Adult Religious Education Course Proposal Form
The Mission of the Adult RE Committee is to nurture and stimulate the religious and personal growth of the adult church community. For individuals or groups seeking to teach an Adult RE class at Community UU Church of Plano, please fill out a Course Proposal form:
ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
The Mission of the Adult Religious Education Program is to nurture and stimulate the religious and personal growth of the adult church community. We offer a varied and cohesive program within the context of the living Unitarian Universalist tradition and principles.
We offer a range of classes of interest to adults and youth on weekday evenings throughout the year. Each evening classes begin at 7 p.m. and end no later than 9 p.m. Our programs include our continuing meditation group and a variety of topical classes.
All classes begin at 7 p.m.
CHILDCARE is available for all classes
FEBRUARY CLASSES
Monday Evenings
Vipassana Meditation - Clifton Rule
Clifton says, "Vipassana means insight into the nature of reality. It is a way of self-transformation through self-observation and introspection. Vipassana meditation is often referred to simply as "insight meditation." This is the backbone of our studies in Meditation on Monday nights. We invite you, as a beginner or as a practiced meditator, to join us on our exploration. We view Buddhism not as a religion but rather as learning the process of meditation to reduce the suffering in our lives and in the world around us. We explore through readings, dharma talks, questions and answers, group discussions and meditation. Join us and explore this process as we all grow together."
Wednesday Evenings
The Savvy Caregiver: Taking Charge of Memory Loss - a series presented by the Alzheimer’s Association
This workshop includes power point and group discussion time which takes 5 weeks to complete. Participants must sign up for the entire 5 week series to attend this course. The fifth module consists of review of the four lessons, review of the homework assignments given, and time for questions and answers from participants. The modules include
• Introduction to Dementia and Caregiving
• Minimizing Confusion and Taking Charge
• Activities and Loss of Abilities
• Providing Structure and Support
• Decision Making Tools
Feb. 1,8,15,22,29, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m
Wednesdays in March:
Body Positive: How we can Reject the Myth of Ideal Beauty and Embrace a Healthy Attitude toward Ourselves and Our Bodies - Susan Bradley
In this course learn about the importance of promoting positive body image in ourselves and in our children. We will examine and debunk the Western beauty ideal, define positive and negative body image, and explore the impact of body image on people’s mental well-being. In addition, we will discuss methods and programs that can help build body satisfaction in adults and children. All of the information presented will be based on current literature and a suggested reading list will be provided. While much of this course will focus on girls’ and women’s issues, anyone who attends should find the topic relevant and interesting. Participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions as each topic will build upon the topic(s) previously discussed.
Session I: Screening of America the Beautiful by Darryl Roberts (2009)
Watch an award-winning documentary that examines the topics we will cover in class including the Western beauty ideal, body image, and eating disorders. You can view the trailer for the documentary at americathebeautifuldoc.com/original/
Session 2: Body Image and the Western Ideal of Beauty
Engage in an in-depth discussion of how the myth of ideal beauty influences body image development.
Session 3: Body Image and Mental Well-Being
Explore how negative body image can impact one’s mental well-being. Disordered eating and eating disorders will be discussed.
Session 4: Prevention
Learn about specific methods and programs that can act as preventatives against the development of negative body image.
Thursday Evenings
We Are Unitarian Universalists! Rev. Patrick Price AND DRE KATHY SMITH
This is an ongoing series for adult faith development led by Rev. Patrick Price and our Director of Religious Education Kathy Smith. Our intention is to repeat it in future years. The series consists of three classes (We Are Unitarian Universalists, Owning Your Religious Past, and Spirit in Practice) which will bring Unitarian Universalist practice and belief into focus for newcomers and longtime UUs alike. We Are Unitarian Universalists met for six sessions in October and early November and took an in-depth look at Unitarian Universalist worship, music, theology, history, governance and education. Owning Your Religious Past will meet for five sessions in January and February to encourage participants to take a look at their personal religious background to sort through what to leave behind and what to take forward. Spirit in Practice will meet for ten weeks in the spring and offer the opportunity to explore different spiritual practices common to Unitarian Universalism.Each class will meet on Thursday evenings from 7-9 p.m. There is no charge for these classes and childcare will be provided. Participants can choose to take one class or all three in series.
Owning Your Religious Past will meet on January 12, 19 and 26.
