Summer Forum 2025
Sundays 9-10 aM in the Gathering Room before 10:30 Service
Come and Meet New People. Explore Important Topics in Community.
The Summer Forum is an exploration of ethical, spiritual, and practical topics in a classical Unitarian Universalist dialogue. Participants will each have an opportunity to express their thoughts on the topics below, followed by a free-flowing discussion. Facilitator: Peter Hendee
It is fine to just show up. And it helps us to know who is coming so we can set up the room. so if you are planning to come, please sign up for the sessions you plan to attend.
June 15 -- Effective Charities
Peter Singer posits that citizens of rich nations are morally obligated to give at least some of their disposable income to charities that help the global poor. He suggests charities that are the most effective when it comes to helping those in extreme poverty.
Handout with Questions and Background.
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June 29 -- Buddhism – Pain versus Suffering
Buddhists say that any time we suffer misfortune, two arrows fly our way.
- The first arrow is the actual bad event, which can, indeed, cause pain.
- The second arrow is optional. It represents our reaction to the bad event.
The second arrow is our suffering.
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July 13 -- Don’t Believe Everything You Think
Our minds use shortcuts to process information quickly, often at the cost of accuracy and. rationality. What cognitive biases and heuristics shape our judgments and our behavior?
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July 20 -- Free Will and Determinism
Hard determinism is the belief that free will is not possible because each choice you make is pre-determined by the events preceding it. Compatibilists argue that human beings are still making choices.
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August 10 -- Obstacles to Being Inclusive
Unitarian Universalism (UU) welcomes people of all backgrounds and beliefs, emphasizing individual freedom of thought. What challenges does this present and how well are we dealing with them?
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