Some of these talks are given in full on our blog and are available for use by others. Please acknowledge the author and our Fellowship.
Services Archive
2018
21st January, Rev Geoff Usher: “Martin Luther Reformer”
On the 31st October, 1517 Martin Luther posted his famous 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church at Wittenberg and sent a copy to the Archbishop with a strongly worded letter of protest about the sale of indulgences. This service commemorating Luther’s life, will mark the 500th anniversary of the sowing of the seed of the Reformation and the Lutheran Church.
28th January, Colin Whatmough: “Viewing Christianity from a Historical Perspective”
4 February, Martin Horlacher: “Enlightenment: Dehellenisation Versus Reason and Rationality”
If the modern Western world owes how far it has come to any one particular historical and cultural tradition, it is that of the Hellenistic civilisation of Ancient Greece. Arguably, it is this tradition that served as the basis for everything that is good in our world today, more than two millennia later. And yet, today, this worldview is under attack – both in the West and in the East – and our world, along with all human civilisation’s achievements, is in danger.
11 February, No meeting
18 February, Rev. Rex Hunt: “Desert, Spinifex, and Lent for Unitarians”
Remembering we too are desert flowers.
25 February, Carolyn Donnelly: “The significance, explanation, and philosophical background of Charles Schultz’s loved Peanuts comic strips“
4 March, Martin Horlacher: “Tradition: Faith, Power, and the Ties That Bind”
Tradition still has an undeniable hold over much of Western society. But is it for the better…or is a good deal of radical re-thinking required?
11 March, No meeting
18 March, Rev. Geoff Usher: “ The God of the Gaps?”
Modern cosmology—the study of the world around us — has forced many people to consider religious questions in relation to science itself. It seems that the more we discover, the more religious questions we face—particularly questions about the emergence of spirituality in modern cosmologies.
25 March, Rev. John Clifford: “450 years since Torda: memory of a dead horse or reminder for today?”
We’re proud of our history but is it worth more than warm feelings? What can a closer look at Torda show us about tolerance?
1 April, No meeting.
8 April, No meeting.
15 April, Rev. Daniel Jantos: “Rebirths, Renewals and Rennaissance – but what to keep and what to discard?”
We find ourselves in a period of intense technological innovation and change. Some like to think that technology is values neutral. And yet technology is profoundly shaping the way we relate to one another and dictating constructs of personhood and community that must cause us to ask some questions about benefit and harm. Rather than technophobia, this talk invites a chance to review our presumptions about progress and innovation.
( The full text of the service can be accessed here. )
22 April, Morandir Armson: “Christus Resurrexit: The Strange Case of Easter.”
Easter is the most holy and important festival of the Christian calendar. Yet the festival
itself is a very strange mixture of biblical references, Mediaeval Catholic traditions, and near-Eastern Paganism. This presentation will focus on the origins of Easter, one of the stranger festivals in the Christian liturgical calendar.
29 April, Colin Whatmough: “Interpretation & Orthodox Corruption of Scripture – from an Historical Perspective”
The New Testament developed as a set of books that Proto-orththodox Christians could use to provide them with Apostolic Authorities for their views against those of other Christian groups designated as Heretics.
6 May, Rev. Geoff Usher: “In What Do We Trust?
When people ask the question: “Do you believe in God?” they usually mean: “Do you believe in MY God?” And usually, if we are to be truthful, the only reply we as Unitarians can give must be: “Probably not.”
13 May, No meeting
20 May, Martin Horlacher: “Chaos & Gaia: The Maccabean Revolt, Hellenistic
Philosophy, and Ideology Against Reason.”
Small stones can cast large ripples. Depending on how you look at it, the Maccabean Revolt of 167 BC was either the triumph of an oppressed people against their oppressors, or a missed opportunity for humanity as a whole to embrace enlightenment. Had Hellenistic philosophy won the day, as opposed to Abrahamic religion, how differently might the last 2,100 years of human history leading up to today have turned out?
27 May, Morandir Armson: “Colourful, Exuberant, and Happy: An Examination of
Religious Festivals.”
