Our Adult Religious Education (RE) class has studied and discussed a variety of topics during the past year and a half or so.
Members of the class have selected other religions that were of interest to them, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to Native American Spirituality, and presented what they had learned about those religions to the class. We have even invited an Imam to talk to us about Islam. We think that, not only does it not harm our beliefs to learn about those of others, but that it actually enhances them.
One of the more popular topics we have explored is current events. Members of the class bring in information about an event that aroused their interest during the previous week and present it to the class. Lively discussions usually follow. Topics discussed recently include the Right to Die for people not suffering from a terminal illness and the passing of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Walter Cronkite.
We also have structured courses of study. One particularly popular one we used recently is a course entitled Saving Jesus. The description of the series is as follows: “Ever feel like Jesus has been kidnapped by the Christian Right? Join Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan, Matthew Fox, Amy-Jill Levine, James Forbes and a host of others for an exploration of the relevance of Jesus Christ for the third millennium.” The series consists of a 15 to 20 minute DVD presentation followed by Study Guide Discussion questions. Topics range from “What Can We Know About Jesus (and How)?” through “Jesus’ Ministry of Compassion” to “Why Jesus is Worth Saving”. It is quite interesting and informative and helps religious liberals see Jesus in a new and more realistic light.
Currently, the class is reading the book Being Liberal in an Illiberal Age Why I am a Unitarian Universalist by noted Unitarian Universalist minister Jack Mendelsohn. It introduces Unitarian Universalism, encourages participants to develop and articulate their beliefs and values, explores the meaning for religious liberals of traditional religious concepts such as God, sin, prayer, and authority, and examines the role of social action
in a liberal religious life. This course is excellent for people new to Unitarian Universalism as well as a great refresher for those who are already familiar with our faith.
So what comes next? We are looking at various options for our next series of discussions, one of which is Speaking of Faith Why Religion Matters – and How to Talk About It by Krista Tippett. Won’t you join us in our discussions?