By Stephen Russell-Lacy. Play or download podcast of this post If there really were a power of love behind the universe, why doesn’t it stop widespread suffering in the world? The struggle to find a compelling argument for the existence of both pain and disease and a loving powerful God puts many people off religion. … Continue reading Power of love – No control over suffering?
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. Play or download the podcast of this post Is suffering pointless or can any meaning be found in it? This is one of the great questions. Whether there is a futility to life? “I have seen too many times the arbitrariness of a world in which an incredibly kind and wonderful person … Continue reading Futility to life – A mistaken idea?
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. Play or download the podcast of this post We find around us misfortune and misery. What causes some people to have horrible experiences and pain whilst others escape this fate? Innocent people can be the victims of tragic circumstances. Here are some possible answers offered from the perspective of Swedenborg’s spiritual … Continue reading Cause of suffering?
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. Play or download podcast of this post We notice a seeming random hurt and misery in the world. This suggests there is no life force behind the universe: no power of justice, goodness, or love. Is there no divine source for existence? Despite the reality of suffering in the world with its … Continue reading Life force – Is there universal goodness?
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. Many people find that their religion both guides and strengthens their lives. Prayer, ritual and faith for them are crucial components of their journey. Others speak of a non-religious inner path to meaning and happiness. Universal spiritual ideas Professor of psychiatry, philosophy and anthropology, Roger Walsh has observed a common way of … Continue reading Inner path – Just one universal journey?
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. How can there be one divine truth amongst the cacophony of conflicting views across the world’s religious and spiritual traditions? Some faiths teach self-realisation. Others promise enlightenment. Still others offer liberation or salvation. Some are theistic and some not. Even within each major religion there are numerous subdivisions which themselves vary in … Continue reading Divine truth – Can all faiths be right?
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. Is there any correct understanding of character development? Or is there no one universal truth about the deeper side of life? In the western world an emerging minority of people seem to identify themselves as more spiritual than religious. Perhaps you are one of them. By spiritual I mean seeing things around … Continue reading Universal truth – More than one kind?
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. Is there any truth about existence? There are so many differences found in religion and philosophy. However, I believe there is a way forward. I try to explain this in saying what I like about Swedenborg. Stephen Russell-Lacy Author of Heart, Head & Hands Swedenborg’s perspective on emotional problems If you like … Continue reading Existence – Any truth about it?
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. This is the 6th script of a series of 6 podcasts asking how we can link ourselves with love and light: one of the great questions of life. Previously I have looked at the Swedenborgian idea of the Lord as an image of universal love and light. Now I compare this … Continue reading God – Some mixed views
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. This is the 5th script of a series of 6 podcasts asking how we can link ourselves with love and light: one of the great questions of life. I’ve previously concluded that what is universal is humane. In this episode I ask if the image of the Lord as a focus … Continue reading The Lord – Is human divinity credible?