The world is full of festivals. You can throw tomatoes, run with bulls, or roll cheeses. Far more interesting, however, are festivals rooted in religious beliefs and cultural observances. They give you a glimpse into the rich human imagination and have a serious side: commemorating the dead, imploring the help of saints or gods, giving hope for a better future. This presentation will examine a number of religious festivals, seeking to find some of their core features.
3 June, Martin Horlacher: “Identities: The Other and Us”
We all want and need to be part of a “group” – it’s one of the most fundamental aspects of human nature, our need to have an identity. And yet, all too often, it’s so incredibly easy to go along with pack mentality – “groupthink” – instead of using critical thought and our own individual reasoning. What is needed, arguably, is more of a balance of both, particularly in today’s volatile world.
10 June, No meeting.
17 June, Rev. Geoff Usher: “Keeping Our Chalice Alight”
The Flaming chalice—or the chalice and Flame—has become the internationally recognised and adopted symbol of our Unitarian—or Unitarian Universalist—faith. The lighting of our chalice normally constitutes an important part of the opening minutes of our worship services, although it remains free of any single, set ritual or formula.
24 June, Helen Whatmough: “Trust in Our Everyday Life”
1 July, Rev Rex Hunt, “No one Says Much Good of Winter: Seasons and Self.”
Seasons and self.
8 July, Kirribilli markets. No meeting
15 July, Ginna Hastings & Max Lawson, “Robert Louis Stevenson: Presbyterian Pirate”
Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, traveller of the south seas, couldn’t escape his Scottish Presbyterian background. This talk will tell of this fascinating man and discuss his book Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.
22 July,Morandir Armson, “Colourful, Exuberant, and Happy: An Examination of Religious Festivals“
The world is full of festivals. You can throw tomatoes, run with bulls, or roll cheeses. Far more interesting, however, are festivals rooted in religious beliefs and cultural observances. They give you a glimpse into the rich human imagination and have a serious side: commemorating the dead, imploring the help of saints or gods, giving hope for a better future. This presentation will examine a number of religious festivals, seeking to find some of their core features.
29 July, Rev. Geoff Usher, “A radical and Optimistic Heresy.”
Many observers of contemporary society have noted that we are in a period of cultural warfare. Christian fundamentalists and other conservatives are waging a fierce battle against what they perceive to be the evils of liberalism. This is not the first time such a struggle has occurred. At a similar time of deep aocietal conflict over two centuries ago, Universalism arose in America as a radical and optimistic Christian heresy in response to the grim doctrines of eighteenth century Calvinistic Puritanism.
5 August, Martin Horlacher, “The Greek Way.”
In her 1930 masterpiece “The Greek Way”, American author Edith Hamilton demonstrates how the spirit of the Golden Age of Greece, in the fifth century BC, spurred the men and women of that time and place on to achievements that were unparalleled in the ancient world. Be it through the works of Homer, Sophocles and Euripides, the philosophy of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, or the treatises of Xenophon on civilised living, it is the ancient Greeks who arguably came closest to building what might be called the pinnacle of Western civilisation. As Hamilton herself puts it, “The Greeks were the first intellectualists. In a world where the irrational had played the chief role, they came forward as the protagonists of the mind.” There is much we can learn from them today.
12 August, No Service
19 August, Rev. Geoff Usher, “Change.”
Change is the unchangeable law of the universe. It is the only thing that is constant. Indeed, to be constant in nature would be inconstancy. And to blind oneself to change is not to halt it.
26 August, Morandir Armson, “Masonry – Facts and Fallacies.”
The Masonic brotherhood has existed since at least the 16th Century. Ever since the 18th Century, a number of troubling rumours, wild accusations, and bizarre conspiracy theories have swirled around Freemasonry and Freemasons. This presentation will seek to dispel these rumours, explain the truth about Freemasonry, and seek to portray the Masonic brotherhood as it really is – sometimes bizarre, sometimes mundane, but always of interest.
2 September, Dr Max Lawson: “Cervantes’ Don Quixote reconsidered.”
Idealism in a crazy world.
