Two of our members briefed the Group on happenings at the Emergence International conference in Oakland last weekend. The thrust there was to retrieve the Sermon On The Mount from the grip of personal sense which reads and practices it as prescription for oppression and victimhood. We were particularly interested in the Association paper by Clarence Steves showing clearly the Science underlying this precious document.  (This paper is available through the Bookmark — telephone, 805-298-7767.) Here are a couple of examples:

Matthew 5:3 — "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven," was seen as an invitation to drop personal sense and live All.

Matthew 5:15 — about the candle hidden under the bushel is a warning against smothering the power of Science under a lot of personal sense.

Other sessions included metaphysical insights drawn from Mrs. Eddy's life and church architecture, and Christian Science healing of sickness and sin (e.g. homophobia). One speaker, a Journal-listed practitioner, recommended handling hate in an AIDS case, and that we specifically handle this when thinking of the Matthew Shepard case — the standard of Science is to see everyone involved as divine idea.

One of our members was drawn in his study this week to investigate the meaning of mountains, their archetypal significance. Yes, the Sermon On The Mount is a peak experience in Jesus' career and a summary (summit) of his teachings, but mountains are of immense significance in Scripture and in the writings of Mrs. Eddy. Think of Horeb, Zion, Golgotha. To primitive thought, mountains were where one approached God (Horeb), a place of transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13), a place where gods live (Olympus or perhaps Zion), a place where the dead are buried (the Western Mountains at Thebes). And lest we think our Movement is beyond all such things, think of Chestnut Hill or Mount Saint Albans. The metaphysical point is that these huge and life transforming structures — as it seems to dualistic mortal sense — connote the oneness of God-man, infinite and eternal.

Here are some comments that came up on specific texts in the Sermon

• Enemies (Matthew 5:43-48): In Science we have no enemies and our work as students of Christian Science is to prove this. We see God in the situation rather than rag a personal sense of it.
• Prayer (Matthew 6:5-17): Instead of a lot of oblations and worship, why not a simple "I wonder what the Truth is?" Do it just the way you'd pursue any subject, say math. Study, use, work with, etc.
• Casting motes out of our eye first (Matthew 7:3): Clarence Steves included in the motes such beliefs as lack, envy, "over there", political convictions, personality, having a patient, personal understanding.
• Not casting our pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6): Do we see others as swine? We may wisely withhold a speech or whatever from someone, but with that should come the conviction, based on Fact, that the person is already perfect, divine, fully saved.

Healings:

One member attended a lecture by a friend who described the healing of a drought-induced famine in China when a follower of the Tao felt he must leave the tumultuous scene of competitive scrounging for food and actually go apart for a few days to restore his sense of the oneness of Being. Apparently he was able to do so and to see everyone as perfectly supplied in this oneness. Immediately, gentle healing rains commenced and everyone was saved.

One of our members in attendance in Oakland tuned in the television one evening to see first Fred Phelps haranguing the family and friends of Matt Shepard, and then a discussion between the Rev. Falwell and two Gay people — Elizabeth Birch and Andrew Sullivan. Being pretty high from the conference he prayed to see reality in both circumstances and found himself seeing the strong, vibrant angel of homosexuality that Mr. Phelps is struggling with — come on forth you dear one. He was also quite thrilled to see the Gay folks engaging the minister on a spiritual basis, and not just arguing for political rights. He felt the minister was shocked to hear that these two devout people look at the inspired word of the Bible with particular reference to the Jesus Christ message rather than pick a few scraps here and there in an Old Testament holiness code or from the tortured moments of St. Paul.

Friends of one of our members reported a very unkind remark made by another concerning him. He was glad we were working on the Sermon On The Mount, because it gives plenty of help in reversing this sort of thing, particularly when sharpened up with Science. He used the statement, "The Christianly scientific real is the sensuous unreal," (Science and Health, pg. 353:1). Whatever paranoid fantasy this dear one was entertaining from a mortal perspective was in reality the unbifurcated Truth of Being. He is happy to report he's well out of the problem and enjoying the vision this healing opened for him.

One of our internet patrons reported a harmonious resolution to a personal sense of misjudgment. This individual was in the middle of a discussion between several other people on the internet when the conversation turned foul and the members of this group started to bash another certain religious group. Our friend decided to take the liberty of reminding the members of the discussion about Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. After feeling proud of himself for about a half hour, he realized he had made the same error in judgement that this group had done. In the midst of a strong sense of guilt, including physical discomfort, the "still, small voice" of Truth whispered, "The battle is not yours, but God's."  Our friend then felt a deep sense of humility overtake him — a reassurance of the presence of God's care for him, and peace about the situation soon followed.

We'll work on Politics for next week to underpin the mid term elections.