I was raised in Texas as an Episcopalian. I do not recall any mention of
homosexuality in that church nor indeed in any religious context. However,
there was a great deal of negativity aimed at "queers" from the
public in general. To avoid being ostracized, locked up or killed, one stayed
in the closet. Being branded a queer was the worst thing imaginable!

When I got into Christian Science in my twenties I was firmly closeted on
my job and to my family — who were all conveniently back in Texas, while
I was living in New York — but I did have a set of Gay friends to hang out
and socialize with.

Christian Science made sense to me after the hocus-pocus of my childhood
religion. It helped me with some psychological and physical problems. And
it appealed to my Gay sensibilities, with its emphasis on an androgynous Deity
reflected in androgynous man. I never once thought there could be a problem
with being Gay in Christian Science.

I joined The Mother Church on November 1, 1972, and received notification
of acceptance several days later. Of course I was filled with joy. Perhaps
a day or two later there was that week's issue of the Christian Science
Sentinel in my mailbox announcing on its cover "The Bible and Homosexuality"
(dated November 18, 1972). Aha! Here would be a serious, scientific explanation
of the spiritual rightness of homosexuality. I hurled myself up the stairs
and opened the Sentinel to find a truly horrific rejection of Gay
people. Fortunately its main thrust was that everyone needed to follow Adam
and Eve. As a relative newcomer to Science I knew enough to see that was bogus
advice.

But I was confused about membership. Should I withdraw, since my sexuality
was so problematic to those running the church? Over the next few months,
as I pondered what to do, I discovered a number of Lesbians and Gay men in
branch churches in New York. We talked. One gave a testimony about the healing
of a tumor when he faced his homosexuality as the way he could share God's
love with another. I decided to stay, and even joined a branch.

From this point on, a small group of us started working locally and in Boston
for a change in the movement's attitude towards Gay people. The results were
not positive at first. Hearts hardened, more offensive articles appeared,
membership interviews came to include the requirement that one be free of
homosexuality, and Gay people were actually excommunicated from some branch
churches in New York.

Some of us had the sense to band together for spiritual and political purposes,
first in a group called Gay People in Christian Science (1978-1982) and then
in the New York Christian Science Group (1986- present, http://www.nycsgroup.com).

Members of Gay People in Christian Science (GPICS) had an interview with
Naomi Price (the associate editor who wrote the above-mentioned Sentinel
article on homosexuality) at Annual Meeting in 1974. Here's my best recollection
of what was said:

Mrs. Price: "Good day."

GPICS: "Good day. We're…"

Mrs. Price: "I Know who you are. Please
be seated. You have exactly two minutes."

GPICS: "You can hardly expect us…"

Mrs. Price: " I'm sorry but I have to
appear on the platform tonight."

GPICS: "Miss Price…"

Mrs. Price: "Mrs! "

GPICS: "Well, Mrs. Price we're here about
your editorial on homosexuality in 1972."

Mrs. Price: "Some of my students have
talked to me about it."

GPICS: "We feel it's an assault on Gay
people. Also, its Science is faulty since it recommends following the 'Adam
and Eve' story as a model for human relationships. Mrs. Eddy calls that story
a picture of error throughout."

Mrs. Price: "Well, I'm not a very good
writer, you know. I'm actually a frustrated housewife."

GPICS: "Shouldn't you then get back to
your calling?"

Mrs. Price: "You're being very cruel
to an old woman."

GPICS: "Have you any idea how much cruelty
an article like that unleashes on the church and in the world?"

Mrs. Price: "Now you must leave. As I
said, I have to appear on the platform."

GPICS: (moving towards the door) "Mrs.
Price, since you can't defend your article, will you retract it?"

Mrs. Price: (after a pause) "Not at this
time."

The bizarreness of Mrs. Price's responses has kept us laughing for years.
If you read them with her Edwardian British accent (almost never used in the
UK anymore, but still heard in the colonies) they're even funnier. Bottom
line, I can only conclude she was saying, in a coded way, not to pay attention
to such articles but keep up our work in Science. In fact one of our people
remembers her saying as we left, "Keep up the good work!" I don't
remember that myself but it does confirm my feeling about her intent.

I'm glad the movement is finally coming around a bit and accepting us as
church members. But there's a risk that our stories and healings will continue
to be excluded form our periodicals and testimony meetings. Until that is
corrected, it's wonderful we have Emergence and the local groups where we
can explore our real issues in a supportive environment.

Bob McCullough
New York City

In 1969 the man I was in love with was killed in an automobile accident.
I was not a Christian Scientist at the time — actually was Assistant Organist
at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco and was an Episcopalian (the church that
ordained the gay Bishop — who incidentally will be the preacher at the Pride
Service at Old South Church held before Boston's Gay Pride Parade!). I was
completely turned upside down and was looking everywhere for peace. I went
to a spiritualist to try to get in touch with him, got into Religious Science,
and in 1971 was appointed to Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven, CT.
I began my duties there in June and in October I picked up the Christian
Science Sentinel. After reading a few articles I suddenly realized that
this was what I had been looking for and knew at that very moment I would
be in Christian Science full-time.

I had met someone in New Haven in July and, in that I was desperately trying
to find someone to fill the void, I fell for this person. It was not a two
way street and it caused me quite a bit of anguish. In January I decided to
ask a practitioner to help me get over this person. I remember telling him
that I was gay and that was not the problem, but that I was in love with someone
who was not ready to make a commitment and I wanted him to help me get over
this. He said to me, "Steve, that is like your asking me to help you
rob a bank." I was stunned! (Of course, it was completely the wrong answer
for him to give me.)

