As a very young man, my father was healed of rheumatoid arthritis through Christian Science. My mother, a devout member of another church, learned of Science through him. When I was quite young, they enrolled me in the Sunday School of a branch Church of Christ, Scientist. There I developed a deep love of Christian Science as a result of dedicated teaching.
Several years ago I was required to take a physical examination. The results were excellent except for a high blood pressure reading, which was attributed to the stress and frustrations of my job. My wife, who is not a student of Christian Science, became afraid and insisted I seek medical attention. A physician prescribed medication that he said I must take for the rest of my life.
To one who had been raised in Christian Science, this came as a demoralizing ultimatum. But the real challenge was not the doctor's edict so much as my wife's insistence that I follow his orders. I was faced with a dilemma: I could take what would appear to her to be a willful stand for Christian Science, or I could ease her fear by obeying the doctor. Reluctantly, I took the medicine under her watchful eye.
