People sometimes wonder why a loving parent chooses spiritual healing for a child rather than turning to medical treatment. The question itself implies that healing through prayer is somehow inferior or less reliable than a medical remedy.
Parents studying Christian Science are learning to seek spiritual solutions to the problems they encounter in their lives, and they are teaching their children to do the same. As they turn to prayer for physical healing - often for minor ailments at first - and see it work, they gain confidence in it. They learn to trust prayer as they see its effectiveness.Christian Scientists are not required to rely only on spiritual healing. You can't force someone to trust any healing method. Sometimes new students of Christian Science have turned to prayer only after medical treatment has proven ineffective for themselves or their children.
But as they see it work in their own experience, they find themselves turning more and more to prayer. They choose spiritual healing because they not only find freedom from illness - they also learn more about God and themselves.
Spiritual healing isn't just blindly hoping for a miracle. It results from consecrated prayer and a concerted effort to live a Christian life. And it isn't done just by adults. The prayers of children have often brought healing for themselves or others.
Christian Scientists are not choosing to risk the health of their children. They turn to prayer because they have seen it work and understand how it works. They choose spiritual healing because it heals through love and a growing understanding of God. This is what they are choosing for their children - health as well as increased spirituality.
Recent newspaper articles have mentioned a "number of high-profile cases" where children have died when their parents turned to prayer rather than medical science. It is true that a small number of children have died in the past decade while relying on spiritual healing. But this is no reason to condemn a healing method that has been successfully treating illness for over 100 years.
Society doesn't condemn medical science even though it doesn't have a 100 percent success rate. Those in the medical profession are doing their best to heal every patient who comes to them. Their dedication and devotion help to reduce suffering for many people every day. But their record is not perfect. Should spiritual healing be held to a standard of perfection medical science cannot achieve?
Our society can't afford to deny parents the opportunity to turn to spiritual healing for their families. It is an integral part of the life of a Christian Scientist and one of the most valuable gifts Christian Science parents have to give their children.
Sharon Huntington
Salt Lake City