unitarianfellowshipregina

Presenter:  Hira Zahid

Hira Zahid speaks about her experiences as a Muslim woman.  Hira is currently a student at the University of Regina and is the VP External Affairs in the U of R Muslim Students Association.

Presenter: John Whyte

It is not clear that belief in God is an essential aspect of pursuing a religious life or of being alive to spiritual experience. In fact, the God idea – no doubt generated and adopted for the good reasons of reflecting our need for bewitchment, our craving to understand human experience and our sense that human liberty must be tempered by accountability –  creates a divide in human experience that can separate us from a  rich and ennobling engagement with life’s full spiritual possibilities. While God can be a harmless metaphoric interface with experience, the causal improbabilities associated with dominant conceptions of God probably serve to drive the modern mind away from spirituality and away from the undoubted good of following the gospel’s central mandate to live mercifully.

Quoting from her own poems, June Mitchell reflects on the Poetry Path and what puts the wind beneath her wings on her journey.

Presenter:  Joan Carolyn, Canadian Unitarian Council

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A message from our Canadian UU Youth Gatherings- HRA are desired and done.
Are you ever ready to kick in the “flight” response when you hear about a HRA? We celebrate the relationships which draw us and keep us here. We explore the value in creating a welcoming space which acknowledges that we all have room to grow and encourage people to risk “buy-in” with a process we feel is fair and appropriate when we address our growing edges.

Presenter: Victor Lau

What is the Unitarian way? Victor Lau presented a sermon written by Rev. Brian Kiely of the Unitarian Church of Edmonton. Describing our Fellowship is a problem for many Unitarians because we are a religion without a formal creed. We don’t have that easy handle to hang onto. In our church school you will find no catechisms. You will hear no absolute pronouncements on what you must or must not do. After the presentation, fellowship members weighed in on their thoughts about Rev. Kiely's views.  Some in agreement, some at odds.  Normal in a Unitarian setting.

Presenter:  Jane Knox

Jane describes her long journey to beginning to understand the issues that have created the injustices that continue to affect First Nations peoples at the hands of successive Canadian governments from the time that treaties were signed to the present day.

Jennifer Ashford is a vegan and animal welfare activist. Originally from Winnipeg, she spent ten years travelling the UK and Europe before settling down in Regina. Jennifer’s presentation starts with a brief description of Veganism, how she reconciled her love of animals and what was on her plate, and how easy it was to make the switch.

The presentation also includes a brief description of how animal agriculture affects the planet, both ecologically and economically, and how veganism is the most compassionate choice for the support of other species, and humans all over the world.

One of the most important skills for a new Canadian to acquire is the ability to communicate with service providers, neighbours and employers in their new home.  Helen Christiansen will share with us her knowledge of and dedication to tutoring and teaching EAL to new Canadians.  Joanne Green will share some of the things she's learned helping two Syrian families to settle in Regina

Activist Peter Gilmer talks about the work of the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry and how the Provincial Government is actually sliding backwards in its commitment to end poverty in Saskatchewan.  He also tells us how we can help.

Presenter: Dr. Lee Ward

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For the first time in generations, Canadians see the possibility of meaningful electoral reform. The current federal government has committed to making the 2015 Federal Election the last one to use the old First-Past-the-Post system, which produces false majorities and effectively wastes the votes of millions of Canadians. If reform is coming, the questions then is: What type of system is best suited to Canada? Dr. Ward argues that some form of Proportional Representation (PR) is required in order to reflect the diversity of the Canadian political experience and in effect to make every vote count. He also tries to demonstrate that the Alternative Vote or Preferential Ballot favoured by some in the current government is not the best choice, or even a real improvement over the current flawed system.