Blog

by the Rev. Daniel Jantos

The story of Joan of Arc led Daniel Jantos to note:
       How very wrong the powers that be can get it sometimes.       How incredibly chaotic things become in certain periods and how much on the wrong side of history the establishment can be.      And how very interesting it is to note from where the prophetic and courageous voices emerge in such times of disintegration
The full text of this interesting talk can be found here.

As a member of the Unitarian Fellowship I can understand and accept why some of my non-Unitarian friends would not want to bother reading our blogs.

The blogs may not interest you if you are completely satisfied intellectually and emotionally with your take on the meaning of life. And/or if your social needs are being fully met by the interactions you are having with like-minded individuals and groups. And/or if you have found a philosophical, or scientific body of influential sources which supplies you with a platform from which to deal with life’s difficult issues. And/or if you have a satisfactory moral underpinning for doing good. And /or if your belief system provides you with the courage and encouragement to initiate change for peace, liberty and justice for all.

I am fairly confident that you will definitely not be interested in reading our blogs if you honestly agree that some or all of the following assertions describe your attitude and behaviour.

1. You are not interested in or do not value other people
2. You are trapped in an unjust and non-compassionate behavioural pattern towards humans and animals
3. You are deluded into thinking that you have found all the answers necessary for your spiritual growth.
4. You have no time for an ongoing search for truth and meaning
5. You have no confidence in the ability of conscientious human beings to use all the available resources at their disposal in carrying out such a search
6. You are afraid of questioning the doctrines and dogma of authoritarian institutions
7. You have disengaged from your close association with all forms of life
8. You are depending on the emergence of a super-cosmic event or intervention which will solve all of your personal problems

In conclusion, as stated above I take full responsibility for the above statements which I have checked out with my fellow members.  On behalf of the Sydney Spirit of Life Unitarian Fellowship I therefore invite you to join our readership if you feel comfortable about being included.

Eric Stevenson

Thomas Carlyle wrote:
“Today is not yesterday. We ourselves change. How then,
can our works and thoughts, if they are always to be the
fittest , continue always the same? Change, indeed, is
painful, yet ever needful; and if memory have its force
and worth, so also has hope.
We ourselves change. It has been said that life is perpetual
growth; and that when you’ve finished changing – you’ve
finished!”

This thought provoking talk on change by the Rev. Geoff Usher can be found here.

“Heresy is a cradle; orthodoxy, a coffin”, (Robert G. Ingersoll)
“Truth is rarely simple and seldom obvious, which is why mature institutions recognise the importance of conflict and disagreement. Christianity was born in conflict, and it has been characterised by conflict ever since. The Church’s obsession with heresy is witness to this fact” (Richard Holloway)
Do you consider yourself a heretic? You should. The ancient Greek word for ‘choice’ is the word we know as ‘heresy’. Heretics are people of choice.

This provocative talk by the Rev. Rex Hunt, a speaker much in demand, has been descibed as briliant. You can read this address in full here.

“What the kangaroo and the koala are to Earth,
we are to the universe… The secrets of the universe
are not different from us”
(Paul Fleischman)
In a couple of weeks time two celebrations will occur. One is the Christian festival called Easter. A time when the life and death of a Jewish peasant sage called Yeshu’a, is remembered.

This talk by the Rev. Rex Hunt can be read here