unitarianfellowshipregina

Judaism - Part 2. God Is Not One series

Presenter: Helen Christiansen
Orthodoxy is the only form of Judaism officially recognized by the State of Israel. In other parts of the world, Jews have split into different branches. This presentation will look at the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox movements, touch on Reconstructionist and Humanistic Judaism, and conclude with an overview of Kabbalah – Jewish Buddhism.        

War as Disease

Presenter: Dr. Dale Dewar
Re-framing the issue and placing it in the context of the global environmental challenge.

Freedom and Human Choice

Presenter: William Arnal
If there is no divine punishment or reward, if there is no immutable human essence, if we are free to choose the lives we want to live, can there be any basis for morality? The existentialists posed this question, and their answers are provocative and haunting. If there is no transcendent moral guideline, we can choose to base our behavior on any principles whatsoever. What could those principles be? This presentation focuses on Jean-Paul Sartre, and Friedrich Nietzsche.

The Loss of Aborignal Health in the 1870’s: Does the Legacy Continue?

Presenter: James Daschuk
This presentation will consider long term health patterns in First Nations communities in Saskatchewan over several centuries, and focuses on the sudden decline of health in the years after numbered treaties were signed. Many of the conditions that undermined indigenous health more than a century ago continue to be a burden on First Nations people today. We include the power point used for the presentation

Judaism -- The Seventh Presentation in the series God Is Not One: Part One

Presenter: Helen Christiansen
Prothero argues that Judaism is both the least and the greatest of all religions. With only 14 million Jews worldwide, it is by far the smallest of the great religions, however, Prothero believes that Judaism has wielded influence far out of proportion to its numbers.

The Jewish Festival of Hanukkah

Presenter: Rabbi Jeremy Parnes
The annual celebration of Hanukkah occurred on November 18th this year. As Hanukkah falls near Christmas, and involves gift-giving, it is often seen as a sort of Jewish Christmas. Actually, Hanukkah commemorates the retaking of Jerusalem in the second century BCE by Jewish rebels known as the Maccabees, and their purification and rededication of the temple. This presentation looked at the celebration of Hanukkah by the Jewish community in Regina and in other parts of the world.  In the process of explaining Hanukkah, Rabbi Parnes gave us a number of insights regarding the history of the Jews and his own personally held belief that we should all recognize, understand, and respect our differences.

Buffy Sainte-Marie, Singer, Activist, and Visionary

Presenter: Blair Stonechild
Buffy Sainte-Marie is generally known as a First Nations folk singer. Her interests and activities are far broader however. She is also an actor, activist, artist, and pioneer in internet education. One little known aspect of her story is her life-long interest in spirituality beginning with Oriental religions at university, spiritual practices of the Cree, Baha’i faith and Urantia religion. This presentation will provide an overview of her life and career with a focus on spirituality.

Follow-up to an earlier presentation on Zealot by Reza Aslan

Presenter: Allyne Knox
Reza Aslan is an Iranian-American writer and religious scholar. Zealot: The life and times of Jesus of Nazarethoffers an interpretation of the life and mission of the historical Jesus.

Reconnecting With Our Gardens,

Presenter: Victor Cicansky
This presentation explores the backyard garden and the change in consciousness worldwide that is sending people into their backyards and front yards, to community gardens and schoolyard gardens to reconnect with the natural processes of earth-grown food in a real world context.

The Origins of Women of the Dawn

Presenter: Ivy Kennedy Hall
Social Services rules are changing across Canada. Women of the Dawn was founded to meet the needs of First Nations Women - to get them off the welfare system, and to help them return to school so that they are in a better position to support their children.