Adventures in Religion - Rev. Don Fielding
In any “Community Church,” there are a variety of ways members can participate in that community. In our church there are Sunday morning worship services and activities ranging from Friday Flicks (movies) and Circle Suppers to covenant groups and social action. An excellent option, and one that is often an attraction for new members, friends and interested visitors, is participation in one of our informative and engaging Adult Religious Education classes. Our ongoing Adventures in Religion program is a good example.
The Rev. Don Fielding (a retired Unitarian Universalist minister and a friend of the church) offers this program, which is a series of video/discussion courses. The program is composed of videos of half hour lectures produced by some of the nation’s top instructors. In the last three years we have worked our way through courses on Islam, Early Christianity, Skeptics and Believers, and Comparative Religion. We have just begun a new course entitled The Philosophy of Religion. Topics include: What is Philosophy?; What is Religion?; How is the word “God” Generally Used?; What is Knowledge?; What Kinds of Evidence Count?; Why Argue for the Existence of God?.
Individual sessions range from one to two hours long with ample opportunities to ask questions and/or express opinions about the topics explored in the videos. Rev. Fielding says, “This is a great way to learn about religion in general and about individual religions in particular. Yes, it is an adventure, but we have lots of fun and fellowship in the process.”
Consider attending on Thursday evenings. Join us in the Annex Building adjacent to the church, and begin a whole new kind of adventure in religion. At the same time, you will get to know some of our church members and friends and experience one of the ways we pursue our “quest for truth.” The class begins at 7:00 pm
Part III – PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
Section A – Philosophy, Religion, & God
Jan. 5th – What is Philosophy?
Jan. 12th – What is Religion?
Jan. 19th – What is Philosophy of Religion?
Jan. 26th – How is the Word “God” Generally Used?
Feb. 2nd – How Do Various Theists Use the Word “God”?
Feb. 9th - *** BREAK ***
Section B – How Do We Know What We Know?
Feb. 16th – What is Knowledge?
Feb. 23rd – What Kinds of Evidence Count?
Mar. 1st – What Constitutes Good Evidence?
Mar. 8th - *** BREAK ***
Section C – Can Reason Tell Us?
Mar. 15th – Why Argue for the Existence of God?
Mar. 22nd – How Ontological Argument Works
Mar. 29th – Why Ontological Argument is Said to Fail
Apr. 5th - *** BREAK ***
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION CON’D.
Section D – Can Everyday Experience Tell Us?
Apr. 12th – How Cosmological Argument Works
Apr. 19th – Why Cosmological Argument is Said to Fail
Apr. 26th – How Teleological Arguments Works
May 3rd – How Teleological Argument Works (con’d.)
May 10th – Why Teleological Argument is Said to Fail
May 17th - *** BREAK ***
Section E – Can Divine Encounter Tell Us and Theodicy
May 24th – Divine Encounters Make Argument Unnecessary
May 31st - Divine Encounters Requires Interpretation
Jun. 7th – Why is Evil a Problem?
Jun. 14th – Taking Evil Seriously
Jun. 21st - *** BREAK ***
Section F – Can Theodicies Answer the Argument from Evil?
Jun. 28th – Non-Justificatory Theodicies
____________________________________________________
Coming in the last-half of 2012 (and beyond):
- More Part III – Philosophy of Religion
- And following Adventures in Religion, The Adventures in Origins is planned (composed of Cosmology and the Origin of the Universe, Origins of the Human Mind, and The Origins of Civilization). So, stay tuned!
Inner Path Walkers Interest Group
Inner Path Walkers is an interest group whose purpose is to provide a venue for sharing, mutual support, and facilitation among participants who are actively pursuing inner journeys as a part of their spiritual path. The term "Inner Journeys" is being used generically to also include a variety of paths and frameworks sometimes referred to as Shamanism, Inner Guidance, Pathworking, Active Meditation, Channeling, and Guided Visualization. In all cases Inner Path Walkers is provided for those members whose spiritual path involves going inward, using imagination within an altered state of consciousness, in such a manner that it results in a dialogue with autonomous entities perceived using inner senses and in the process receiving higher levels of understanding and/or guidance than is obtainable through normal levels of awareness.
We meet on the 2nd Saturday each month from 10-12 noon in the Annex, room G.
If you have any questions, contact Clyde Grauke at 972-495-6305 or email him at cgrauketx@gmail.com. Supporting background information is also available on innerpathwalker.wordpress.com.
Coming in February:
