"Everyone's a law to their experience even if they don't know it."

"Isn't Mrs. Eddy saying we can make our lives better if we keep that fact in focus? We're responsible for what happens."

"Okay — but the important point is whether we let the 'I' be a personal ego or the one Ego, God."

"Let's not get into that 'I am God stuff...."

"Right — but we can let God be I, the one I of all."

"Mrs. Laird has a book 'Government is Self-Government' that really explains that point."

"I've used a thought that someone quoted from Mrs. Laird last time about living everyone and everything as divine idea. I mean I'm infinite and eternal, including all. Mrs. Eddy and Mrs. Laird after her were basically describing a fact in physics — quantum physics to use the current terminology. Someday it'll all boil down to physics or Spirit, choose your term, when we get deeper into it."

"We're off to a good start. Did anyone have any material they're dealing with?"

"Well, there are some things we're all dealing with. Like the elections here and elsewhere — take Brazil and Bosnia. Also what you might call the passing of power in North Korea and the possible inclusion of the Taliban in governing Afghanistan."

"Okay. Let's get our bearings. Do we see — really know! — that only God, absolute good, is the only power and presence governing in all these situations? What'll we be knowing if the Republicans take over in the House?"

"Whew! I usually wobble a lot in this area — and that'd be no exception. But maybe having Government as our topic'll help me be a healing influence."

"The main thing, as I see it, is to understand that whatever the dualistic presentation, it's nothing but a hint of the reality which is always perfect."

"I can't believe all the homophobia coming up. I mean the teen suicides, the politicians and religious figures spouting off and now the Sodom and Gomorrah story in the Christian Science Lesson."

"I thought the Church had finished with overt bigotry. What are the correlative passages from Science and Health?"

"Let me read one: 'The so-called sinner is a suicide. Sin kills the sinner and will continue to kill him so long as he sins. The foam and fury of illegitimate living and of fearful and doleful dying should disappear on the shore of time; then the waves of sin, sorrow, and death beat in vain.' (S&H 203: 25-30)"

"Dear Lord! How tone deaf — don't they know about all the teens killing themselves?"

"Thank God many people don't read those Lessons anymore. Experienced Scientists know what's up on the political level with Church officials when dealing with LGBT folks and adjust accordingly. I could apply the issues raised in the parable to any dualistic, material belief. But what of the Gay Christan Science teenager, pounded by his parents to assume a crazed non-Gay lifestyle, having to endure this? What about the newcomer, Gay or non-Gay, walking into this horror? It's beyond tone deaf — it's cruel and possibly worse!"

"You know some of those Christian anti-Gay conversion mills recommend suicide to their inmates when the cures break down. That way they're saved from their innate sexuality and can go live with Jesus."

"Put up the Sodom story with the notes. Put up the whole chapter. After the Lord God — the Hebrew tribal god by the way — has had his destructive tantrum, Lot's two daughters get their father drunk and undertake incest with him. As Mrs. Eddy says of Genesis II, the whole mess is '...a picture of error throughout.' (S&H 526: 25)."

"Let's not get distracted. This is an opportunity for us to be done with this clumsy story and its killing potential. As a description of unholy, unaligned ego drives with murderous intent it's powerless to injure the wholesome, divinely based identity of man, including LGBT people. Let's defend our world and our community — and also see through the facade bigots throw up to hide the discomfort they're having with their own tender same-sex feelings. In other words, it's an opportunity to bring out righteous government in all Gay and non-Gay areas."

"Right — worldwide!"

"There's a little goody tucked away in the morass of Section II. Here: 'God is at once the centre and circumference of being.' (S&H 203: 32-1) ' It basically describes what I call 'homobeing' — the real point of homosexuality: intimate, infinite Being or at-one-ment with and as God.""Here's an idea. I went for a hearing test the other day and when I was all hooked up I remembered something one of you said about God seeing Himself when you were getting an x-ray. Well, I just got into God hearing Himself. The doctor, the machines, me — all God experiencing Himself. It was totally enjoyable and when the doctor delivered his evaluation it was simply that I have excellent hearing ' for your age' — which is eternal of course. We could use this same approach for any human activity, including being Gay."

"Great idea! Like God loving , caring for, supporting Himself and being completely safe."

"This is a blockbuster! Government is God governing Himself. Employment? God employing and being employed by Himself. But let's be clear — it's all happening right here and now as us."

"And everywhere with everyone."

"So it's not only a way of bringing the healing light of heaven to bear intimately, but also infinitely. And I'd recommend we take into account all the mental functions, not just the five senses. There's thinking and feeling plus intuition that need to be put under divine control too."

"Let that Mind with all its functions be in us which is God."

"Exactly! If I have a pain in my leg, let me insist that God, good, alone is sensing Himself right there — is informing me what to think and feel — what to intuit. it's not about some frail mortal standing porter, but God Himself being the whole experience."

"So the frail mortal — poor thing — his only need is to cede control."

"What about foreclosures — or getting a lover?"

"Home is heaven. Heaven — the presence of God, full-force — is our only home. Note: 'our' not just 'my'."

"I can work with that. What about a lover?"

"It's God loving Himself and being loved by Himself. No third parties — like fear, jealousy and so on — allowed in the sacred precincts. As Mrs. Eddy says ' The one Spirit includes all identities' (S&H 333:30)."

"By the way, thanks for the quotes you sent me. They've helped me undercut the fear I was feeling about my coop situation."

"Let me have them for the notes."

"Here. I'll read them: 'Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.'(Isa 41: 10), 'And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.' (II Chron 20:15), and 'Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day' (Psm 91: 5)."

"They helped you handle the fear."

"Yes, but I'm really getting a lot from this meeting — the way we're putting the treatments on an intimate and infinite basis."

"What did Jesus say? ' No one ever went up into heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man whose home is in heaven.' ( John 3:13 NEB)."

"Okay. We have to get a topic for November."

"What's Emergence discussing at the conference?"

"We'll be looking at 'Time' from a metaphysical perspective this year."

"Let's go with that too."

"Okay everybody?"

"Take some notes to share with us."

"Okay, but everyone come up with your own stuff too. There won't be a meeting next week."

"That's right. We won't have a meeting on November 4th but there's a lecture at Fifth Church at 6:30. Also there'll be no meeting on Thanksgiving, November 25th."

"Put it on the home page, okay."

"Okay. "

"Have a good trip."