Archive for the ‘General’ Category
New Thought and its relationship with Christian Science
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in General on January 30th, 2010
Episode #27 of Spirituality and Christianity.com is a discussion about the relationship between Christian Science and New Thought.
Across the aisle from each other in the Exhibition Hall at the Parliament of the World’s Religion in Melbourne, were the booths (or, “stands”) of Christian Science and Association of Global New Thought. Christians Scientists think of their distinction from New Thought, whereas New Thought representatives welcome their origins in 
Christian Science.
Although we were all busy running around listening to talks on Buddhism, Islam, peace, pluralism, and a mind-boggling array of topics, we also thought it was important to take time to listen to each other! Indeed, Peggy Price surprised me with the similarities I wasn’t familiar with. The description of her healing practice sounded quite familiar to aspects of my own. Her motives – to love, to heal, to care for humanity – resonate with me. Also her commitment to the goodness of God and God’s whole creation is very close to my heart.
Peggy was easy to talk with, and following our initial conversation, I began to wonder if we could plunge a bit deeper. I went back to the booth and found other people willing to engage in conversation too. We dug into questions about the meaning of spiritualism and medicine. Also the role of Christ Jesus in our faith journeys. We discovered the place where we agreed to our disagreement, but this clarification did not diminish our mutual appreciation for each other’s commonalities.
Christian Science was a participant in the first Parliament, which took place in Chicago in 1893. New Thought wasn’t recognized as a religion at the Parliament in Barcelona five years ago, but the Alliance has grown, highlighting especially their love for youth and for interfaith activities at this year’s Parliament. It was good for us to become better acquainted.
The following websites are rich resources for both New Thought and Christian Science:
- New Thought sacred texts
- New Thought Movement Home Page
- International New Thought Alliance Declaration of Principles (includes all New Thought denominations as well as the agreement for adherents, as amended January, 2000)
- Official Christian Science website with discussion forums
- Daily Lift (two-minute inspirationals)
- TMC Youth (Christian Science activity and discussion for youth and young adults)
What does “spirituality” mean?
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in General on December 9th, 2009
I heard the word “spirituality” from so many people at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in so many different contexts, I began to wonder if anybody knows what we all mean by that word. I asked random people how they understand the word.
From a Catholic: “the essence of what my life is about; an expression of my relationship with God”
From a yoga practicing Christian from Latvia: “to know who I am; to see the same in another human being”
From Science of Spirituality: “refers to the Soul and God, which is the only true and permanent part of our life in this world of mind, matter and illusion” Read the rest of this entry »
Religion and the media
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in General on December 7th, 2009
I’ve been following the program cluster called “Media and Religion” at the Parliament of the World’s Religions these past couple of days. Many of the presenters are Muslim, and their concern with the media is obvious. They share many of the lessons they have learned, and these ideas are pertinent to all faiths - particularly to those who battle negative public images. Most, but not all of the following words of advice come from the Muslim community:
- Don’t fight the system; work with reporters, and let them see the value of your message.
- Social media gives more voices to more people, so it is important to let the entire faith community become well informed in the internal issues.
- Take care with what is said in social media, because it is very transparent. Writers cannot hide identities very well, and what is said is permanently locked into cyberspace.
- It is important to read and make space for negative feedback. These are often the best opportunities to clarify the message. Allowing negative comments give the audience trust in authenticity.
- Technology in dialogue is important, because its influence is growing exponentially. But it’s important to remember that even tech-savvy people don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. It’s integrity and authenticity that win the day.
- Using the media to convert others is mostly over. What’s important is communicating the story, the meaning of faith.
Why interfaith relationships are good for everybody
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in General on December 5th, 2009
The theme of the four sessions I attended on the first day of the Parliament of the World’s Religions was understanding why interfaith or inter-religious dialogue is important and how to do it.
