Archives: Services

The Earth Community

The Earth Community – an exploration of what life might be like if we thought of ourselves as earthlings first.   Rev. Dr. Mark Y. A. Davies is the Wimberly Professor of Social and Ecological Ethics, Director of the World House Institute for Social and Ecological Responsibility, and Executive Director of the Leadership. Education, and … Continue reading The Earth Community

J.S. Mill’s Satisfied Pig: Thought Experiments in Values

In his 1863 booklet Utilitarianism, British philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote that he would “rather be Socrates unsatisfied than a pig satisfied.”  What would you rather be, and why? We will look at his reasoning on this and explore other thought experiments in values. William Lloyd Fridley is a professor of Education at Southeastern Oklahoma … Continue reading J.S. Mill’s Satisfied Pig: Thought Experiments in Values

That Other Four-Letter Word

Political theorist and philosopher Edmund Burke wrote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Much is currently being written about standing up against and rallying against evil in our world and country. But well-meaning people sometimes hold very different views of what actually is evil. UUs … Continue reading That Other Four-Letter Word

Prophets and Priests

Throughout the history of religious experience, there has been a tension between the prophetic and priestly functions of religion. Religion sometimes challenges the norms and practices of society and culture, and at times it reinforces the norms and practices of society and culture. What is the appropriate balance in this tension between calling for change … Continue reading Prophets and Priests

You Took My Childhood Away: Child Abuse and the Grayson County Epidemic

Child abuse comes in different forms: neglect; physical/emotional/sexual abuse; childhood experiences; shaken  baby syndrome; domestic violence; trafficking & exploitation.  On Sunday, our speaker will explain the depth of the epidemic that is currently effecting Grayson county, but it is no different in Bryan County.  What our children are facing and how we can be part … Continue reading You Took My Childhood Away: Child Abuse and the Grayson County Epidemic

Children and Art

Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George is a musical inspired by Seurat’s painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. In the second act, an elderly character, Marie, makes the observation, “There are only two worthwhile things to leave behind when you depart this world of ours: children and art.” Perhaps those valuables are … Continue reading Children and Art