Religion in America Continues

On August 23rd, we will continue with the video series "Religion in America." Please join us. This is a good series and relevant to where we are today.

Religion in America

This Sunday, August 16th, we will continue with the series "Religion in America." This is a good one. Please join us.

Radiolab - Gray's Donation

On July 26th we hear and discuss a recent edition of Radiolab. The story recounts Sarah and Ross Gray's donation, and how that led them to unusual places with unusual questions, perhaps a conversation with the universe. Is life fair? If not, how do we respond. It's a moving, powerful and at times, a disturbing and compelling story. Please join us.

The generosity of curiosity

For July 19th: In a recent interview with neurologist Oliver Sacks, author of "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" the narrator noted how Sacks personifies the generosity of curiosity. I had never heard that combination of words, but listening to Sacks, it's true. A certain type of natural, honest, deeply felt curiosity comes across as being a beautifully shared event. Join us, and see if you agree as we listen to the interview. Preview here (from 32:45, forward)

PROOF OF HEAVEN---REALLY?

For May 24th -- A best-selling book entitled “Proof of Heaven” was published in 2012 by neurosurgeon  Dr. Eben Alexander.  In it he recounted his near-death experience in which he was in a coma for a week.  Prior to his experience when he was still an agnostic,  he believed that NDE’s were simply sensations produced by brains under extreme stress.  After his experience he now believes that God and the soul are real and that death is not the end of personal existence but only a transition.   

We studied this book in Science and Spirit discussions last year but now there is a DVD called “Conversations Beyond Proof of Heaven” in which Alexander talks with Dr. Raymond Moody about his experiences.  In these conversations, we shall hear some of the following:

--consciousness:  is it dependent on the brain or a richer, freer state beyond the physical mind?

--time:  how it flows, how we perceive it linearly, and how all things are happening at once.

--science and spirituality:  the possibility of merging the two as partners rather than adversaries and the consideration of science in the question of soul.

Come and join us for what promises to be some thought provoking topics for the next few weeks.

The Invisible Illness

On May 17th we're going to watch and discuss a regional Tedx talk by Bates College student Max Silverman. As a junior, Max started the Bates chapter of Active Minds, a national organization dedicated to raising campus awareness of mental health and stigmatization. Silverman devotes his talk to this topic, underscoring the importances of understanding mental illness as a biological disorder, deserving support and compassion.
Please join us.
Preview the video by clicking here.

An Inside Story of Mental Illness -- Elyn Saks

This Sunday, May 10th, we'll follow up with another first person story of combating mental illness. The TED presenter is Elyn Saks, the Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law, Psychology and Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law.

The blurb reads: ""Is it okay if I totally trash your office?" It's a question Elyn Saks once asked her doctor, and it wasn't a joke. A legal scholar, in 2007 Saks came forward with her own story of schizophrenia, controlled by drugs and therapy but ever-present. In this powerful talk, she asks us to see people with mental illness clearly, honestly and compassionately."

Preview here : https://www.ted.com/talks/elyn_saks_seeing_mental_illness

Please join us. We'll be delighted to see you.