With the Platinum Jubilee and associated holiday coming closer it is perhaps a good time to reflect on the idea of ‘lifelong service’ which the Queen placed at the heart of her vows when she began her reign. The tendency to respect others who embody some positive and admired characteristic is one we can recognise. … Continue reading The Queen: Why celebrate her platinum jubilee?
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. Play or download podcast of this post We are bewildered and indignant at the widespread extent of apparently arbitrary and undeserved suffering in the world. And many ask the reason why the universal power of love and justice doesn’t stop suffering. In the world of religion, this is known as the theodicy … Continue reading Providence – A new understanding
By Stephen Russell-Lacy. The worldly minded suppose private prayer is no different from any other personal practice that induces relaxation. They ask ‘Don’t we relax by sitting in a comfortable position, in a quiet setting, having something calming to focus our attention, and adopting a passive attitude?’ Yet most people would agree that private prayer … Continue reading Private prayer – Can it reduce fear?
Some school governors in Birmingham England have been accused of attempting to impose and promote a narrow faith-based ideology in secular schools. Should we be encouraging spiritual rather than religious education? What does spiritual mean? The word spiritual is something to do with individual issues of human identity and personal development: hence seeking the sacred … Continue reading Spiritual but not religious – Good or bad?
On an off day, Stuart would privately think that life had little to offer him and he even sometimes felt that all he was doing was going through the motions of living. Money was tight, and in a time of recession there were poor prospects of job advancement. Although working as an estate agent, he … Continue reading Despair – How to conjure up hope?
David Rosmarin Harvard Medical School talking about his study of 159 patients said: “Our work suggests that people with a moderate to high level of belief in a higher power do significantly better in short-term psychiatric treatment than those without, regardless of their religious affiliation. Belief was associated with not only improved psychological wellbeing, but … Continue reading Psychiatric illness
Not everybody wants to be a better person and develop along what can be our hectic journey of life. My cat doesn’t. She’s quite content with the stage she has reached in her life — as long as I feed and stroke her on a daily basis. Nor do those human beings who are uninterested in … Continue reading How to become a better person?
In deciding what to believe sooner or later you come up against something that is greater than yourself. Toddlers make every effort to get their own way but eventually have to submit to parental authority. Young people test their limits climbing mountains or visiting wild places until forced to acknowledge their helplessness in meeting the … Continue reading What to believe – How do I decide?