Unitarian & Free Christian Bible Discussion

Come and join us (all welcome whether you are Unitarian, Unitarian Christian, Christian, from another faith, or have no faith) for our Bible Discussion Group at 6.30 p.m. tomorrow, Monday 27 February.  Zoom link for the meeting [ https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82378042367 ] https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82378042367?fbclid=IwAR2TUo5655H9chvhlER2wma5soC8d6gMydgE4TG7ly5zWKn8Awv-nTTHb18 Meeting ID: 823 7804 2367 Passcode: 460019 "Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life...": from the teaching of Jesus, in 'The Sermon on the Mount', found in Matthew's Gospel (Matt. 6.25-33) Easier said than done, one might think. In fact, bearing in mind the number of people on anti-depressants, the rising cost of living,  not to mention other things like family problems, workplace pressures, and the Inland Revenue, one might be tempted to call it utterly unrealistic advice. OR IS IT? What might Jesus have meant by these words? And quite apart from what he intended his disciples...

 The Temptation in the Wilderness: 20th February - discussion led by Rob Oulton This coming week the traditional 40-day period of Lent begins; 40, of course, being the number used in the Bible to convey the archetypal struggle (days or years) of a period of growth, change and transformation. This can be personal, as in Jesus’s case here, or as a community such as the Israelites in the wilderness after the escape from captivity in Egypt. Much is made traditionally in Lent of fasting, self-denial and self-reflection; but perhaps less of the actual content of the ‘temptations’ described here. Does the personification of the ‘tempter’ as Satan or the Devil, makes it easier for us to skip over this narrative?  But if the ‘temptations’ are re-cast as a picture of Jesus’ internal psycho/spiritual struggles, as he wrestles with the implications of his forthcoming ministry, then do we begin to see how his choices define the path of liberation he wishes his contemporaries (and all who c...

 Our discussion on Monday 13th will be led by Indra Sikdar, looking at Matthew 13:12 (NIV) "Whoever has will be given more, and they will have abundance.  Whoever does not have even what they have will be taken from them." Indra writes: * Sounds cruel ? * Is Jesus saying * only * if you follow his path will you have abundance ? Or * Are there universal laws which if broadly followed we will have abundance ? Login link [ https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82378042367](https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82378042367?fbclid=IwAR2TUo5655H9chvhlER2wma5soC8d6gMydgE4TG7ly5zWKn8Awv-nTTHb18 ) Meeting ID: 823 7804 2367 Passcode: 460019 Photo credit and thanks: "472301" on Pixabay

Alex Bradley will lead the discussion this coming Monday, 6th February, under the heading: "Happy Families"!  The phrase 'family values' is often used as a term of high approbation. We all know, (don't we?), that families are wonderful institutions. Er, yes, except when they're not at all wonderful. Some families are anything but heavenly - in fact they can feel much closer to the 'other place'.  There's a lot about families in the Bible and some of the examples are not particularly good role models, especially for sibling love. Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, the 'Prodigal Son' and his elder brother- none of them advertisements for family harmony! What does the Bible have to say about families?  This is a potentially huge topic, so I want to focus on sibling relationships and relationships with fathers and mothers. How many of us have known a parent who favoured one son or daughter over another sibling, or siblings? Perhaps it may even have...

 For the Bible Discussion on Monday with Arek Malecki: SQUARING THE CIRCLE: CHANGING MIND IN THE LIGHT OF NEW UNDERSTANDING, MENTAL GYMNASTICS, OR DOWNRIGHT COGNITIVE DISSONANCE? This week will talk about the passage from the Book of Jeremiah below. It maybe good to have a gist of the context of the exile. So, if you wish, you may also watch the following two short introductory videos. You should be aware that they are part of a series of videos addressing many aspects of biblical literature, and that the group that produced them has a particular worldview or agenda - they want to persuade you that the whole Bible can be read as having a single, expansive, narrative-arc. For this reason, the video on the Exile focuses on both Old Testament and New Testament themes. To put it bluntly, “no matter what the question is, the answer is Jesus”. Other than that, I think that their videos are very good and informative. • Introduction to Exile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSua9_WhQFE •...

In this Monday's discussion we'll be considering Biblical responses to this short video from the BBC on transhumanism (It's 2 and a half minutes, from an 'explainer' series called The A to Z of isms) THIS LINK HAS BEEN FIXED - IT NOW PLAYS THE CORRECT VIDEO   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVmuU04-X5E&t=17s Are there Biblical verses that might encourage us to embrace transhumanism - or are there verses that warn us against transhumanism?  FIRST  Please watch the video in advance of the discussion, and find Bible verses that you think are relevant to this issue as presented in the video. At the beginning of the discussion we'll spend no more than 10 minutes sharing the verses that we have found and briefly stating how we think they might apply to this topic.  SECOND Then we will focus on one passage in relation to Transhumanism. Imagine we are in the future, technology has progressed in a way envisaged by the video: human beings have become healthier, smarte...

For our Bible Discussion, this Monday 16th January, beginning at 6.30pm, Donald Jacobs will lead discussion on the fall, in Genesis chapter 3. 1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And...