Friday Night Lectures

7 – 8 pm £5

An opportunity to explore aspects of spirituality in contemporary society in a thought provoking but light way. There will be a short lecture by one of our teachers, followed by questions and discussion. There will not be any meditation or prayers. Everyone welcome.

 

Friday 13th October       The difference between self-love and being selfish – with Martin Luff

Respecting, accepting and liking ourselves is a necessary ingredient of emotional health and happiness, whereas the feeling that we are more, or less important than other people leads to all kinds of selfish and negative behaviour. But what exactly is the difference between healthy self-love and unhealthy obsession with ourselves?

 

Friday 8th December     Faith in a secular society – with Mike Garside

Faith is often thought of as blind belief in something for which there is no evidence, and as such is regarded as irrelevant in our evidence based, scientific culture. On the other hand, a loss of connection with the sacred dimension of ourselves and the world is arguably at the root of many current problems ranging from a growing sense of hopelessness to environmental destruction. Is there a different way of looking at faith, one that could restore our faith in faith and recognise faith as an essential aspect of a whole and meaningful human life?

 

 

Friday 8th March           The mystery of consciousness – with Mike Garside

We all know we are conscious, but what is consciousness? Where does consciousness come from? Is it produced by the brain? Is it present only human beings? Are there different levels of consciousness? Can some aspect of consciousness survive death?  These questions have been asked for thousands of years and many different answers proposed. Nowadays most (but certainly not all) scientists believe that consciousness is somehow produced by the brain and cannot exist without the brain, but what evidence do they have for this belief? Most spiritual traditions, on the other hand, believe that consciousness is substantially different from the brain and body and can therefore survive physical death. Again, is this just a belief or is there any evidence for this view? These questions are too important to ignore, but how can we go beyond mere belief and find out the truth? If we did manage to understand the real nature of consciousness, this might also illuminate what happens after we die.