One member said last week he felt we spent too much time criticizing The Mother Church and its branches. So we took it up as our topic.

Members already knew that in Christian Science it's one thing to become aware of error but the appropriate response is to pray for healing, rather than collapse into cycles of victimized kvetching (well, we are New Yorkers). But mortal assessments of church naturally lead on to destructive criticism in an addictive way. All the religious wars — is there any other kind really? — holocausts and church struggles come from this sad way of seeing things. So it's not just the New York Group who are the baddies.

Our meeting occurred on the eve of the impeachment debate in the House of Representatives, with bombs dropping on Baghdad — so we were compelled to broaden our awareness to include not only the Christian Science Movement and religions in general, but also all institutions, relationships and even bodies which partake of the energies inherent in the church archetype. Whenever two or three are gathered together — be it people, groups, or body cells and organs — the resulting relationship will act as a container or retort (to use the alchemical term), wherein chemicalization can occur and bring to light layers of error not otherwise revealed. The student of Christian Science will not leave it there but take up the cross of erroneous perception and see "...in my name, there AM I in the midst of them."

Other observations:

• Moses, Christ Jesus and Mary Baker Eddy all set forth severe critiques of the religions they were born into. They tried dealing with the authorities, failed, and went on to found new movements which facilitated mankind's unfoldment of the divine-human coincidence. Mrs. Eddy often criticized operations of the church — but always in an attempt to lift and bring wider vision to the situation.
• Lesbian and Gay Christian Scientists have developed quite an expertise over the last thirty years in handling "wickedness in high places,"in persisting with Science by action (e.g. the 1980 demonstration at Annual Meeting, the formation of Emergence International and the local groups) as well as prayerful work in our field. The wealth of patient knowing underlying this work is helpful to our non-gay fellow members as they too are bidden to leave matter-based certainties behind.
• Any human institution by its very nature is a dualistic mixture of good and evil, and its adherents will have a tendency to project powerful motives unto it leaders. The work of the student of Science is to translate the mortal appearances into the divine Reality just at hand. Even the worst, most dictatorial and bigoted person or group can quickly be seen as the unfoldment of perfection provided the shift of consciousness is accomplished impersonally. Any attempt to see good people or to manipulate a favorable result will at best bring a temporary sense of ease which may result in further trips to the downside. We'll have plenty of good people and institutions when we lean on the sustaining infinite as their only source and condition — and ours too.
• One member felt we should just scrap the Christian Science Movement, since it is actually harming the progress of Science. Others acknowledged the problems but felt there is still value in having a central organization. Again, through prayer and action, healing can be brought to the situation. We all agreed that participation in our local group is where our heart and soul reside and this makes more bearable what's happening with the Movement at large.
• An absolute view, expressed by one as eyes glazed over around the table, is that church is a word for consciously being the full reflection of Divinity; thereby rendering one's entire universe, in all dimensions, Heaven now.

Healings:

The cousin of a member died during the week. He remarked to himself, out of habit, "Well, he didn't go anywhere."He quickly saw that in belief he had gone somewhere. And he further saw that if he could say that of a friend who had just taken off in a plane for another city, then he could also say it of one departed into death. Then dawned the truth — as infinite, eternal idea, man never goes anywhere because he's already everywhere. That's the truth for everyone, whether belief designates us "alive"or "dead".

A member has for years found himself achingly lonely and depressed around birthdays and holiday seasons. This was the case even when surrounded by friends and lovers. He traced the problem to a feeling of having lost his idyllic childhood and beloved parents. A couple of weeks ago he started studying and working with the term Father-Mother in Mrs. Eddy's writings and reports that all the sad feelings have lifted, and he's quite happy.

The member who reported an upsurge in his two careers last week, indicated the continued unfoldment of activity, this time at levels in his original profession which previously were inaccessible. The power and direction are flowing from staying close to the utter here-ness and now-ness of God.

Next week we'll look at the Meaning Of Christmas, and try to break the spell of sentimentalism and hooey that deaden it.