UUCNH Adult RE page

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Adult Religious Education

FALL SCHEDULE

Oct 1	Simplicity Circle
Oct 7	PSI Group
Oct 10	Gnostic Gospels
Oct 11	Aging with Grace
Oct 19	Book Discussion Grp
Oct 21	Jesus Discussion Grp
Oct 25	Aging with Grace
Oct 27	Film Appreciation
Oct 29	Ghostic Gospels
Nov 8	Aging with Grace
Nov 15	So You (or a family member) Want to Be a Vegetarian - What Do You Eat?"
Nov 29	Aging with Grace

Simplicity Circle:
We are a group of like-minded folks who are trying to reduce the clutter in our lives! Clean out the physical, mental and spiritual mud! If you find it difficult to reduce your impact on the earth and would like support in living simpler please join us. Please contact Peggy Travanion if you have questions.

PSI Group:
How'd We Get Here - A discussion in several sessions of the way Evolution made us the way we are. We'll start with the basics of Natural Selection and the philosophy it implies [Does Intelligence evolve or must it be there at the Beginning?] and then thru the development of moral rudiments of society to the everlasting, and everlastingly interesting, tensions of male-female relationships.

Along the way, we'll cover the thoughts of Daniel Denett [Darwin's Dangerous Idea], Robert Wright [The Moral Animal], Matt Ridley [The Origins of Virtue], Robert MacElvaine [Eve's Seed] and Geoffrey Miller [The Mating Mind]. Are we Intelligently Designed or are we Cosmic Accidents?

The fun starts October 7th after the service in the East Room. See Tony Palermo (email) for details.

THIS CLASS HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING DUE TO LOW REGISTRATION

Your Money or Your Life:
Your Money or Your Life, by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin, is a best-selling book about a nine-step program for personal financial transformation - the way you can earn, spend and save money.

Interested participants can register by calling or e-mailing Lou Bartolomucci (email) with your name, telephone number and e-mail address.

Gnostic Gospels:
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels is a landmark study of the long-buried roots of Christianity. In 1945 an Egyptian peasant unearthed what proved to be the Gnostic Gospels, thirteen papyrus volumes that expounded a radically different view of the life and teachings of Jesus. Pagels explores this range of gospels, including the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, to show how a variety of "Christianities" emerged at a time of extraordinary spiritual upheaval. Some Christians questioned the need for clergy and church doctrine, and taught that the divine could be discovered through spiritual search. Many others sought enlightenment within. Such explorations raised questions: Was the resurrection to be understood symbolically and not literally? Was God to be envisioned only in masculine form, or feminine, as well? These early Christians dared to ask questions that orthodox Christians later suppressed - and their explorations led to profoundly different visions of Jesus and his message. The Gnostic Gospels is a radical, eloquent reconsideration of the origins of the Christian faith. Participants will need to purchase the book (~$15). Please contact Chris Hill (email) if you have questions.

Aging with Grace:
Some books that will be discussed are:

Aging as a Spiritual Journey by Eugene Bianchi,
The Fountain of Age by Betty Friedan,
Successful Aging by Mary O?Brien, M.D.,
From Age-ing to Sage-ing
by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald Miller,
Wisdom of the Elders
by David Suzuki and Peter Knudtson,
The Crone - Woman of Age, Wisdom, and Power by Barbara Walker,
Wise Women, A Celebration of Their Insights,
Courage, and Beauty by Joyce Tenneson,
If I Had My Life To Live Over,
I Would Pick More Daisies, and
When I Am An Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple anthologies edited by Sandra Martz.

Interested participants can register by calling or e-mailing Marsha (email) with your name, telephone number and e-mail address. There is no fee for the class. You may wish to purchase a book, borrow one from Marsha or bring along a book that you may have.

Book Discussion Group: This month, discussing:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hussein, a story about 2 very different women and 30 years of Afghan history. As war and loss bring Mariam and Laila together they develop a bond of sisterhood that gets them though the danger they face everyday of their lives. Self-sacrifice and heroic acts come from one woman's love for her family and her will to survive. Please join us for discussion at Lou Bartolomucci house this time. Please RSVP to (email).

Jesus Discussion Group:
After 2 years discussing scholarly thought about the New Testament & the Historical Jesus, we have one more area to finish, the place of Jesus philosophy in the world of religious thought, as described in Stephen Mitchell's excellent book, The Gospel According to Jesus. After this section, we will start over, beginning with historical evidence for the existence of Jesus and the nature of the Gospels [Fact, Fiction or What?]. Every 3rd Sunday of the month, after the service; room TBA. Contact Tony Palermo (email) for details.

Film Appreciation:
This month's film: Battleship Potemkin UUCNH member Jeff Hutchins, who received his B.S. degree in Broadcasting & Film, will be teaching a Film Appreciation Course as part of the UUCNH Adult R.E. program this fall.

The course will consist of eight three-hour classes on an irregular basis, at Jeff's home on either Friday or Saturday nights depending on students' preferences. The class size is strictly limited to EIGHT participants. Sign up is on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the class is full, people on a waiting list will be contacted if a "regular" attendee drops out or cannot make one of the classes. Notify Jeff directly of your interest by telephone or (email). There is no fee for the class, and participation is limited to age 16 and older. The first class will be Saturday, October 27, at 7:00 p.m. with the silent Russian classic "Battleship Potemkin."

In each class, students will watch a classic film chosen for its film technique and content, and then discuss aspects of the film that may have escaped the notice of the casual moviegoer - editing, lighting, cinematography and set design. In a couple of cases, the film will have to be viewed in two parts due to its length. Each film represents a different genre. Popcorn or other appropriate snacks will be provided. Subsequent films are expected to include "Shane," "Schindler's List," "A Man for All Seasons," "Citizen Kane," and feature films by Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock.

COMING IN NOVEMBER

So You (or a family member) Want to Be a Vegetarian - What Do You Eat?:

Come to an informational session at UUCNH on vegetarian eating on Thursday, November 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Carol Juergemeier, Registered Dietetic Technician, will provide some tips on balanced diets for children and adults. Vegetarians (or parents with vegetarian children) are invited to share Internet links, favorite recipes, etc. Youth and adults are welcome to the discussion, and childcare will be available for younger children if there is a need. Contact facilitator Patrice Noel at patrice.noel@comcast.net or at 724-933-1135 to register and to let her know if you will need childcare.

Bring your favorite vegetarian dish and we will begin the evening with a vegetarian potluck! Don’t forget to also bring your Internet links and favorite vegetarian recipes (typed or neatly written), or even better, e-mailed to Patrice, so that a booklet can be compiled for attendees (and other interested church members). If you can't attend the discussion, please feel free to forward your recipes to Patrice or contact her to request a copy of the booklet.