9 September, No meeting.
16 September, Martin Horlacher: “On Virtue: Honesty, Integrity, Ethics and Empathy.”
How do we define right and wrong, particularly in today’s ultra-complicated world? It’s not an easy question to answer, and one that numerous philosophers have been puzzling over for millennia. Consequentialism, virtue ethics, deontology…ends, means, intent…which matters most?
And, arguably most importantly, where does the concept of empathy fit into it?
23 September, Rev Rex Hunt: “Revisiting Harvey Cox’s On Not leaving it to the snake”
The creative advance of any generation rests upon the responsiveness of a pitifully small margin of human consciousness. In the mid 1960s a young fresh-faced associate professor at the Divinity School of Harvard University, called Harvey G. Cox, burst onto the theological scene. An American Baptist by birth, and building a reputation as a bit of a radical, he was a frequent contributor of articles to such esteemed publications as The Christian Century, Theology Today, Christianity and Crisis… and Playboy.
Back then it was his first book, ‘The Secular City’, that was getting rave reviews – both positive and negative – from all and sundry.
But it is from one of his lesser known books, called ‘On Not Leaving it to the Snake’, a collection of previously published articles in various publications, that I want to spend a little more time on today.
7 October, Rev. Daniel Jantos, “Where’s Waldo?”
Sometimes comparisons are not helpful. But given that caution, I am noticing certain gaps in the Australian religious landscape. This is of course just from my own perspective of returning to Australia after having lived in the United States for the past 30 years. I am missing Emerson here. I am missing the influence of what is called in the U.S., “the American Renaissance.” This talk will be an exploration of that movement, Emerson’s thinking and influence, and some reflections and questions about those influences and religious life in Australia.
14 October, No meeting.
21 October, Rev. Geoff Usher, “Toilet paper and Tolerance.”
Religious liberals can too easily fall into the trap of a liberal dogmatism which is merely a left-wing intolerance. Sometimes we pride ourselves for our openness, tolerance and diversity, when in fact we are prepared to be open and tolerant only provided that other people think the same way as we do.
In 1976, consciousness researcher and theorist (and Unitarian Universalist) Julian Jaynes published “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind”. In this groundbreaking but highly controversial book, he argued that, prior to about 1,000 BCE, human consciousness existed in a radically different form from today – one in which the human mind was unable to reason and articulate about mental contents through introspection or meta-reflection. Although a contentious thesis, this idea has found a considerable degree of support in the psychological and philosophical community, and may indeed have some bearing on our own modern age.
Ethics, politics, psychology.
20 January, Rev Geoff Usher: “Put Your Mind to a Kinder You.”
Do you make New Year Resolutions? Do you manage to keep them or do they weaken and give way? The quest for the best can be a movement away from affection. It can become a willingness to love only the best we think we can create, rather than the Good that Life has given us.
Quirky Transcendentalist? Writer, activist, perhaps particularly influenced by the teachings and philosophy of progressive Unitarian scholars of her time.
10th February, No meeting
17th February, Martin Horlacher: “Gaslighting, God and Ancient Greece”
“Gaslighting”, as a psychological term, refers to a manipulative technique often used to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of targeted individuals or groups, in order to deliberately make them question their own memories, perception and sanity. Using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction and outright deception, it attempts to destabilise the victim and to delegitimise the victim’s belief in themselves. Although an exceedingly common form of abuse employed in everyday interpersonal relationships, the truth is that it has for so long been the actual basis for the nature of religious belief, particularly in the Abrahamic tradition, with its persistent demands of unquestioning obedience and threats of exclusion and eternal damnation. No doubt, it has existed and done terrible damage in every human society and civilisation that there has ever been – and yet, how does the destructive and undermining influence of Abrahamic religious hypocrisy and duplicity compare to the best and brightest elements of Ancient Greek introspection and intellectualism, particularly on this crucial topic?
7 April, Rev. Rex Hunt. “It’s Earth Day. Pay Attention”
Actually Earth Day will be 21 April but it is also Easter Day and we will not be meeting. What the kangaroo and the koala are to Earth, we are to the universe. The secrets of the universe are not different from us.
