As I said in my last post I went to First Unitarian Church of Dallas this morning for two reasons. First, I discovered that the music for the service was being provided by the resident jazz ensemble for the church. I wanted to hear how they fit into a service and understand the level of musicians that participate. Second, the Adult Forum was continuing their lecture and discussion of Transcendentalism, which sounded interesting. I was stimulated by the second, disappointed in the first.
The Adult Forum uses lectures from the Great Courses lecture series that are available on DVD. These lectures are produced and delivered by noteworthy college professors in the topic. They are an excellent way to learn about a particular study area. Especially when they are viewed in a classroom setting followed by further facilitated discussion. The video lecture gets everyone on the same page to help prepare for the follow-on discussion. The only downside at First Unitarian is that there is very little time left after the video portion to have much of a discussion. But the material is usually very stimulating.
The jazz at the service was very disappointing. The keyboard sounded like a bad lounge keyboard sound. The arrangements were very low key. The solos were very short, subdued and could have been written out since they seemed to have very little spontaneity. The drums were very low energy and repetitive. The only bright spot was that the vocalists sounded good.
Maybe this is what was desired since Unitarian services tend to be very dry and subdued. That's the opposite of jazz.
Showing posts with label Transcendentalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Transcendentalism. Show all posts
Sunday, March 6, 2011
From Unity to Unitarian (again)
Over the last year or more I have been going to classes at Unity of Dallas that are part of the Unity Spiritual Development Program. Completion of the SDP and a following Leadership Development Program are pre-requisites to obtaining a Licensed Unity Teacher Certification. Obtaining the LUT is required to be able to teach classes within Unity spiritual communities. I did not necessarily set out to become a LUT but I was very interested in the Metaphysical studies offered there and figured as long as I was going to spend the time I might as well get credit for it. The Metaphysics classes have been excellent and last year I also completed studies in Metaphysical Bible Interpretation and Abundance.
The next class on the list was The Story of Unity which traces the history of the Unity movement from the original founders throughout the early 20th century and beyond. The material is very straightforward and not nearly as stimulating as the Metaphysics classes have been. I attended one class last week and have been considering whether to follow through with it. This morning I believe the decision was made and the answer is No. In fact, I may abandon the quest for completing the SDP as well. Here's why.
Unity of Dallas offers lots of classes and discussions. The curriculum for the SDP and LDP and LUT are interesting, life affirming and connected with self-actualization ideas from other traditions and secular expressions of healthy minded living. Some of the topics, though, are all in the same vein as each other. The breadth is sometimes lacking. For example, there will not be specific curricular study on Transcendentalism (which is a strong contributor to New Thought as a whole), Buddhism, Hinduism or other philosophic strands and traditions. You might find these as supplemental classes or discussions on the menu as well as topics that might be considered "New Age" whatever that means. But pursuit of the LUT through the SDP and LDP will be more narrow than that.
I have attended several interesting and insightful discussions at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas over the last couple of years as well. This morning I decided to go to the Adult Forum lecture and discussion on Transcendentalism. The topics covered in various adult discussion groups there are very broad and include topics on world religions, philosophy, history, current affairs and comparative mythology. I believe I am gravitating toward that approach for a while. Perhaps I will return to the Unity discussions at a later date.
The next class on the list was The Story of Unity which traces the history of the Unity movement from the original founders throughout the early 20th century and beyond. The material is very straightforward and not nearly as stimulating as the Metaphysics classes have been. I attended one class last week and have been considering whether to follow through with it. This morning I believe the decision was made and the answer is No. In fact, I may abandon the quest for completing the SDP as well. Here's why.
Unity of Dallas offers lots of classes and discussions. The curriculum for the SDP and LDP and LUT are interesting, life affirming and connected with self-actualization ideas from other traditions and secular expressions of healthy minded living. Some of the topics, though, are all in the same vein as each other. The breadth is sometimes lacking. For example, there will not be specific curricular study on Transcendentalism (which is a strong contributor to New Thought as a whole), Buddhism, Hinduism or other philosophic strands and traditions. You might find these as supplemental classes or discussions on the menu as well as topics that might be considered "New Age" whatever that means. But pursuit of the LUT through the SDP and LDP will be more narrow than that.
I have attended several interesting and insightful discussions at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas over the last couple of years as well. This morning I decided to go to the Adult Forum lecture and discussion on Transcendentalism. The topics covered in various adult discussion groups there are very broad and include topics on world religions, philosophy, history, current affairs and comparative mythology. I believe I am gravitating toward that approach for a while. Perhaps I will return to the Unity discussions at a later date.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
History of Unity
As I have mentioned before in this blog, I have been exploring New Thought quite a bit over the last several months in particular. Lately I have been focusing on the Unity part of that movement that also includes Religious Science (Science of Mind) and Divine Science. I was fortunate several evenings ago to hear a presentation of the history of the Unity movement in particular.
The roots of Unity extend most recently back into the New Thought movements of the 19th century. Unity was eventually created out of the life and writings of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. One strand of that line of thought comes from the background of Christian Science through Emma Curtis Hopkins and Mary Baker Eddy. Another strand comes from the American Transcendentalist philosophers including Emerson and Thoreau. A third strand comes out of a more Gnostic or "secret" strand of thought.
Unity itself is enclosed in the larger New Thought container. New Thought includes Unity as well as Religious Science and Divine Science. Religious Science (originally Science of Mind) was founded and inspired primarily by the writings of Ernest Holmes, who was a very active metaphysical writer and teacher in the early 20th century. The metaphysical underpinnings of New Thought go back to Hinduism through Plato, Neo-Platonism and many other steps up through the 19th century philosophies mentioned above.
All New Thought supports all paths to spirituality and accepts all religious orientations. I don't know much about Divine Science, but I can compare Religious Science to Unity to some degree. Where Religious Science appears to be more focused on the metaphysical, Unity includes that focus but also includes a relatively strong component of spiritual and physical healing, perhaps due to the influence of Christian Science. Unity also provides a clear articulation of Five Principles in order to give some abstract support to a common body of belief. These are not dogmatic commandments, but instead have much more breathing room for incorporation into a variety of lifestyles and situations.
The roots of Unity extend most recently back into the New Thought movements of the 19th century. Unity was eventually created out of the life and writings of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. One strand of that line of thought comes from the background of Christian Science through Emma Curtis Hopkins and Mary Baker Eddy. Another strand comes from the American Transcendentalist philosophers including Emerson and Thoreau. A third strand comes out of a more Gnostic or "secret" strand of thought.
Unity itself is enclosed in the larger New Thought container. New Thought includes Unity as well as Religious Science and Divine Science. Religious Science (originally Science of Mind) was founded and inspired primarily by the writings of Ernest Holmes, who was a very active metaphysical writer and teacher in the early 20th century. The metaphysical underpinnings of New Thought go back to Hinduism through Plato, Neo-Platonism and many other steps up through the 19th century philosophies mentioned above.
All New Thought supports all paths to spirituality and accepts all religious orientations. I don't know much about Divine Science, but I can compare Religious Science to Unity to some degree. Where Religious Science appears to be more focused on the metaphysical, Unity includes that focus but also includes a relatively strong component of spiritual and physical healing, perhaps due to the influence of Christian Science. Unity also provides a clear articulation of Five Principles in order to give some abstract support to a common body of belief. These are not dogmatic commandments, but instead have much more breathing room for incorporation into a variety of lifestyles and situations.
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