My husband and I were newcomers in town. The first Christian Scientist I met warned me about conditions at the local branch church. He explained how certain members were incorrect in their demonstration of Christian Science, and added that they were misleading the membership. He indicated it was the extremity of the situation that necessitated his telling me. I believed him.
This person and some of his friends were holding church services in a building at the city park. My husband and I began attending services there. Great respect was shown for this man, and his views were generally adopted. There was no question he cared deeply about the Cause of Christian Science. As time went on, he continued to give his analysis of conditions in the local branch church, indicating that evil still governed. He talked with me rather often about negative church conditions, and those of us in the group talked among ourselves.
I prayed sincerely to heal this situation. The Bible instructed me, especially those passages in which Christ Jesus says, "Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" Matt. 7:3-5. and "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you...." Matt. 5:44. I reasoned: how would I know when and if these so-called wrongdoers in the branch church (I had never met them personally) experienced repentance and reformation? Wasn't that between them and God? Was it not my business to uphold the truth of their identity as the offspring of God, and to disbelieve any reality for evil?
