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.

The Voices in my Head

On May 3rd, We're going to listen to a TedTalk by Eleanor Longden. 

Here's the abstract from the website: 

"To all appearances, Eleanor Longden was just like every other student, heading to college full of promise and without a care in the world. That was until the voices in her head started talking. Initially innocuous, these internal narrators became increasingly antagonistic and dictatorial, turning her life into a living nightmare. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, hospitalized, drugged, Longden was discarded by a system that didn't know how to help her. Longden tells the moving tale of her years-long journey back to mental health, and makes the case that it was through learning to listen to her voices that she was able to survive."

And then we'll talk about the strategies she used to win herself back, and the external forces working for and against her.

Please join us.

Bonus video: https://www.ted.com/talks/elyn_saks_seeing_mental_illness 

"On Being with Krista Tippett" -- Julia Rogers

This Sunday, faithful member Julia Rogers will lead the discussion with a recent episode of Krista Tippett's "On Being". Always thoughtful, this session addresses conflict and resolution around "The Future of Marriage" in seeking a redemptive solution to the tension emanating from same sex marriage. Please join us. You can preview the dialog, Here.

The Divide: American Justice in the Age of the Wealth Gap

This Sunday, April 19th, we'll hear Jennie Young and the Thursday's with Jesus group discuss Matt Taibi's book on the impact of wealth inequality. It's a big topic close to the heart of social justice. Please join us.

"What Happens to the Brain During Alzheimer's Disease?"

This coming Aunday, April 12th, Vanessa Fitsanakis returns with a talk on Alzheimer's Disease. She writes:

"Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease inthe US. It is primarily associated with aging, which is problematic since people routinely live into their 80's. AD is also difficult on family members because they must watch their loved one slowly lose their memory, and their ability to make appropriate decisions. All of these functional losses can be linked to specific brain regions that deteriorate during disease progression. The goal of this presentation is to familiarize the audience with the neuroanatomy associated with AD, and to provide a better understanding of what happens during this devastating disease."

Please feel free to bring anyone you know who could benefit from this presentation.

Vanessa is the "Dr Edward W Burke, Jr, Professor in Natural Sciences," Associate Professor and Chair Department of Biology at King University, Bristol, TN. She is a "local" who earned her BS at Milligan, MSc at Edinburgh, and Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Vanderbilt. Vanessa's current research in neurotoxicology is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences