Last week's discussion about the purpose of our Group grew out of reactions to officially sanctioned homophobia in the Christian Science Movement. Some wanted to pursue a more activist agenda, but the consensus seemed to be to go ahead with our meetings in their present format which has evolved over a 13-year period.

This week members seemed even more certain of the value of the meetings as they now function — incorporating readings, discussion, healing testimonies and a time for help in Science. As before, they will continue open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or religious background. We did decide to support, prayerfully, those who wish to form a subcommittee or task force to work in a physically activist mode, and were informed of a project now under development.

We will also devote more attention to Lesbian and Gay community topics e.g., Gay parenting (several states are preparing legislation to take children away from their Gay or Lesbian parents) or immigration policy (Gay people are never granted the right to have their long term foreign mates granted automatic citizenship as occurs routinely among the married non-Gay). It also appears to some of us that we have not yet discerned the metaphysical basis of homosexuality. What does God see/be just where humans see a homosexual? This line of inquiry should yield much comfort and stability to ourselves and to our brothers and sisters . To those who might want to dismiss the whole thing as a crock, perhaps the place to start is with a question like, "What does God see/be as a Christian Scientist?"

Several members mentioned that they are often disturbed by the level of non Christian Science sharing at the meetings. This is pretty much an inevitability for a meeting held in a public space, with few rules as to the flow of conversation. Everyone seems to want the freedom to speak; so it must be up to those who have a grasp of Science to bring things gently around to the facts of being. This is one of the glories of our meetings — virtually anything can and does come up and since, as Mrs. Eddy puts it, "Every material belief hints the existence of spiritual reality..." (see Miscellaneous Writings, pg. 60:28-29), that's our opportunity to grow in Science.

One member described how he experiences church as a divine idea to be lived, not just believed. He is his own church, whether he acts it out as a dualistic concept or a divine-human coincidence. Experiencing it as the latter, he can bring its energies to any group, organization, relationship or even body — in short wherever there is a belief in more than one person, place or thing being brought together. Togetherness is language for the oneness of being. Indeed, one can live his entire universe in the same way: "But the seed is in itself, only as the divine Mind is All and reproduces all—as Mind is the multiplier, and Mind's infinite idea, man and the universe, is the product." (Science and Health, pg. 508:2)

Interesting issues about help in Christian Science came up when a member described two problems in his business. A complicated foreign trip was delayed and schedules were being disrupted, not only in the foreign locale but also for meetings with clients once he returned. Furthermore he was quite shaken by the revelation that a trusted long-term contractor had gone around him and contacted a customer directly. While the problem has been discussed and new promises made, how can he trust this person again? He remarked it would be similar to a spouse or lover having an outside affair — how would one re-establish trust with Christian Science?

Of course our initial impulse was to flood him with a lot of advice about standing up for his rights, etc. One member sensing his discomfort pointed out that we have only limited information and cannot possibly offer just the right mix of actions to take. Better to offer some scientific insights. There was an audible release of tension as we got back to our only expertise. As for schedules going awry, the vision of church just described should be a good treatment — just going forward with the assurance that divinity alone is in control taking the event out of the hands of mortality and placing it in God. As for trusting someone who has fallen short, perhaps the solution is unswerving trust in God as the sole cause and effect of the business and its employer/employee relations. Trying to trust people mortalizes them and us. Trust God as the source and condition of all, and we'll have trustworthy people.

Another member described a healing he had during the week of a painful hand condition. After several days of pretty ineffective work on the problem, he called a practitioner who immediately quoted this verse from a hymn:

Embosomed deep in Thy dear love,
Held in Thy law, I stand:
Thy hand in all things I behold,
And all things in Thy hand.
Thou leadest me in unsought ways,
Thou turn'st my mourning into praise.

(The Christian Science Hymnal, No. 134:3)

This instantly broke the mesmerism and personal sense. "Thy hand" was doing it all! He could see how haggard he had been with obligations to do this and that. But he could now see that God was running the whole universe harmoniously, and this included his affairs and his hand. The condition cleared up in a couple of days.

We established the topic Identity for next week. It gets us ready to handle more pointedly Gay topics in the future and also resonates with self-esteem which was displaced by more pressing matters when it was our topic two weeks ago.