The Science of Sex
July 16, 1998
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
As sexual practice becomes increasingly separated from reproduction, it seems a good time to investigate the Science of Sex. We note that women are finally fulfilling true personhood, as are men, without biological restriction; heterosexual couples often reject parenthood even as homosexual couples embrace it. The arrival of Viagra promises longer sex lives but appears to disrupt some relationships. Does anyone doubt that laboratories will increasingly contribute to our perceptions of reproduction and sex?
The Science of Sex is pretty straightforward. Sex is a human mode of relating. It can either be idolatrous, if used to achieve a result, or alternatively, a divine-human event if representative of God's presence (e.g. "as in heaven, so on earth," Science and Health, pg. 17:2).
We have to go a bit easy here: who always remembers when sitting down to a meal that he is already fully nourished, eternal etc.; or when drinking a glass of water, that he goes into it already satisfied? Jesus promises as much in the incident with the Samaritan woman (see John 4:5-26) if we will but live the Christ. It seemed to us that living the Christ does not eliminate the food and water but enhances and stabilizes the experience, and makes it symbolic of the on-going love and care of God. This should be the standard for sex as well.
Sex is of course a very individual thing — there was rightly much resistance to anyone in the meeting prescribing rules for another or even advising what their sex life should look like. But we did discover that others can be most helpful when "mid-wifing" another's emergent wants and needs. This requires one to keep his own views out of sight and to practice the presence of perfection, to let divine Mind move upon the primal material and form a new concept.
One member mentioned deep early traumas that seem to come up in present intimate situations. These will have to be worked through with Science, but the quiet respectful listening of the others was in itself quite healing. This member was at least able to outline the scientific facts of the case — parenting by God—or better NO parenting at all, just oneness with, and as God now and always.
Some felt sex is often a mask for anger or early traumas. Our friend said he could see this in relationships he has had. Another pointed out that we must be careful with this stuff because it harks back to dogmas established years ago by an unusually troubled group of people — the American followers of Freud. They parlayed his discoveries into all kinds of clap-trap about sex, and homosexuality in particular which still haunt this country at the level of pop psychology and, even now, religious fundamentalism. This member said his own experience of sex is one of warmth, release and support — not re-enactment of trauma.
Whether sex is a field of suffering needing healing or pursuit of joy leading to redemption (i.e. trading up for higher value) Science will speed progress. What makes things operate efficiently? What makes and keeps everything clean and disease free? Why would we accept in sex danger, disorder, disease, mayhem when we wouldn't put up with those in our home or food or business? It's time to bring these errors up and clear them off with the might of Divine Science. They are illusion masking the joy of the one God-body.
Partnering is important to our members. "In what kind of relationship would I be most comfortable letting sex evolve?" Masturbation or solo sex was not put down. What lovely representation of divinity can arise, if we guard against false judgementalism? What of anonymous sex — most seem to scorn it today but we were not so rash. As one member said "Love God and do as you feel moved". How can I as an outsider in this matter give any advice? (As a Scientist I could live the situation as the Heaven it Really is — what a happy boost that would be to anyone anywhere!) What of celibacy? — not much applause for this one but as one of our group reported a few weeks back, he's loving just that. Most said they wanted a full-fledged relationship. One member brought us up short with, "So what are you doing about it?"
Before we lapse totally into human advice giving let's see what we're working out from with Science. It's the fullness and completeness of Being — each of us, infinite idea including all others as right ideas. Sex on the human level is a bit of theater or science fiction. It bespeaks truth and, through reading divine Mind, Truth Itself.
There is a very special impetus which Science can bring to sex or any human activity. For those who've had Christian Science treatment, think or rather feel back to a time when you were healed of a disease, or were uplifted while performing or taking an exam. Access again the wonder of those moments being fully God and fully man and think of the blessing we could bring to ourselves, our loved ones and our world. This is the practice, not just profession of the Science of Sex.
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Dost thou "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind"? This command includes much, even the surrender of all merely material sensation, affection, and worship. This is the El Dorado of Christianity. It involves the Science of Life, and recognizes only the divine control of Spirit, in which Soul is our master, and material sense and human will have no place.
Sorrow is turned into joy when the body is controlled by spiritual Life, Truth, and Love.
The nature of Christianity is peaceful and blessed, but in order to enter into the kingdom, the anchor of hope must be cast beyond the veil of matter into the Shekinah into which Jesus has passed before us; and this advance beyond matter must come through the joys and triumphs of the righteous as well as through their sorrows and afflictions. Like our Master, we must depart from material sense into the spiritual sense of being.
God's children already created will be cognized only as man finds the truth of being. Thus it is that the real, ideal man appears in proportion as the false and material disappears. No longer to marry or to be "given in marriage" neither closes man's continuity nor his sense of increasing number in God's infinite plan. Spiritually to understand that there is but one creator, God, unfolds all creation, confirms the Scriptures, brings the sweet assurance of no parting, no pain, and of man deathless and perfect and eternal.
God expresses in man the infinite idea forever developing itself, broadening and rising higher and higher from a boundless basis.
Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts.
Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality.
Mortal mind is constantly producing on mortal body the results of false opinions; and it will continue to do so, until mortal error is deprived of its imaginary powers by Truth, which sweeps away the gossamer web of mortal illusion.
This human sense of Deity yields to the divine sense, even as the material sense of personality yields to the incorporeal sense of God and man as the infinite Principle and infinite idea,—as one Father with His universal family, held in the gospel of Love. The Lamb's wife presents the unity of male and female as no longer two wedded individuals, but as two individual natures in one; and this compounded spiritual individuality reflects God as Father-Mother, not as a corporeal being. In this divinely united spiritual consciousness, there is no impediment to eternal bliss,—to the perfectibility of God's creation.