Readings dispersed throughout the discussion.

Corey's doing the same thing here he did in the chapter on [#topic=20070802#], saying if there's one God then there's one body."

"I had a hard time with that, but I reasoned it out. Appearances say we have different bodies, okay, but since Soul is the deific view — or really, presence — of body and it's one, then we do have one body only."

"I kind of backed into an understanding of his point. The counterfeit of man or body is the span of mortals who seem to have similar diseases and cures. This counterfeit mimics and thus points to the reality — it identifies the scientific oneness of perfect God, perfect body."

"What do you all think of the idea that we should not see ourselves 'as in anything or subject to it'? Corey says that'll emancipate us."

"Well, maybe in a way — I guess man in Science or quantum physics co-extends with the universe. So are we in it? The main point to me is our non-duality."

"He's trying to free us up to see our thought and our bodies as infinite. He says, 'consciousness is always inclusive, never included.' Body cannot be restricted to a finite form — he sees it as Mind manifested. Body is completely real to Mind."

"Right. Listen to this: 'Mind manifested is vividly real to Mind.' He adds, 'What is ordinarily called body is a corporeal sense of body, and the misapprehension is not the reality of body.' He quotes Mrs. Eddy: 'Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals' (S&H 476:32-2).

"It's up to us as students of Christian Science to translate body and its functions into the corresponding divine ideas. Corey says this is the way to effect our ascension."

"How's this? Body is the presence, power, action and knowing of God!"

"If we could practice that — think of the healing."

"I looked up 'body' in dictionaries. It has no known roots in ancient languages. It's plopped down in our language — a kind of Melchisedec — sprung straight from God who is endless Life."

"To change the subject a bit, does anyone know about the TV special on Billy Graham? They're honoring him."

"For what?"

"He's a religious phenomenon."

"That's true — but he's not worthy of honor. They should present a case history of madness and religious obsession — on the level of Falwell and Osama bin Laden."

"Whoa — that's too extreme!"

"Is it? Think of the people he's harmed, maybe even killed, with his anti-Semitic and anti-Gay nonsense."

"Well, these religious freaks give you a package deal, a one-stop collection of bigotries to buoy even the unhappiest members of their flock to float free above their own far more serious departures from morality."

"Can we please cut through the dualism calling itself Billy Graham to the facts of being? I mean, religious madness is language for the oneness of God and man."

"Uh — well, I think you've just done it!"

"Talking about religious madness — or the oneness of being — what did you all think of Lois Carlson's endorsement of aversion therapy for LGBT people? It was on TMCYouth."

"She's pretty unfocused, spouting off a lot of platitudes and judgments."

"There were some good things in there...."

"Sure — even Hitler said some good things. My impression is that she's got herself strapped into a directive driven sex-life with no room for passion which gets pushed into the unconscious and ends up projected unto others."

"You mean us."

"Exactly. She's a great sow rolling in her own excrement."

"She seems to discipline her husband's sex life."

"Oh, this is getting interesting..."

"Well, if so, I'm glad she has some outlet — but let's not put our own druthers out as dogma, please!"

"I found the responses much more scientific and measured."

"Kids today wisely don't buy into advice from the frigid elderly."

"Maybe not in New York, but this could cause real harm out beyond the Hudson. Remember the articles that have appeared about kids in aversion therapy camps. Most get no so-called cure and some are told that suicide will solve the problem. They'll go right to Jesus. This is not just Gay activists vs. Ms. Carlson."

"Let's take it apart scientifically."

"Okay — for openers she breaks the Ten Commandments."

"Which one?"

"I don't know the number — it's the one about not bearing false witness against your neighbor. She hasn't bothered to find out who we are and what we're about. She just sprays her own worst traits out into the ether and finds they constitute a Gay person. She's made her very own Gay person to rail against."

"Oh, and there's the confusion about men being the male and women being the female in place of the scientific fact that we each have both energies within us. She does allow Jesus to embody both, but of course many feel Jesus was Gay."

"I don't think running down 'sexual hunger' is scientifically appropriate. It's desire, which our textbook says is prayer. When you suppress it instead of letting it evolve to identify the spiritual fact, again you're off to the races with the kind of ugly projections contained in Ms. Carlson's deposit."

"Does anyone here know any good Scientists who link their sexuality to their spiritual identity? I can't figure what she's talking about."

"That's that business the Board harps on about no one being Gay — they're spiritual ideas."

"Oh, right. Then of course these Christian Science teachers aren't at all what they claim to be and must abandon their silly pretensions forthwith "

"Her later comments show her a bit chastened."

"I think she's shaken but still manages to hug her tattered bigotry tight."

"If the hierarchy reads any of the responses they might understand why the church is failing. The energy expended fighting Gay people instead of welcoming us in is ridiculous. Think of how many fine articles and testimonies are waiting to be written by LGBT Christian Scientists."

"We've gotten off topic."

"I don't know — sex is certainly about the body. As a belief it's a struggle for completeness, a state we already enjoy from God's standpoint. So any needed healing would flow from allowing this standpoint to hold sway and take over."

"You're right. That's much better than throwing a bunch of well-meaning aphorisms at sex."

"I'd like to expand the topic of body to include business — my office to be exact. I've had a demonstration of sorts the last few days. The lawyers and their secretaries have all been moving around to different spaces and floors. As things got more and more hyper I tried praying to understand that right where the chaos seemed to be, instead there was the order and harmony that only infinite Mind can bring. Things immediately started falling into place and harmonious resolutions emerged."

"Excellent! We can expand the concept of body to include church too. In the Lesson on Soul, Paul is quoted: 'What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?' (I Cor. 6:19).

"Here are definitions from the Glossary of Science and Health for Temple and Church:

"'TEMPLE. Body; the idea of Life, substance, and intelligence; the superstructure of Truth; the shrine of Love; a material superstructure, where mortals congregate for worship' (S&H 595: 7-10)

"'CHURCH. The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle.

'"The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick' (S&H 583:12-19)."

"That's got to be it for tonight. We'll work on Chapter 8, Universe, of the Corey book for the next two weeks.