Here I was, completely involved in Christian Science which was saving me
from the brink brought on by the auto accident and suddenly I was told that
in Christian Science, being gay was a problem. I decided I needed to be "healed"
of the attraction but I also decided that I was not going to give up the lifestyle
because it was the only one I knew. By lifestyle, I mean the kind of friends
I had, the way I lived, the conversations we had — this had nothing to do
with sex.

Later I did actually try for a healing of homosexulity itself, but eventually,
and finally, the prayerful work revealed to me that I don't need to be healed
of homosexuality any more than I need to be healed of having blue eyes. I
further realized that the Scriptural texts that seem to condemn homosexuality
are talking about prostitution. I do not believe that the Bible condemns gay
and lesbian people and it is interesting to read the several treatises we
now have on the subject. Jesus said that some eunuchs are born from their
mother's womb! The Bible is pretty explicit about the love of Jonathan and
David.

The Mother Church has its own history of intolerance when it comes to certain
social issues. The marking of "colored" churches and practitioners
in the Christian Science Journal, for example, was not instituted
by Mrs. Eddy, but nevertheless it wasn't until 1956 that this marking was
removed.

I am grateful to see progress at The Mother Church regarding the issue of
homosexuality, but we need to keep praying for there to be progress in the
Field.

With love to all!

Stephen Loher,
Boston, MA

I grew up in the midwest. I guess it was during a time of “if you’re
different from us we can make fun of you”. I know that along with my
friends we would pick on the “queers”. Was it because they made
us uncomfortable? That they were “different”? I don’t know. It was
the accepted thing. Funny thing is that had I not been in the “group”
I don’t think I would have ever said or done the things that I did by myself.

I had a really good friend in college named Dennis. He was fastidious and
he always had the “cute” girl friends. We all graduated and I ended
up in AZ and he in CA. One night, he called me up. He said that he had something
to tell me and that he truly hoped that it would not end our friendship. He
came out. I did not see this coming, but the thought that came to me (which
I also shared with him verbally that night) was, “you are the same Dennis
to me whether you are gay or straight. You are my friend and I love you for
the qualities that are uniquely yours and that won’t change.” It was
a C-change in my thinking. I began to see that each of us is God’s child —
not just the people who were “like” me. That each of us had our
issues to deal with, but that God loved all of his children equally and I
therefore had to as well. We are dear friends to this day.

Years later, I was ending a marriage and I knew that I would need a place
to live. I thought that I’d end up back in an apartment, and with 2 kids I
was sorry to lose my home with a yard. The thought came to me to tell the
clerk of my then branch church about my impending need. Within the day, she
had called me back with two good leads on a place to live, both of which were
houses. One didn’t pan out, but the other one was a cute little 1942 bungalow-style
home in a downtown “historic” neighborhood of Phoenix. I went to
see it and loved the little house, but the neighborhood!!!! Yikes. Many of
the homes had been restored, but there was a lot of blight still, and graffiti,
etc. News stories of gangs, homeless, drive by shootings flashed through my
head. I went back for three days looking at the house, praying for what to
do. The thought that came to me was very clear:

“What better thing for the neighborhood than for the good
thought of one more person to move in?”

That was it. I called the realtor and made arrangements to rent the home.
My kids and I were there for nearly 2 years — and actually, I still
miss it. It was a very special time. For the first time in my life I realized
that it wasn’t just about what I could get from my neighborhood, but it was
also about what I could give. I got so free of fear that I would take daily
walks, even at night. My neighborhood became my patient. By the time we had
moved, I knew over 30 people in the neighborhood by name. (I had lived in
the “burbs” for the previous 6 years and only knew 6 people by name
there.)

By now you are probably wondering how this relates to the topic I started
with. Well, there was a great diversity of people in the neighborhood. Blacks,
whites, latinos, a very large Sikh community, and a lot of gay and lesbian
people. My neighbors were lesbians. I worked on the neighborhood historic
board with a number of gay people. I was involved with the historic home tour
of our neighborhood which was mostly made up of gay people. I had a wonderful
and growing respect for all of them. We were all there to better
our community. And we were a real community.

It was another step in the evolutionary change of my thinking.

When I developed CSeNews.com, I did not include links to Emergence or to
the NYC group. By this time, it was not that I didn’t respect the GL community,
it was that I was worrying about what “others would think”. I prayed
about this for about 3 years. I finally came to the conclusion that all
of us, gay or straight were doing the best we can in
our experience and that we all had a love for spirituality especially as found
in Science and Health — and wouldn’t it be more productive
for the GL community to be within the circle rather than outside of it? I
immediately added the links (and that was a year or so ago).

What is the underlying theme for me? It is to live the Golden Rule. To not
be judgmental (or try not to be .

As a single dad with a 17- and 15-year-old, I have had to express my masculine
as well as my feminine qualities in raising my kids. I can really see the
Father/Mother nature of God and likewise the masculine/feminine nature of
God’s reflection in his child.

My spiritual journey has now taken my kids and me to an informal Christian
Science group. It has been a wonderful experience and my children have just
blossomed with their interest and study of CS. (By the way, the December 8th
issue of the Christian Science Sentinel which just came out is our
church and the right photo on the cover is a member of our informal group.
He has an article in that issue.) Our membership requirements are simply that
you “strive to live by the Tenets of the Mother Church to the best of
your ability”. That is it! No 3rd degree. No prying questions. We are
all there as students of Christian Science to better our lives and to become
better healers.

I am so grateful for these steps of progress in seeing my fellow man/woman
as God’s child and to really gain a better sense of love for all of humanity.
The natural outcome has been an ease to be ready to work metaphysically for
anyone.

Mark Mohlenbrock
Phoenix, AZ

Related Article: Response to the Testimony of M. Mohlenbrock