"I forget how we got this topic."

"We were talking about conventional thinking and the need to get beyond it in Christian Science."

"Oh yes. Well, Christian Science is certainly unconventional if you really understand it. Most of us settle for some knock-off version."

"Until we need a healing — then there's a chance for something new and fresh, some breaking out of the box."

"I was thinking we could see spiritual growth as getting completely outside the box or alternately as expanding the box."

"What do you mean by expanding the box?"

"I guess what I mean is we could let divine Mind reveal what the material senses are trying inarticulately to say."

"You can't heal from within the concept — you aren't saying that?"

"No, no. And yet, in a way I am. Try this — every concept, or box, is a counterfeit of some divine idea. Find the idea within the concept of it and you'll have healing. Take church — it may show up as a group of squabbling mortals. If I buy into it at that level I'm sunk. But if I reach out for and accept the divine idea right there — in other words, the infinities of Truth and Love available and actually pouring through — well, what could resist that?"

"In Jewish eschatology there are two different aspects or forms of the Messiah. One is the Messiah ben Joseph or the way of suffering. The other is the Messiah ben David or the way of glory. Christianity wraps them both up in Jesus, whose Second Coming will break the box of mortality, lifting the righteous to heaven and dashing the wicked to hell. Christian Science is less dramatic. It discerns suffering or Science as the means to salvation, here and now."

"Maybe we're getting a little theoretical. Could we have some examples?"

"Some of us were discussing the value of church at lunch on Sunday. Some saw it as valueless, an impediment to understanding and practicing Science. They said it promotes self-righteousness and deeply disguises the reality of being in passee concepts and language. Others still saw value in church. One said she was coming back into Science and needed church meetings and members to assist her re-entry. Another said without church Christian Science would rapidly become an unread book on a dusty shelf. Another said he likes giving way-out testimonies into what he calls 'a void of non-comprehension.' Apparently it toughens him up!"

"Sounds like you all were seeing church as a box to be chucked aside or expanded."

"I hadn't thought of that, but yes. I'd say we were all chuckers in a sense. None of us, even the defenders of church, is a member of a branch. And all of us are expanders. We all love Science and work with it all day, every day. Some of us come to this group, which is a form of church, or have found other church-like groups to help us explore reality."

"As the person who likes to give way-out testimonies, I do it not only to be shocking — most people think that's all I'm doing — but to expand church, not so much in girth but in depth and understanding."

"My teacher once said we'd have church as long as we had bodies, businesses, careers and so on. All are organized activities addressing human needs. Since they're dualistic they require constant confrontation with the facts of being."

"I just started my new job. Church services and meetings calmed my fears about fitting in and being a member of the team. Also my new responsibilities were overwhelming at first, but the Lesson gives me lots of insights and helps me manage them."

"Some of us have seen the new movie What The Bleep Do We Know. The web site is www.whatthebleep.com. It's about breaking out of the box of matter."

"The talking heads, made up of physicists, M.D.'s, psychologists and theologians, describe the latest discoveries in quantum physics and how they impact their fields."

"I found the film very confirmatory of Mrs. Eddy's metaphysical discoveries 140 years ago. I loved how one physicist defined quantum physics as the science of infinite possibilities."

"There was also a full investigation of addictions, not just to alcohol, food, sex and that kind of thing, but also to moods, attitudes and even comfort zones. We human are addictive animals; give us a moment with anyone or anything and we could become addicted. Then it's really hard to change our minds and get loose. Translating this into Christian Science terminology, we're swamped in mortal mind."

"Or to put it in this evening's frame, we're in a box of dualistic beliefs."

"It's a brave and expansive movie, putting all this before the public and even telling us we can change everything at any moment by a change of thought. Perhaps it falls down a bit by not giving us some practical demonstrations of this process."

"Maybe they just don't know how to do it. Or they're leaving those details to the doctors and their drugs or the shrinks and their talk therapies. But in light of what they've shown about addictions, either of these would seem to me problematical."

"Then there may be a gaping hole here which Christian Science can help close. We have over a century of expertise in mental/metaphysical prayer or treatment."

"They can help us too. The scientific discoveries by so-called physical scientists of what appeared to be true in Christian Science should relieve us of the huge amounts of religiosity and faith science making the rounds today in the guise of the real Science."

"Aha, now there's a box we can work to rid ourselves of. Let all parochial and cultic practices be gone!"

"Yep, the Christian Science cultic box, but there are so many other boxes we put ourselves in."

"I'd like to talk about debunking the age belief. Laws, jobs, medicine, psychology, movie prices — everywhere you hear the drumbeat of age, age, age. My father can't believe I won't react as I'm supposed to according to his concept of my age. Since I've been in Christian Science I've pretty much let go of my age data — I have to really think hard to come up with how old I am when I have to fill out some required form."

"What I do is, rather than fight it out on the level of the belief — trying to be younger than I am — I constantly seek to reflect immortal being, letting that form me mentally and physically."

"I had a demonstration of something like that this week. I was talking to a very young man. We got on old movies and I needed to quickly come up with lots of movie titles and the names of their stars. I silently appealed to our Mother, divine Mind, and the information flowed freely. I was as amazed as he was!"

"I'd like to talk about a healing I had this week. As some of you know, I've been really depressed over the breakup with my girlfriend several weeks ago. Part of the problem was its suddenness. We'd been getting along beautifully, we were very close and I thought I was actually falling in love with her. Then one morning she said it wasn't working for her and that was it — no discussion, just, 'sorry, it's over, goodbye!'"

"My God. How did you handle that?"

"Well, I went into shock. I felt like I was dying. All my abandonment issues from childhood — the father who left before I was born and the drug-addicted mother — came crashing down. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. I cried most of the time. Eventually I settled into a state of gloom and lethargy. Last Sunday I dragged myself to church at Unity. A visiting minister gave a sermon on our spiritual identity. Suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, I got some spiritual insight and fell to the floor. I was writhing and people rushed over to hold and comfort me. Things like that just don't happen at Unity — so I was embarrassed. Soon I calmed down enough to get up. Then I noticed the depression and obsession were lifted. I was filled with joy and told the minister I'd been healed by the power that moves the sun and stars."

"What an experience! Thanks for sharing that."

"We've got to end a little early tonight, so we can get over to the restaurant and watch the debate."

"We need a topic for next week."

"I've been thinking about spiritual completeness during the whole meeting. Would you all like to work on that?"

"How about it folks: Spiritual Completeness?"

"That's fine."

"OK with me."