14th April No Meeting
21st April, No Meeting
28th April, Rev. Geoff Usher, “Some Truths We Hold.”
It is a misconception that the religion of Unitarians can be defined only by what we do not believe. People from dogmatic religous backgrounds find it incomrehensible that there can be such a thing as an undogmatic faith. They mistake a lack of dogmatism for a lack of positive faith. In the free, liberal rational formulation of faith, we Unitarians hold truths which give us a solid foundation in the present, and a constructive direction toward the future.
5th May, Morandir Armson, “Paganism and Unitarianism: Where Do We Go From Here?”
Neo-Paganism is a world faith which has little in the way of organisation. This has led to a situation in which Pagan clergy have been unable to take part in the social structures which other world faiths are able to participate in. This talk will examine the role which Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism could possibly take in the Pagan movement.”
12th May, No Meeting
19th May, Ginna Hastings, “The Inspiration of Wordsworth”
Ginna will present the talk on which Max was working before his death. It will include some recordings of Wordsword’s work.
26th May, Martin Horlacher: “False Dawns, Straw Dogs and Agonistic Liberalism: An Analysis of the Political and Philosophical Arguments of John Gray”
British philosopher John Gray is a controversial figure. In several influential books and notable lectures and interviews, he argues that free market globalisation is an unstable Enlightenment project currently in the process of disintegration, and also attacks philosophical humanism, a worldview he sees as originating in religions. Most contentious, however, is his theory of “agonistic liberalism” – the idea that conflict, rather than discussion, is the basis of social change.
2nd June, Martin Horlacher: “The Banality of Evil”
Hannah Arendt was on to something – let’s just hope she didn’t get it wrong.
9th June, No meeting
16th June, Rev. Rex Hunt,: “Heretics, The Trinity, and Ecclesiastical Politics…”
“Heresy is a cradle; orthodoxy, a coffin” (Robert G. Ingersoll).
We need to reclaim the many condemned as heretics in the past (and present),
and to acknowledge them for what they really are: heroes of reason and faith.
23rd June, Rev. Geoff Usher: “Sikhism Part 1: The Ten Gurus, the Khalsa and the Five Ks”
30 June, Rev. Geoff Usher: “Sikhism Part 2: The Religion and the Practice.”
7 July, Martin Horlacher: ” Stoicism: Life in the Moment.”
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BCE. It is a philosophy of personal ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world. For the Stoics, happiness is to be found in accepting the moment as it presents itself, by not allowing oneself to be controlled by the desire for pleasure or fear of pain, and by working together and treating each other fairly and justly. One of the major founding approaches to Western virtue ethics, and with an emphasis on the importance of behaviour over simple words, the Stoic tradition still has much to offer us today.
14 July, No Meeting
21 July, Carolyn Donnelly: “The Life and works of Unitarian Norwegian Musician and Composer Edward Greig.”
28 July, Morandir Armson: “How do we understand Satanism? Is it just a prank designed to highlight religious hypocrisy?”
Morandir will examine: left-wing revolutionary Satanism, Satanic feminism, the Church of the Process and the rise of the Satanic Temple.
4 August, Martin Horlacher: “Hippies for Yahweh, Apostles for Aquarius”
The hippie movement of the countercultural Summer of Love in the late 1960s, misguided as it may well have been, was at least an honest attempt at challenging the conventions and corrupt institutions of its day, and of finding a better way to live. As such, it is actually very similar to another movement from two millennia ago – a certain Jewish cult from ancient Palestine…
11 August, No service
18 August, Rev. Geoff Usher: “Theophilus Lindsey: A Father of Modern Unitarianism”
Theophilus Lindsey resigned as Vicar of Catterick, Yorkshire, in 1773, and the following year established the first openly Unitarian chapel in England, in Essex Street, London. Joseph Priestly, Thomas Belsham, and Lindsey have been called “the three fathers of modern Unitarianism”. This year marks the 250th anniversary of Lindsey’s first meeting with Priestley, and the 245th anniversary of the opening of the Essex Church where the headquarters of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches now stand.
