The Construction of
Spiritual Practices and Rituals
Led by Uri Nodelman
Wednesday Evenings, March 3 - April 7, 7-9 pm
If religion be a function by which either God's cause or man's cause is to be really advanced, then he who lives the life of it, however narrowly, is a better servant than he who merely knows about it, however much. Knowledge about life is one thing; effective occupation of a place in life, with its dynamic currents passing through your being, is another. -William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience
What does it mean to live the life of your faith? What practices and rituals are a part of your spiritual or religious life? What is their function? How might you incorporate new rituals or practices? What might they be? What support is needed in taking on a new practice? What does it mean for such practices to "work" or feel "broken"?
This six session class will provide an opportunity to engage these questions as we learn from selected readings and from each other about how we practice our faiths. We will examine rituals and practices for individuals, families, and communities covering life-cycle based practices (e.g., rituals around birth, coming-of-age, wedding, death), calendar-based practices (e.g., celebration of holidays), and daily/weekly practices (e.g., right speech/lashon hara, meditation, observing Sabbath).
The class will be facilitated by Uri Nodelman, who is Jewish and will bring a Jewish perspective and information about Jewish practices to the class. Uri is a friend of the congregation (who is often seen taking pictures at First Unitarian events). By day (and sometimes by night) he works as Senior Editor of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and is a Research Associate at Stanford University.
Childcare will be provided on reques. Limit 12 participants (minimum 6.)
When: Wednesdays, Mar. 3–Apr. 7, 7:00–9:00 pm
Register online here: http://www.formspring.com/forms/?702752-qBJm68Rndn or contact Director of Lifespan Religious Education, Becky Brooks, at 443-921-6912 or redirector@firstunitarian.net
No comments:
Post a Comment