings do take place, but don't do them all for us.

Recently we saw a movie at school about training wolves. In it the trainer said that if the wolf bites, it's up to the trainer to find out what is making the wolf do that. In other words, one has to listen to the bite also. So, if we do something wrong, don't just turn away and condemn us. Listen to the wrong and find the motive and then you'll know better how to help.

By the time we're through junior high school we know that you want us to study Christian Science, but please don't force us to read a certain number of sections of the Lesson-Sermon ^{Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson .} each day. Have Sentinels, pamphlets, and lesson books available. It's amazing how often we have read from them when we were away at camp and felt we needed something.

How much we should go to Sunday School and church is something each family has to work out. However, don't feel that we have forsaken Truth if we want to stay home once in a while.

We agree that religion is a nice family thing, but don't always link it with the family. When we go to church together, sometimes it's nice for the whole family to sit together, but sometimes we like to sit by ourselves. High school is a time to become more self-reliant and independent. If Christian Science and the family are so closely linked together, then some kids feel they have to break from their religion in order to shift away from close family ties.

Take us to other kinds of churches once in a while or let us go with our friends. The experience of most of our Christian Science friends has been that this has just made them realize how much Science has to offer.

Actually, we appreciate your wanting to share Christian Science with us. I guess we appreciate it so much that we don't want you to ruin it by doing some of the little things that bother us. The role of a parent is to encourage us to do things that will help us lead a better life. We want you to help us hold on to Truth. We need a little shove now and then in the right direction, but don't push so hard that we go off in another direction just because of the push.

Yours,

Holly Berry Robert U'ren Paul Russell Steve Griswold Gin Schopbach Corinne Clark Nancy Harvey Philip Brake