unitarianfellowshipregina

Alex MacDonald gave us a brief consideration of the role of religion in utopias leading to thoughts on the role of religion in a number of Saskatchewan examples. These included The Harmony Industrial Colony, the Barr Colony and several more recent expressions of the utopian spirit in this province.

This Sunday, Vincent Murphy reflected on the ebbs and flows which are part of our lives which include cyclical events like the Equinoxes and Solstices, which are a part of the complex workings of the galactic system of which our Earth is a part.  In the end we are encouraged to slow down to observe and appreciate our natural surroundings.

Arthur Powell Davies was a minister, speaker, and leader of Unitarianism. He was also a social and political activist, as well as an author of several theological books. Davies, who had previously been a Methodist minister, began his career as a Unitarian minister in 1933, in Summit, New Jersey. He was the minister of All Souls Church, Unitarian, in Washington, D.C. from 1943 until his untimely death in 1957. In this presentation, the third in our series on Humanist Readings, we look at highlights of Davies' life and extracts of his published sermons.

On Sunday March 4th, David Rain, of USC Canada (Unitarian Service Committee) talked about the importance of Elders in his life and in the work of the USC.  Also touched on in this discussion is the USC's founder, Dr. Lotta Hitchmanova (of 56 Sparks Street fame). Quite prominent in his presentation is the importance of Biodiversity in the time honoured tradition of saving seeds.

Rebecca Bennetch discussed parenting from a secular perspective at our Feb 19 service.  Issues like how to deal with relatives who are religious, how to advise children to respond to friends who are insistent about religious concepts  like the existence of heaven and hell.  When to stop conciliating and call a spade a spade.  It was a great discussion and continued after the service at coffee downstairs.

On Sunday, February 12, Pam Bocking gave us her presentation on Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist and journalist.  In this talk, Pam described some of Whitman's experiences and humanist beliefs, whetting our appetite for further explorations into Walt Whitman's life and writings.

On Sunday February 5, presenter Gagan Deep Singh gave us the history of Sikhism and described its origin and development beginning in 1469.  Included are sound tracks from two videos;  one is an interview explaining the significance of wearing a turban, the other is a visit to the Golden Temple at Amritsar.  After listening to this podcast, Gagan was not satisfied with his answer to some questions asked by one of our members.  He asked us to include the following clarification: "I... apologize for not properly understanding the question asked by Bruno during the presentation. After listening to the podcast, I thought I should add the clarification.

I believe having respect and compassion towards all God's creation. As per the Sikh belief, God lives both within and outside its creation. All Sikh Gurus worked for the equality of Mankind. Guru Gobind Singh Ji said, "Recognize all Human race as one". Therefore, in my opinion, the LGBTs who are part of God's creation, have every right to be considered equal in all respects. The Sikh Faith emphasizes practicing compassion towards all creation."

Mr. Singh goes on to say,

"Regarding my other comment, I didn't have any opportunity of a personal experience on this matter within my community so I am not qualified to speak on behalf of both the community or LGBT friends.The website link and the attachment that I am sending provides more information. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you or your friends have any questions/concerns."

Presenter: Dr. Doug Durst

Canada is experiencing increasing diversity among our senior population, and this has implications for emotional and spiritual care. At times, it is difficult to determine how best to serve our seniors. Furthermore, issues of "politically-correct behaviours" can be confusing. Doug dispels 10 myths about working in the multicultural community.

Presenter:Dr. Shauneen Pete Growing up in Regina as a middle-class First Nations person can best be described as contradictory.  This narrative presentation outlines the experiences of one urban First Nations person and her family.

Humanism: A Home for Freethinkers Presenter: Sandra Allan

This presentation is an introduction to a series highlighting some of the Humanist thinkers present in various readings in our inspirational book, Singing the Living Tradition. We look at the origins and principles of Humanism and suggest how the Humanist philosophy relates to Unitarian aspirations. We also briefly consider how Humanism and morality might be said to connect.