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Adult Sunday School - 2001 archive topics
Email Elaine Carter for archive copies of old topics.
2001 Topics
34. Henry David Thoreau - along with Emerson, one of the religious leaders of our country, a Transcendentalist, whose works are required readings in our schools. Discussion of his beliefs and spirituality.
35. What did the Gnostics really believe? One current theologian says that Christian Scientists are the only remnant of Gnosticism - how is that?
36. Discuss the "Trial of God" that was conducted by Jews in a concentration camp. They found God guilty, and then quit the trial to go to evening prayers. Why? How did World War II change the Jewish concept of God?
37. One person has said the two greatest inventions of America are the assembly line and AA 12-Step Program. Does the 12 Step Programs' work with a "Higher Power" have some connection with America's movement toward spiritual things? Does not using the "G" word help to get people on the footing they are seeking - or as some might say - the footing they actually NEED? handout - printout of the 12 steps.
38. Many scientists are trying to define "consciousness." What are various religious views of "consciousness"? (don't print this, but include it in the handout: Questions for people who think that human consciousness defines us as human beings: is an unconscious person non-human? Is a "mentally defective" person a human being? Do animals not "matter" because they don't have the same consciousness as humans? What about plants? What about the ocean, and the air?)
39. A Japanese man who is a neighbor to Laurel bows to the sun on his morning walks. An American Buddhist, in Presbyterian Hospital with terminal cancer, says with a smile he is grateful for every moment of his life. After the funeral, the Unitarian widow feels overwhelming gratitude for the life of her husband, more than sorrow. Paul said, "In everything give thanks." Our topic is "Religion and Gratitude."
40. How do different religions think of anger? quotes from different religions. (do not print but include in handout: Has "therapy" shifted on its recommendations for anger? dangers of suppressed anger vs no good use for expressing rage, even "safely" - Jesus slamming down the moneychangers' tables in the temple.)
41. What do UU's think of the "Seven Deadly Sins"? (list them)
42. What do UU's think of the Ten Commandments? Any we wouldn't want taught to our children?
43. What do UU's think of the Beatitudes? Any we wouldn't want taught to our children?
44. Does being rich preclude being spiritually grounded? In the middle ages Christians were taught by the church that earning too much money was a sin. (Excess money therefore went to the church to keep the people pure.) (Monty, get this quote from the B. Tuchman book) Charging interest on loans was also a sin. Since loans had to be worked for business to survive, Jews were allowed to handle loans (though they were intermittedly killed or driven out for doing so.) Jesus said the poor are blessed... Presbyterians say it is fine to be rich, that rich Presbyterians are "stewards" of the wealth for God - a very popular belief for colonial Americans. Unitarianism was considered to be a religion for intellectual, fairly well-to do people (Universalism was not). What is the relationship between being rich and various world religious beliefs? (where your treasure is, there is your heart also - monty check this quote)
45. Religious rituals - do some UU's practice some in their private religious practice? How might they help people? - prayer before meals; bedtime prayers; crossing oneself on hearing bad news or seeing an ambulance; kneeling for prayer; sitting in a certain careful posture when meditating; shaved heads with a small pigtail for god to grab you up (Hari Krishnas); red dot on forehead for safety (Hindu); circumcision; Bar/Bat Mitzva; christening or "naming" or baptizing (American Indian - naming a child once the personality shows the name); last rites (Christian, Buddhist); blessing the harvest (pagan forward) sacrificing something precious to a god (changed from people to animals - still practiced by some Jewish and Muslim congregations)
46. James W. Fowler's book, Stages of Faith, traces a developmental path for religious faith. Where would Unitarians tend to be on these 6 steps?
47. We are each of us responsible for our own theology. The UUA Web Site has a questionnaire to help UUs figure out what they believe. Come see how you would answer these questions - what do you believe? (Of course, no one has to say anything unless they want to.)
48. #27 repeated, since we never got to even the first one in the list on the handout: What are the goals of UU for this era? (Look up on the UU website what the General Convention passed in the last session...) Do they match with our church goals? Our personal goals?
49. Nikos Kazantzakis was excommunicated from his Greek Orthodox religion for writing The Last Temptation of Christ. Yet he considered himself a profoundly religious Christian, and the book a reverent book. What in the book angered his church? What in the book expresses his reverence?
50. A poet Laurel has introduced us to: Rainer Maria Rilke (author of Letters to a Young Poet). What do his poems show us about his personal religion? (quote the poem Laurel worked with when thinking of coming to Dallas - "My eyes already touch the sunny hill…")
51. What is Christian Science all about?
52. What does the Kabbalah have to teach us - the ancient Jewish mystical writings.
53. Topic #35 revisited: What did the Gnostics really believe? One current theologian says that Christian Scientists are the only remnant of Gnosticism - how is that?
