Forums for December
December 4--Zealous Atheism. From A Chosen Faith, p. 103 (Buehrens): “Looking at the religious aspects of many intergroup conflicts, at the violence carried out by zealots in the name of religion, some people conclude that the world would be safer “religion-free.” They may even try living this way themselves. But too often they only practice a form of self-delusion. Nature abhors a vacuum and so does the human spirit. As C.S. Lewis said, the opposite of a belief in God is not a belief in nothing; it is a belief in anything. Sweep the demon of religion out the door and, like the story in the Gospels, you may only succeed in making room for an evil spirit worse than the first -- this one accompanied by seven friends (Luke 11:24-26; Matt. 12:43-45). Zealous atheism can perform this role of demonic pseudoreligion.” Is “zealous atheism” a demonic pseudoreligion? Is Buehrens making a fair description of UU for the seekers who read his book? Does it make any sense to quote the Bible to prove the depravity of atheists?
December 11--Change. President Peter Morales says “We cause ourselves so much suffering when we resist the passage of time, when we try to hold onto a past that is gone. Resisting change brings suffering. Embracing possibilities together brings joy, meaning, and fulfillment.” (“Everything Changes,” UU World, Summer 2011, p. 5). What are you hanging onto personally? What are we holding onto as a Fellowship? As a UUA?
December 18--Social Justice. In 2000, during a conference on the Commitment to Justice in Catholic Higher Education, Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, then Superior General of the Jesuits, spoke of the "promotion of justice" as a specifically faith-based notion. Do you identify with the idea of justice as deeply intertwined with faith? If so, how do you understand the two as relating? If not, in what do you root your work for social justice?
December 25--Spirituality of Humanism. Doug Muder defines spirituality as “...an awareness of the gap between what you can experience and what you can describe.” (“The Spirituality of Humanism,” UU World, Summer 2011, p. 14). What do you think of this definition? Does it square with your experience?
December 11--Change. President Peter Morales says “We cause ourselves so much suffering when we resist the passage of time, when we try to hold onto a past that is gone. Resisting change brings suffering. Embracing possibilities together brings joy, meaning, and fulfillment.” (“Everything Changes,” UU World, Summer 2011, p. 5). What are you hanging onto personally? What are we holding onto as a Fellowship? As a UUA?
December 18--Social Justice. In 2000, during a conference on the Commitment to Justice in Catholic Higher Education, Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, then Superior General of the Jesuits, spoke of the "promotion of justice" as a specifically faith-based notion. Do you identify with the idea of justice as deeply intertwined with faith? If so, how do you understand the two as relating? If not, in what do you root your work for social justice?
December 25--Spirituality of Humanism. Doug Muder defines spirituality as “...an awareness of the gap between what you can experience and what you can describe.” (“The Spirituality of Humanism,” UU World, Summer 2011, p. 14). What do you think of this definition? Does it square with your experience?
posted by Donna | 11:14 AM
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