"Well, it's a hard topic for Christian Scientists and other religious people."

"Isn't it because there's confusion about what sensualism is—like where sex turns into lust?"

"There's always such a rush to equate sex to lust. We don't say eating will necessarily turn into gluttony or taking a nap will result in sloth."

"I was thinking of sex as being about the five senses, but there are other turn-ons. The imagination is limitless."

"I'd say good sex is like anything else for me. It has to aim for mutual satisfaction and be supported by loving feelings."

"You're pointing to the motive and I totally agree. It isn't always clear what's going on but over time by watching and praying we should be able to sort out why we're getting turned on."

"And as students of Christian Science, purifying motives and reflecting divine understanding, we're in a position to make an encounter a demonstration of Love."

"There are a lot of people who see sex as a way of worshiping God. Mrs. Eddy would probably call that paganism but turn it around. I'd look at a beautiful sexual experience as a precious gift from God—an expression of His presence as Love. It's like a gorgeous sunset or work of art — both starting as sense-based experiences but bringing so much more to consciousness and resonating deeply with reality.""I looked back in a archives to see what we said before on sex. It came up in 161 meetings."

"Is that all?"

"Put a couple of them up in the notes for our readers to see."

"The meetings most concerned with the subject were on March 2, 2006 and July 16, 1998. I'll put those up, okay?"

"Fine. Weren't we kind of intellectual about it?"

"Yeah, with lots of justifying — but still I found some good stuff."

"Let me come back to motive. Am I blessing the situation? Am I expressing who I am?"

"If you're an expression of Love and the other person is too—and that's the fact, there's no 'give' here — then you meet in and as Love."

"Let's reframe sex — take it out of its material appearances and place it on a spiritual basis. For instance, look at this from the Lesson on Spirit: ' Spirit is the life, substance, and continuity of all things.' (S&H 124: 25-26). Or this: ' The one Ego, the one Mind or Spirit called God, is infinite individuality, which supplies all form and comeliness and which reflects reality and divinity in individual spiritual man and things' (S&H 281: 14-17)."

"Here's another quote: 'From the infinite elements of the one Mind emanate all form, color, quality, and quantity, and these are mental, both primarily and secondarily' (S&H 512: 21-24)."

"Really you can open Science and Health at random and find any statement can be applied to any human subject, including sex. Here — I've opened to page 298 and I'll read: Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality. Material sense expresses the belief that mind is in matter. This human belief, alternating between a sense of pleasure and pain, hope and fear, life and death, never reaches beyond the boundary of the mortal or the unreal. When the real is attained, which is announced by Science, joy is no longer a trembler, nor is hope a cheat. Spiritual ideas, like numbers and notes, start from Principle, and admit no materialistic beliefs. Spiritual ideas lead up to their divine origin, God, and to the spiritual sense of being' (S&H 298: 13-24)."

"Bottom line, as in Heaven so on earth. We mustn't split off any human activity from the facts of being which will heal and enhance any experience. We need to carry the bright light of Science into the dark corners of sex."

"Last time I talked about a friend I really like spending time with, going to plays and the opera. She's been getting a little too touchy-feely. Well, I told her she wasn't my type..."

"You're Gay!"

"Right. So she's not my type."

"Uh, what'd you say?"

"I said she's too big — too heavy. I like petite."

"And ?"

"She stopped calling."

"She's probably in surgery trying to shape up."

"What's the loss in just telling her the truth?"

"She's very religious — she'd probably drop me."

"Sounds like she's already dropped you. Lots of non-Gay women like to have a good Gay friend — like Will and Grace."

"We can still laugh at that show, but someday it'll be our Amos and Andy."

"I can't endure it even now. But your point is a good one. If the friendship can't survive the revelation of who you are, then let it go and make room for something healthy to appear."

"I never talk about Gay things with friends."

"Fine, but if this woman's hand is climbing your thigh, she might appreciate a forewarning that nothing spectacular is about to happen — not because of her appearance but because you're Gay."

"Breaking the news to her needn't be a big deal. Let's talk before you do and work to know the Truth of your identity and your right—and her's — to comfortable companionship."

"I've gotten bored with sex. Maybe it's just by having it so available and finding attractive guys who are attracted to me. I thought I was long past that and the feeling was reinforced by advice from well-meaning friends whom I'd unwisely listened to. Anyway as the experiences unfolded I could see I was basically processing stuck feelings from my teenage years when I was in a sexual and emotional freezer.

"So I've thawed out a bit and become rather quiet. Now I wonder whether the lull is temporary or perhaps a signal to move along to a full-blown relationship. The important thing is now I don't feel cheated out of a full sexual life. I've had it! And surprisingly I don't feel driven by sex any more. Well, I shouldn't go on any further — as I said this might be temporary. I'll keep the group posted on what turns up next."

"I like it that you're not using willpower which Mrs. Eddy says isn't helpful in Christian Science healing. Last time I was in the presence of a person I'd sworn off, we just dissolved into the hottest sex ever!"

"All that attraction must mean something."

"Yes — it's scary how little I could or even wanted to control it."

"There's more there than just sex, right?"

"Oh yes. There's a lot of love and caring, but any sustained relationship would have to be a demonstration. I need to make sure it isn't just a case of lust laced with wishful thinking."

"Something I found in the Glossary might help. It's helped me clarify my sexual, romantic get togethers. It's the definition of Temple definition of Temple which Mrs. Eddy and others have equated with body. Is my body ' the shrine of Love' or "a material superstructure, where mortals congregate for worship'?"

"What kind of congregations have you been getting?"

"We're a small flock."

"Your point is we keep the shrine of Love shining through as we congregate for worship."

"Exactly — you got it!"

"A lovely vision to end on. We need a topic for next time."

"There's been a lot of discussion about using medicine in Christian Science on the boards I visit."

"I like medicine as a topic. Not only Eastern and Western approaches but what it is metaphysically."

"Also the impact of modern medicine on Christian Science...."

"And Christian Science's impact on medicine."

"Looks like we agree on Medicine as our topic — two weeks!"