You may be wondering how to be happy — happy in a way that will last. We have only to read the newspapers or watch the television to observe a lot of unhappiness in the world. “I grew up as this very carefree, happy kid then things turned darker for me. Maybe it was because … Continue reading How to be happy from a deeper perspective.
This entertaining video is a bit different. It shows how the Old Testament Joseph and his brothers can actually influence our own everyday choices! We can hear what the Joseph story can say to us. It seems who the brothers personify are not just of interest to children but to all age groups. [youtube_sc url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH7i6k60gV0&feature=plcp] … Continue reading Aren’t Bible stories irrelevant today?
Today we are discovering or, to be more exact, rediscovering that the inner and outer worlds of our experience are closely related to each other. What we see in the images and experiences of the outer world is in some sense dependent on what elements are currently active within our psyche. In that way outer … Continue reading Are myths anything more than superstitious beliefs?
John: Who am I? Where do I come from and where am I going? Sally: What do you mean by asking “Who am I?” Don’t you know? You haven’t had a knock on the head or something and got amnesia? You are John. The bloke who works at the bank and plays rugby on Sunday … Continue reading Who am I?
A Jane Austin novel seems to end at the altar as if the wedding were all that is necessary for a happy marriage for all time. Yet these days a lot of marriages seem to finish up on the scrap heap and you might have a sneaky feeling that perhaps a well-known film star was … Continue reading Happy marriage — How can this happen?
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?
General ideas about what is true about life come from all around us — family, the mass media, books. These concepts have often seeped through from current and past thinking for example from politics, philosophy and religion. We absorb such ideas because we tend to be interested in making sense of our lives, why we are here, where we come from, and where we are going, not to mention fathoming the reality of suffering, misfortune, and chaos that we find all around us. But life goes on and we are obliged to make the best fist of it using what values and principles we have learned about and accept. The question arises: Is it better to have conviction or doubt about your ideas?
Britain has lost its church-going heritage. There is a growing voice of atheism led by Richard Dawkins author of the God Delusion, attacking what is seen as religious superstition. If Christianity is thought to be judgmental, hypocritical and blindly accepting irrational dogma, why should anyone still believe in God?
People like to say things. Some people like to say, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” And some people like to say, “There’s no evidence for God.” But isn’t the world of nature good evidence for a creative designer?
Spiritual substance, in particular, is hard for our material minds to grasp. We’re so used to thinking of everything solid as being material, and of everything non-material (thoughts, feelings, etc.) as being wispy and insubstantial. But dreams show us a world that is non-material, and yet solid when we’re in it. Dreams are more like … Continue reading Spiritual Substance and Material Reality