The first session I selected was “Strengthening One’s Faith Through Interfaith Dialogue.” Before we could even start talking with others, our instructors, Peta Pellach and Jeremy Jones, instructed us to think through one or two basic ideas from our own faith experiences that were of profound importance to us. Things that we hold most dear. In my practice dialogue, I talked with a Jewish professor from Europe. I learned from our experience that sharing what we want to tell about ourselves isn’t really the goal. A good conversation begins with a sincere interest in hearing the other. And yet becoming more conscious of our own distinct messages and finding the freedom to say so makes it easier to hear the issues most profound for my conversation partner. Read the rest of this entry »
Parliament welcomes
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in General on December 3rd, 2009
Official welcomes from Melbourne and the “Western Creation” (a traditional Australian performance group) made us very conscious of the good reasons for the Parliament of the World’s Religions to meet in Melbourne, Australia. It’s an extraordinarily diverse population with a wide variety of world views and polished practice welcoming foreigners.
The opening Plenary included music from Didgeridu player, Alan Harris, along with the beautiful Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra. Welcome messages from religions around the world showcased singing, dancing, and prayers. The message from every language, custom, costume, dance, and song was — Welcome! Read the rest of this entry »
Christian Scientists gather in Melbourne
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in General on December 3rd, 2009
Christian Scientists from many parts of the world came together in Melbourne Tuesday night, in support of their presence at the PWR 2009 (Parliament of the World’s Religions).
One of the themes of the meeting was an honest self-examination as to why Christian Scientists so often find themselves isolated from mainstream conversation. It became clear that effective conversation is based on a two-way channel. We wondered aloud why there is a tendency among Christian Scientists, who are usually well informed about their own religion, are generally not so familiar with the religions of others.
Although none of the reasons are especially good ones, a couple of them included 1) that we have everything we need to experience our relationship with God, and 2) that the time spent in dialogue with others either slows down the spiritual journey or confuses us with unnecessary knowledge.
An adjustment of our motives gives us a powerful incentive to pick up the dialogue and commit to learning from others. Presbyterian Frederick Buechner once said, “The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” That idea is certainly applicable for all faith traditions, and it illustrates the reason why discourse with others does not retard our spiritual journey.
The Christian Scientists who came to the meeting on Tuesday were among those especially eager to break out of the isolation and to engage in the rich opportunity to learn from others and to work together to address the heart-aches of the world.
A week at the Parliament of the World’s Religions
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in General on November 28th, 2009
Pluralism in action!
I’m heading to Melbourne, Australia today, to arrive in time for the week-long Parliament of the World’s Religions! From December 3 - 9, more than 10,000 participants from 80-plus countries are expected to convene for the world’s largest interreligious gathering.
I’m one of many hundreds of participants who will make a presentation in support of the theme, “Make a world of difference: hearing each other, healing the earth.” I’m also going to participate in an off-site interfaith panel focused on the main theme but available to those not registered for the actual Parliament. I plan to tweet a favorite aha (http://twitter.com/ShirleyPaulson) moment from each of the sessions I attend, and I’ll post a blog entry here at spiritualityandchristianity.com daily. I hope you’ll catch some of the spirit, flavor, feelings, and spiritual sense of the reasons we need such a gathering of world religions.
I believe in religious pluralism. It means that people of all faiths need each other. We can’t possibly live in harmony with others without understanding something of their religious and spiritual heritage. We also can’t survive without learning our own religious traditions well enough to explain why they are a blessing to all humanity.
I first caught the spirit of religious pluralism when I attended the resurrection of the Parliament in Chicago in 1993, a century after the first truly global dialogue of faith took place, also in Chicago, in 1893. The plan emerged at that time (1993) to reconvene as a conference every five years at various places around the world. I didn’t make it to Cape Town in 1999 or Barcelona in 2004, but it’s great to have a chance to get to Melbourne. Stay tuned.
So I hope you’ll join me here and on Twitter — http://twitter.com/shirleypaulson
Welcome to Spirituality and Christianity.Com
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in General on November 3rd, 2007
I’m Shirley Paulson, and I’m eager to welcome you to some terrific conversations on spiritual topics. The podcasts in this blog are my discussions with spiritual thinkers from all sorts of faith backgrounds. I’m a Christian Science practitioner, so my perspective is Christian. My main podcast partner, Kathy Dale McNair, is a Presbytyerian minister who brings up questions and ideas relating to spirituality in all walks of life. The interfaith nature of our conversations serves as an invitation to everyone to join in. Please feel free to join in the conversation. Tell us what you think about the issues we discuss on the podcast, and tell us what topics you’d be interested in pursuing.