unitarianfellowshipregina

Looking Forward to Pride Week: Special focus on Transgender support

On Sunday May 26 Carol Porter delivered an update with regard to LGBT issues with reference to our official designation as a Welcoming Congregation.  As the main part of her presentation she read to us the transcript of a talk delivered by a Unitarian in Ontario, Joan Wiley.  This talk describes how Joan and her family has supported her transgender son and how she went on to help found "Trans Parent", a group formed in Ontario to support the parents of transgender children.

Buddhism: fifth in a series: God is not One based on the book by Stephen Prothero

Presenter: Helen Christiansen According to Prothero, about 445 million people (7% of the world’s population) are Buddhists. Most of the world’s Buddhists are in Asia, but Buddhism is growing rapidly in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, mostly due to immigration. For Buddhists, the problem to overcome is suffering (dukka). The solution is to extinguish suffering (nirvana).

Celebrating Mother's Day

On Mother's Day Presenters, Pam Bocking, Donna Cowley, and Helen Christiansen led a participatory presentation with poems, stories, and reflections on the importance of contributions of Mothers everywhere.  Members of the fellowship contributed their own recollections, some serious, some humorous of their own experience as Mothers and of their own Mothers.

Spirituality: The Importance of the Sacred in Everyday Life

Presenter: Hilary Craig

What do we mean by spirituality?  Why is it important?  How can we integrate it into our daily lives? Hilary shares her reflections on these questions.

Dying With Dignity

Presenter: Wanda Morris, Executive Director, Dying With Dignity

Many people at the end of life suffer needlessly. In every jurisdiction where choice in dying legislation has been introduced, specific criteria have been adopted about who is eligible. The criteria for eligibility cannot be changed without changing the laws. The Dutch criteria (unbearable suffering) may be broader than that adopted in Oregon (terminal illness) but neither of them has been expanded. In Canada, we have a clean slate. We can introduce any criteria for eligibility we choose, and we can adopt whatever safeguards we feel are necessary.

Hinduism –The Fifth Presentation in the Series: God is Not One

Presenter: Ethel Struthers According to Prothero, Hinduism is the oldest of the great religions, and also the third largest (after Christianity and Islam) with about 900 million followers, or about 15% of the world’s population. Hinduism is an umbrella term for the religious tradition that gave the world karma, reincarnation, and yoga. Most Hindus would agree that the human problem is samsara (literally wandering on, or flowing by), and the solution is devotion.

Prayer: Not Just For Theists?

Visiting Minister: Rev. Karen Gitlitz, Unitarian Congregation of Saskatoon What is prayer? Can atheists pray – or more importantly, why might they want to? What might non-believers (and others) learn from religion about creating meaningful rituals to help us get along together and respond to suffering and loss? In this service we looked at the ancient practice of prayer, once described as “the aroma of the heart,” to find out what it might have to offer to believer and non-believer alike.

The Dying and Rising Saviour Motif

Presenter: Terry Chadwick The preponderance of dying and rising saviour myths in the ancient near east begs the question - Why? Terry provides several examples of dying and rising saviours and explore aspects of the human condition that lead to the repetition of the motif throughout many religions.

Gold Mining in El Salvador: For Whose Benefit?

Presenters: Sarah Guy & Laura Hillis In January, Sarah and Laura were part of a group of mostly grade 12 students, accompanied by 2 teachers and 2 parents, who spent a week in El Salvador. While there they had the opportunity to spend three days in a village whose people would be directly affected by the plans of mining companies to mine gold in El Salvador. Among other things, gold mining requires 900,000 litres of water a day – water that would not be available to the villagers.

Confuscianism –The Fourth Presentation in the Series: God is Not One

On March 10, Helen Christiansen, presented a talk on Confuscianism as part of a series based on the book "God is not One" by Stephen Prothero.  Unfortunately Helen felt a bit unwell in the middle of her presentation (thankfully not serious as we later found out) so, Sandra Allan took on the task of completing the presentation followed by our usual discussion.