I was attracted to the study of Christian Science in my middle years. At the time I had been smoking cigarettes for twenty-five years and had never seriously attempted to stop; smoking was like a reward, something that I did just for myself.
As bans on smoking became more commonplace, I even became a more "courteous smoker," not indulging at friends' homes or in public places. Since I primarily restricted my habit to my own home, most people didn't even know I smoked. But it was a daily addiction, and one I could not do without.
When I became a more serious student of Christian Science and started attending church services, I knew Christian Science did not condone smoking, and that Science and Health states clearly that the use of tobacco is not in harmony with its practice. However, I justified my habit by saying that I was a new student and couldn't be expected to change my ways so rapidly. I judged other church members, and declared that some of them had unsavory habits that were also not in harmony with Christian Science. I even argued that the church rules were archaic.
