6/16 Bohm Dialogue — Spirituality and Religion

For June our topic is Spirituality and Religion.

“I think there’s been a big problem between religion, or organized religion, and spirituality.”
―Dave Davies

We are looking to brands for poetry and for spirituality, because we’re not getting those things from our communities or from each other.”
―Naomi Klein

“Religion is for people who are scared to go to hell. Spirituality is for people who have already been there.”
―Bonnie Raitt

“There are several different meanings of the words religion and spirituality, all of which are important. The whole point about an integral or comprehensive approach is that it must find a way to believably include all of those important meanings in a coherent whole.”
―Ken Wilber

“Religion is the organization of spirituality into something that became the hand maiden of conquerors. Nearly all religions were brought to people and imposed on people by conquerors, and used as the framework to control their minds.”
―John Henrik Clarke

Some say they’re the same thing. But don’t tell that to the “Nones” – the spiritual but not religious. Here’s a story if you like about “Nones” moving in with Catholic “nuns” for six months: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/31/style/milliennial-nuns-spiritual-quest.html

Join us to listen to what others think and to share what you think.  The Religious Exploration Salon is a group that meets 3rd Sundays to discuss various topics in the format called Bohm Dialogue which emphasizes respectful listening and balanced, synergistic sharing. For more details about how Dialogue works, please see this intro.

Everyone is welcome. You are welcome to think about the topic beforehand but no preparation is required or expected — come as you are with whatever thoughts/intuitions you have, ready to listen, learn and contribute.  We next meet Sunday June 16 at 7pm in the Brackett Room.

Contact Paul Reising, Tom Yelton or Jan Hardenbergh for more information.

Spirituality Book Group Saturday June 15, 10am – Breakfast with Buddha

All who are interested are welcome to come on Saturday, June 15 at 10am when the Spirituality Book Group is meeting to discuss Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo.

When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their childhood home, Otto Ringling, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a riddle is not what he’d planned. But in an effort to westernize his passenger–and amuse himself–he decides to show the monk some “American fun” along the way. From a chocolate factory in Hershey to a bowling alley in South Bend, from a Cubs game at Wrigley field to his family farm near Bismarck, Otto is given the remarkable opportunity to see his world–and more important, his life–through someone else’s eyes. Gradually, skepticism yields to amazement as he realizes that his companion might just be the real thing.

We hope to see you Saturday June 15, at 10am, in the Brackett room.

For more information, contact Tom Yelton or Leslie Lowe.

To see some of our past readings click here.

Religious Exploration Family Party June 9

The RE Committee at First Parish in Sudbury would like to invite you to an end of the year celebration for families and volunteers that participate in RE.

Pat Burkhardt, a longtime teacher and RE volunteer is moving away so please stop by to say goodbye and to wish her well on her new journey.

PLEASE JOIN US:

Bring your swimsuit and relax in the pool.  • We will have games and activities for the kids, including a zipline and trampoline. • Refreshments will be served.

WHEN/WHERE:

Sunday, June 9, from 3:30-5:30 PM

Amy Prince’s Home

45 Cudworth Lane

Sudbury, MA 01776

Please RSVP and let us know if you can celebrate with us.

Diahanne Lucas, RE Committee Member:

Text/Call: (978) 831-7281

Religious Exploration June 2nd

Religious Exploration-A Lamp in Every Corner- As we approach the end of our 2018-2019 RE year, the children will take this time to reflect on what we have learned. We will also be telling the story of Zora and her family lamp or chalice, taking time to look at our own chalice lighting and delving into what the light of truth and the flame of love really encompass. The miracle of social change will be our penultimate focus this exploration year.

Religious Exploration May 26th

Religious Exploration- In today’s world, it’s easy to confuse needs versus wants. This week, the children of First Parish will be creating a planning board in order to be able to tell the difference and will have the opportunity to explore their own short-term and long-term needs and wants. Part of being empowered is being able to stand up for yourself, and in order to do that, you first need to know yourself. This class is all about ‘know thyself’, but frames it in a constructive and philosophical way.

Spirituality Book Group Saturday May 25, 10am – Why Buddhism is True

All who are interested are welcome to come on Saturday, May 25 at 10am when the Spirituality Book Group is meeting to discuss Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright.

… Wright leads readers on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and a great many silent retreats to show how and why meditation can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age. At once excitingly ambitious and wittily accessible, this is the first book to combine evolutionary psychology with cutting-edge neuroscience to defend the radical claims at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. With bracing honesty and fierce wisdom, it will persuade you not just that Buddhism is true—which is to say, a way out of our delusion—but that it can ultimately save us from ourselves, as individuals and as a species.

We hope to see you Saturday May 25, at 10am, in the Brackett room.

For more information, or direction to Linda’s, contact Tom Yelton or Leslie Lowe.

To see some of our past readings click here.