When I was in my senior year of college, thousands of American men and women were serving in Vietnam. Thousands more, and many religious leaders, were protesting the United States' involvement in the war.
I thought seriously about declaring myself a conscientious objector. My home state draft board wasn't known to smile on "CO" applicants, but my convictions were steadily growing clearer and stronger. As a Christian Scientist, I valued the freedom I had to think for myself. The Christian Science Church does not dictate political or social positions to its members. The teachings of this Science empower each adherent to work out his own salvation through prayer and discipleship.
The summer after my graduation, the only job waiting for me was sorting out my mental tangle. I turned to the Bible and to Mary Baker Eddy's writings for inspiration. I prayed for God's guidance, for willingness, and for the courage to act on spiritual intuition with complete trust. (Even if the answer pointed in an unexpected direction. And it did.)