54. What do you think is sacred? (if anything…)
55. "There is something beyond one's personal needs that makes things right or wrong." What is a conscience, and do most religions believe that it is a religion's "job" to improve a person's conscience? (the quote is from Fran, of our group). Is "mother love" the base of a person's conscience?
56. What is a "civilized" society? Does religion play a part in a society's being "civilized"? (In Russia religion was outlawed, was it civilized culture. Some American Indian tribes had well-structured religions; were they civilized cultures?)
57. Transcendentalism and the UU Religion. We have discussed Emerson and Thoreau previously. "I would suggest we hit Transcendentalism again to do its fascinating nature and relevance to Unitarian/Universalism."
58. Topic #38, revisited. Another look at consciousness, as it relates to religion. This topic revisit was suggested after we had our discussion. A note from Dr. Grant: " I was surprised in your abstract that you did not get in Searle vs. Dennett."
59. Mourning. How do different religions mourn the dead, and how do those practices help the survivors?
60. A Personal God - Joseph Campbell says the big question is whether one believes in a PERSONAL god. As if anyone/everyone believes there is a creative force that caused the universe to come to be. But the sticking point is whether there is a PERSONAL deity.
61. How do we know what is good and what is evil?
62. What is the role of Doubt/Skepticism in religion? "The Importance and Wisdom of Skepticism" Doubt and Skepticism are essential in science. Doubting Thomas is a saint….
63. Carl Sagan's views of religion - Do you agree with them?
64. Biblical justification for things we now perceive as evil (such as slavery) and biblical judgment against things we no longer perceive as evil (homosexuality).
65. Craziness and Holiness. The Russian "holy fool." The Irish "village idiot."
66. 8/12/01 - Icons and Iconoclasts. The Russian and Greek Orthodox use of icons, and Western Christianity's break with the Eastern church because of them. http://www.stjohndc.org/
67. 8/19/01 - When did duality enter Western thought/religion? (Greek thought and the classical age did NOT renounce the material world - that was Christian doctrine.)
68. 8/26/01 - How did you get your "Religious Education?" How is our church's RE program better or worse than what you experienced?
69. 9/2/01 - Walt Whitman is often quoted by Unitarian ministers. What did his religious beliefs seem to be?
70. 9/9/01 - The 4/21/01 Religious Section of the Dallas Morning News had an article about a breakaway group within the UUA - a group using the name "American Unitarian Association." This group says "they are increasingly uncomfortable with the prominent role liberal politics has occupied in the church's life." How do people in our church feel about this issue?
71. 9/16/01 - Who invented the devil? How has the figure changed over the centuries? (See Elaine Pagel's The Origin of Satan for some background.)
72. 9/23/01 - Joseph Campbell, who explained Other People’s Religions - What did his beliefs seem to be, and how did they change over the years?
73. 9/30/01 - WICCA - What are the Beliefs and Practices of this Modern Day Version of an Ancient Religion?
74. 10/7/01 - How can we describe Unitarian-Universalism for others so that we can all live with the description? We have a dilemma trying to explain Unitarian-Universalism to ourselves and to others. (We can draw lines in the sand about what we won't accept being said for us by the Conference. And maybe even the little belief cards the Church has to hand out.)
75. What is Spirituality? (perhaps compare with Religion) -
"The Meaning and Expression of Spirituality"
76. Forgiveness. Christian Forgiveness. Forgiveness and Therapy. Forgiveness and the criminal justice system.
77. "Paul: The P.T. Barnum of Christianity
78. 11/4/01 - Questions and Conclusions from the Jesus Seminar
79. 11/11/01 - Judiasm and Unitariasm: The Nexus
80. 11/18/01 - Learning from Native American Spirituality
81. 11/25/01 - TIME Magazine has announced the end of the universe. What are the religious implications?
82. 12/02/01 - What are the religious answers to the question, “Is the world a friendly place?”
83. 12/09/01 - Many Unitarian churches have Humanist congregations and ministers. How does Humanism work as a religion?
84. 12/16/01 - “Searching for God in America” - the PBS Series - How does this information relate to most UU’s?
85. 12/23/01 - What would you want said in your obituary about your spirituality?
86. 12/30/01 - Is our church unfriendly? Are people hard to approach? Is it child-friendly? Is it a problem for our church, or the whole denomination? What are some acceptable solutions to this, ones that we can live with... |