25 August, Rev. Geoff Usher: “Foundations for Friendship and Maturity”
You can love certain people whom you do not like, but a friend is one whom you like and admire, and in whose company you are profoundly at home. Friendship is not possible without considerable maturity, for friendship is in fact shared maturity: and the sign and gauge of one’s maturity is precisely one’s capacity to be a friend.
1 September, Martin Horlacher: “Postmodern Conservatism”
One doesn’t often think of ideological conservatism having that much in common with philosophical postmodernism – indeed, one might traditionally assume the two are essentially antithetical to one another. And yet, in this age where those on the political right frequently toss phrases like “fake news” and “alternative facts” around with gusto, it seems the line between truth and falsehood is becoming increasingly blurred
8 September, No Meeting
15 September, Morandir Armson: “Gaia and Environmental Activism: An Examination of Gaia-Beliefs in the Neo-Pagan Community”
The Gaia mythos is one of the most common belief systems among Neo-Pagans. But how does this mythos unite the Pagan community, and how does it divide it?This talk will examine Gaia-style belief systems in Neo-pagan communities
22 September, Rev. Geoff Usher: “In Memory of Gunpowder Joe”
Joseph Priestley is best known as the scientist who discovered oxygen. Few people remember him as a minister of religion, but science took second place to his calling as a Unitarian minister.
In 1791, Priestley was Minister of the Unitarian New Meeting, Birmingham. As leading supporters of reform in England, Unitarians had initially welcomed the French Revolution, which began with the storming of the Bastille on 14 July, 1789. They saw it as extending to the French people liberties that the English already enjoyed. During four days of rioting by the “Church and King” mob in Birmingham, Priestley’s house was ransacked and burnt. His library, laboratory and manuscripts were destroyed and he barely escaped with his life. Unable to resume his ministry, he went to America and became a major force in developing Unitarianism there.
29 September, Rev Rex A E Hunt : “The Trouble with Tribalism: A Retelling of the Scientific Thoughts of Marcelo Gleiser”
Marcelo Gleiser, a native of Brazil, is a world famous theoretical physicist with hundreds of scientific articles and several books to his credit—his latest being The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected. He is also into fly-fishing, a hobby he says that teaches humility.
In 2019 Gleiser was awarded the Templeton Prize, the first Latin American to be awarded The Templeton Prize. The Templeton Prize is an annual award granted to a living person who, in the estimation of the judges, has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works.
Humans are tribal animals.
There is no question that belonging to a tribe had essential survival value to our ancestors tens of thousands of years ago.
But are tribes necessary…?
10 November, No meeting
17 November, Martin Horlacher: “Cosmism and the Origins of Transhumanism: An Overview of the Philosophy and Ideas of Nikolai Fyodorov”
Russian cosmism is a philosophical and cultural movement that emerged in Russia during the 19th and 20th centuries. A precursor to the 21st-century philosophical and scientific movement known as transhumanism, it entailed a broad theory of natural philosophy, combining elements of religion and ethics with ideas about the potential future of the human race. Perhaps its best known and most outspoken advocate was the Russian Orthodox Christian philosopher Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov, who advocated radical life extension, physical immortality and even resurrection of the dead – all using scientific methods, rather than religious ones.
24 November, Rev. Geoff Usher: “Spiritual Gifts for Human Needs”
Unless you are a contortionist, you can see less than two thirds of your body without the aid of a mirror. For some parts, like the back of your head, you need two mirrors. We cannot see our whole selves without the aid of the mirrors which other people hold up for us. We are incomplete psychologically or emotionally without the companionship, the support, the love of other people.
1 December, Rev. Rex Hunt: “Cards, Carols, and Claus: Christmas in Religion and Popular Culture.”
Following on from this time last year, I want to briefly present some examples of Christmas popular culture.
I have chosen four:
(i) the Christmas Card,
(ii) the world’s most popular Christmas Song,
(iii) Christmas ‘Carols by Candlelight’,
(iv) the artistic development of Santa Claus.
