Expanding Horizons

What We Raise to Worth

An address by the Minister, Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday, 10th March, 2019 at The Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. Rob's address explores the true meaning of Worship - or "Worth-ship" - "raising to worth things that matter" - choices in our lives that raise us up rather than enslave us.

Advice to Your Younger Self

An address by the Minister, Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday, 3rd March, 2019 at Shady Grove Church in the Adelaide Hills. In this address, Rob reflects - with hindsight - on what advice he would have given his younger self and invites us to do the same.

Our musician and church member, Alex provided a wonderful selection of guitar music which was ideally suited to the acoustic of our beautiful little chapel at Shady Grove set amongst native bushland. A memorable service.

Think of a Number

An address by the Minister, Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday, 24th February, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. In this address, Rob uses probability mathematics as a means of understanding why our First principle - "The inherent worth and dignity of every person" - IS our First principle.

The Power of the Myth

An address by John Eaton - a member of the Church, recorded on Sunday, 17th February, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. John draws on the book "Sapiens" by Jewish historian, Dr Yuval Noah Harari to show how homo sapiens has expanded from the village "gossip group" of 150 people to cities, nations and civilisations of many millions. This has only been made possible through mythologies about which there is common agreement. John looks at the mythologies of religion, the divine right of kings, economic systems - including money - even the mythology of science. He suggests that the anthropocene - the era of the human plague and human-induced global warming exacerbated by the excesses of capitalism and its bedfellow, conspicuous consumption has created an angry planet. If sapiens is to be saved from extinction, we will all urgently need to reject the myth of capitalism, remove national and global inequality, thereby reducing our population and relace it with new and powerful myths that repair and conserve the web of life that sustains us. He suggests some simple, practical ways in which we can all begin to repair the planet.

Can Objects be Sacred?

An address by the Minister, Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday, 10th February, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. Rob talks about the excess of "stuff" in our lives. Post-war consumerism and mass-produced goods have been changing our culture since the Industrial Revolution. But the rise of supercharged industrial manufacturing and the use of the modern mass media by the Advertising Industry since World War 2 have greatly increased demand and affordability, prompting people to want even more. Shopping has become a leisure activity if not the dominant cultural activity. Globalisation has seen manufacturing shift to India and China where "stuff" could be made even more cheaply.
However, a reaction away from mass-produced "stuff" has seen the resurrection of "crafted" (hand-made) goods - with something bordering on the spiritual. The previous week's blessing of the school bags left Rob wondering about our relationship with objects, how they might be blessed and how we might bless them - even common everyday things. Can the objects we use in our lives become truly sacred? How may we become more aware of the spiritual dimension of objects?

Don't Mention God!

An address by the Minister, Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday, 3rd February, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.

In this address Rob describes the pastoral and spiritual challenges of a (Unitarian) church that professes freedom of religion as well as freedom from religion. He also faces similar challenges in his role as Chaplain of a non-denominational private school.

Rob asks: How do you develop a spirituality that is meaningful to members of a church or school community and which embraces all religious perspectives - or none, a spirituality which is inclusive rather than exclusive; subjective rather than objective?

Rob uses anecdotes to illustrate that the well-springs of Love and Spirituality are subjectively and innately human and not necessarily bound by religious dogmas.

Annual In-gathering and Blessing of the School bags

Our Annual In-gathering Service conducted by our Minister, Rev Rob MacPherson on Sunday, 27th January, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. It involved an in-gathering of our Children and Church members to bless (the schoolbags of) the children prior to the commencement of the first school term. This was followed by our Water Communion and an address by Rob.

"Born Bad!" - On The doctrine of Original Sin

An address by the Jenny Dyster - recorded on Sunday, 20th January, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.
Drawing closely upon James Boyce's book, “Born Bad: Original Sin and the Making of the Western World” (Publ. Counterpoint, 23 Jul 2014), Jenny contrasts the Unitarian belief in Universal Salvation with the development of the doctrine of Original Sin within mainstream Western European churches - especially Catholic, Calvinist and other protestant traditions - its political impact on western civilisation and how “human beings were born sinners, subject to the just wrath of God. Ultimately this doctrine was used to gain institutional power and influence over the lives of "the faithful". It also shaped "the Work Ethic" - and Western Civilisation itself. Jenny also explores how "Original Sin has since morphed into the “selfish gene” - or "meme" of Richard Dawkins - evolutionary biologist, ethologist, and atheist.

The Big Question

An address by the Rev. David Usher - recorded on Sunday, 13th January, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.

In this address, David explores the really Big Question - "Does God exist?"
David believes that "God" - as a physical presence in a material universe - doesn't exist, but asserts that this doesn't make him an atheist.
David resolves this apparent 'dissonance' by drawing an analogy with a doubting child's question to a parent "Do you believe in Santa Claus?" and uses a wise parent's answer to explain his understanding of God.
The Reality and Presence of God is expressed through such dimensions of spirituality as Wonder, Awe, Mystery, Love, Kindness, Generosity - and Belief - all the things that we can't see or touch or reduce to a precise formula - but which are manifestations of the loving presence of God in our lives and which we lose to our spiritual peril.

Kindness

An address by a member of our Church, Charlie Madden - recorded on Sunday, 6th January, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. In his address, Charlie explores kindness anecdotally - reminiscing over his first experiences of kindness as a new arrival to Australia from the UK. He also explores kindness - to each other and to our planet.