Products
|
Adult RE Committee - moved to Tuesday, August 27th |
|
|
Adult RE Committee - Zoom/Online Contact uusmreassist@gmail.com for the zoom link. |
|
|
Adult RE Committee - Zoom/Online Contact uusmreassist@gmail.com for the zoom link. |
|
|
Adult RE Committee Meeting |
|
|
Adult RE Committee Meeting |
|
|
Adult RE Lifelong Learning Committee Potluck |
|
|
Adult RE Workshop - Emergence, a Creative Universe, and You
Religious Exploration for Adults presents this since-session class and discussion with James Witker, adapted from a Freethinker Forum held by AAHS this past Spring…
EMERGENCE (Emergent Properties) is a cross-disciplinary idea in science, philosophy, and art dealing with complex systems arising from -- and having properties not merely defined by -- their simpler component parts. Some examples include snowflakes, fractals, galaxies, and life itself.
Whether by blind chance, the whims of quantum spacetime, the Multiverse, or something more deeply mysterious about the nature of Reality, we live in a universe whose internal dynamics are geared toward the development of complex structures -- otherwise we wouldn’t be here at all! Mathematical Cosmologist Brian Swimme says: “This is the greatest discovery of the scientific enterprise: You take hydrogen gas, and you leave it alone, and it turns into rosebushes, giraffes, and humans.” (https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence)
Emergence seems to be a synergy of the laws of the universe that allows for what systems biologist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Stuart Kauffman calls “ceaseless and explosive creativity” under the right conditions. There is much that we don’t understand about it, and it is an exciting new frontier in science. Some would suggest that what we are coming to understand about emergent complexity defies the “reductionism” that has been a hallmark of scientific thought since Galileo and Newton.
And where might a concept of God fit in? For most of human history, people have seen a divine hand or some kind of animating intelligence behind the workings of our world and its creative properties. But the steady march of science has revealed a universe obedient to fixed natural laws and chaotically governed by chance. These days, most atheists will say that there is no reliable evidence for anything in or beyond the cosmos that can be called “God.” Meanwhile, newer movements in religion and spirituality, such as Pantheism, Panentheism and some Religious Naturalists, have sought to re-define God as something akin to nature itself, or the inherent creativity within it.
J
oin us for an exploration of Emergence in a humanistic frame. We will try to understand this concept better, ask some questions to get at what is still mysterious, and grow our appreciation of nature’s awesome self-organizing dynamics.
Contact: jwitker@mac.com
|
|
|
Adult RE Workshop - Reverence for Life Dinner at Veggie Grill after the workshop. Please join longtime UUSM members Amy & Bruno Lacombe as they begin their effort to bring a chapter of UUAM (UU Animal Ministry) to our Church. They will facilitate a 1-2 hour interactive class entitled Reverence for Life, followed by an optional dinner close by at Veggie Grill. Please support this worthy endeavor! Thanks! Contact: Amy Lacombe, amylacombe@rocketmail.com. |
|
|
Adult RE- "Follow-Up to Love" |
|
|
Adult RE: Humanist Voices in UU Discussion Group
Join Adult RE as we read and discuss this new and remarkable little volume of thought-provoking, inspiring, and heart-warming essays that just might challenge your view of Humanism -- whether you consider yourself a Humanist or not. Contributors represent a range of viewpoints and include luminaries of Secular Humanism and Unitarian Universalism such as Edd Doerr, Michael Werner, Chris Stedman, Rev. David Bumbaugh, Rev. Kendyl Gibbons, and Rev. William Murry.
From the publisher:
“In this highly anticipated collection, Unitarian Universalist Humanists present their faith perspectives in 23 engaging and thought-provoking essays. The contributors, both lay and ordained, demonstrate why Humanism has been one of the bedrock theologies of Unitarian Universalism for the last hundred years. They reflect on what it means to be a religious Humanist today and how they see the movement evolving in the twenty-first century. They explore Humanist history, beliefs, approach to life, social justice, community, and religious education. Together, these voices proclaim a passionate affirmation of a rich and dynamic tradition within Unitarian Universalism.”
The first 40 pages are available as a free preview on Google: goo.gl/RvwrCU
Contact James Witker at jwitker@mac.com.
|
|
|
Advanced Directives Workshop
UUs gather to boldly explore a variety of important topics throughout our lives. We’ve invited a local expert, UCLA family physician Robert Ashley, M.D., to discuss with us end-of-life care, how to choose a durable power of attorney for healthcare, and how to make choices about the direction of our healthcare. He will give you information and the applicable forms and he’s eager to hear your questions. He’s even written a novel on the topic. This workshop is for adults of every age — singles, parents, partners, friends — and it’s free.
An Advance Directive is like what used to be called a Living Will. It’s a legal document that tells doctors and
hospitals what they can and cannot do regarding your care; that is, you can make medical decisions and practical arrangements now in case you are seriously injured or ill and cannot speak for yourself. Do you — or do you not — want particular kinds of medical interventions, under what circumstances? Who needs to know what you think about this? How can an Advance Directive help protect your family and friends from unnecessary grief and trauma? What are the rules about entering hospice care? Would a trust help you make sensible legal and financial planning decisions, or is a will enough? How do you want to distribute your assets? How can all these decisions reflect your UU values?
The Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur, the Rev. Silvio Nardoni, and members of our Caregivers’ Support Group will bookend the discussion in Forbes Hall on Sunday, March 30. You are warmly invited to the first of two sessions; this one will focus on medical decisions, and the second, later this year, will focus on financial and administrative responsibilities. Information and workshop cookie-baker: Joyce Holmen
|
|
|
Advanced Healthcare Directive Workshop On Memorial Day, we will be brave together as each of us who comes fills out an Advance Healthcare Directive. Beforehand, you can print your own copy for free, as well as explore a checklist and resources, by visiting the website of California State Attorney General Kamala Harris, http://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/care. Also, start gathering contact information of the people to whom you should give a copy of this vital document.
|