8 December, No Meeting
15 December, Christmas Party Service
22, 29 December, and 5, 12 January, No Meeting
2020
19 January, Rev. Geoff Usher: “Changing Your Self-Talks”
What can we do to reduce the amount of stree and tension in our lives? One of the best coping methods we can learn is to change our minds about how we relate to people and situations.
26 January, Australia day, No Meeting
2 February, Martin Horlacher: “For the Love of Mammon”
As is so often the case with Western onomastics, “Mammon” is a name that comes from the canon of Judeo-Christian mythology – in this case, a pejorative term that refers to wealth, money, and the greed-filled pursuit of gain. And yet, despite the admonitions within the canonical and non-canonical Biblical texts, this very mentality is what seems to rule the roost in so much of both religious and secular society today.
9 February, No Meeting
16 February, Carolyn Donnelly: “A sense of community, is it still relevant today? Loss”
23 February, Morandir Armson: “Teaching God to Love – A Pagan Theology from a Left-Hand Perspective”
Many religious systems teach that God is the source of all that is moral, right, and good. But what if God was not so morally high? This talk will examine a system of morality, based on Left-Hand Pagan principles.
1 March, Martin Horlacher: “A Void That Needs Filling: Hatred, Fear, Love and Understanding”
It can be all too easy to just shut ourselves off from those with whom we disagree – but how will that actually accomplish anything? Instead of severing our ties with each other and calling those with different opinions bigots (amongst a host of other ignorant and derogatory epithets), why not keep our dialogue open and honest? This is what the world needs – more willingness to listen to those who don’t agree with us.
8 March. No service.
There will be a meeting on Sunday 15 March for who ever is able to attend so that, after an abbreviated service, administrative loose ends can be addressed and tied up for a suspension of meetings in the next weeks.
15 March, Helen Whatmough: “The Summer we never had”
Spirit of Life Unitarian Fellowship resumed services in August, meeting on three Sundays each month. ( There is no meeting on the second Sunday of each month) We are at present limited to no more than 11 persons but this has not proved troublesome so far and we have still been able to accommodate the occasional visitors.
20th September, Rev Geoffrey Usher, “Laughter and Religion “ Pt 1
Humour helps honesty. It is not a substitute for religion, but it can help to save us from false religion. It can help us to see through the claims of magic. It can help us to see beyond the nationalistic and cultural accretions that so often distort the essence of religion.
27th September, Rev Geoffrey Usher, “Laughter and Religion ” Pt 2
Humour helps honesty. It is not a substitute for religion, but it can help to save us from false religion. It can help us to see through the claims of magic. It can help us to see beyond the nationalistic and cultural accretions that so often distort the essence of religion.
18th October, Martin Horlacher, “The Phantom Enemy: The nationalist Right and the Communist Enemy”
Across the world, today’s reactionaries are hallucinating a communist threat. Anti-communism-without-communism has found fertile ground almost everywhere.
25th October, Rev Geoff Usher, “Our Challenge to Maturity”
We can all be grateful that Unitarianism today is no longer pre-occupied with the niceties of anti-Trinitarian theology. One cannot base one’s religious outlook on negations and dead theological issues. It would be a sad state of affairs if we were identifiable solely on the basis of rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity.
So we face the challenge of presenting our Unitarian faith in positive, affirmative ways. We can do so not by negations, but by drawing on our own inner resources. our own experiences of life and people, our own ingenuity.
15th November, Rev. Rex Hunt, “Nature, Naturalism… Wonder and Wilderness”
All religious traditions, including Unitarian Universalism, need to appreciate that the primary sacred community is the universe itself. Every other community becomes sacred by participation in this primary community.
It invites a larger sense of life.
It requires the language of reverence.
In moments of wonder we delight in what is.
When we lose our sense of awe, wonder, and beauty, we objectivise the Earth as a commodity that can be used and abused at our consumeristic whim.
22nd November, Martin Horlacher, TBA
29th November, Rev Geoff Usher, “Life’s Great Gifts”
We need to be constantly grateful for this wonderful gift of life. However long we live, we shall never be old enough to earn the gift; but all of us can hope that we may be wise enough to appreciate its value and to cherish it.