Local Group Events
Local Groups are autonomous groups of members and their guests, meeting together for lectures and discussions. They are not a formal part of the Network. This page offers forthcoming events, news and notices, and summaries of previous meetings, provided by the local group co-ordinators. See also the Local Groups Homepages with News and Notices, and Summaries of Previous Meetings.
THE CASE FOR RELIGION
A Supper Lecture in Rochester
God and Religion come in for bad press these days. Is religion worth keeping?Are militant atheists misguided? Do religion and spirituality need each other? Is it possible to build tolerance and respect in a divided world? And, can science play a role? Why Religion? explains why the answer to all these questions is a resounding "yes"
Eleanor was firstly a biologist then became a chartered accountant. Actively involved in the Anglican Church she describes herself as an unconventional and free thinking Christian author. Her book, Healilng this Wounded Earth: with Compassion, Spirit and the Power of Hope was published in 2011 and a further book is in progress. |
Group: | Kent Group |
| Date: |
25. May 2012 19:30 till 25.05.2012 10:30 |
| in: |
Rochester Kent |
| Speaker: | Eleanor Stoneham FCA ATII Phd |
| Costs: | £5.00 SMN members £7.00 non members |
| Info: | There will be a group discussion following the talk, the evening concluding with supper.
contact yvonne.louis@bluefingroup.co.uk or tel. 01634 813560 for details |
A Talk by J.S. Gordon MA. FRICS
“EVOLUTION: DARWINISM – v – CREATIONISM. BUT ARE THERE ANY INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVES?”
The Western world is in somewhat of a quandary. Modern Darwinism veers seriously towards the purely materialistic interpretations of the self-righteous atheist. Creationism considers only the opinion of the unqueryingly literalistic (and equally self-righteous) bible-follower. However, there are other, intelligently rational alternatives which see and combine both the spiritual and the material worlds as part of a single interactive process. These options see our universe as a coherent organism (both visible and invisible) whose natural instincts are otherwise becoming known to us as scientific laws which, for the most part, are actually not in conflict with religion. This (graphically illustrated) talk will explore that rationale. It will also seek to demonstrate how the sacred allegories and metaphors of ancient tradition can be seen, in retrospect, as indicative of a perennial esoteric philosophy which, in its own way (if properly explained) can be regarded as objectively scientific and also highly practical in its application for those of today’s rationally questioning minds interested in the origin and evolution of consciousness and its relation to bodily forms.
John Gordon holds an MA degree in Western Esotericism from the University of Exeter and is the author of several books. He has studied the subject of ancient philosophy and its meta-physical sciences for over thirty-five years and has lectured internationally on associated subjects. |
Group: | Camberley Group |
| Date: |
30. May 2012 07:30 |
| in: |
Tekels Park, Tekels Avenue, Camberley, Surrey GU15 2LE |
| Subject: | Intelligent design --Natural Selection --Evolution--Creation-- Darwin |
| Speaker: | J.S. Gordon MA. FRICS |
| eMail: | jsg@gordonscharteredsurveyors.co.uk |
Vegetarian supper available beforehand
which must be booked in advance. Tel: 01276-23159 |
Enlightenment Ain’t What It’s Cracked Up To Be
A Midsummer Musical Gathering based on "Towards Silence" by Sir John Tavener.
Stages of consciousness expressed through music - accompanied by a series of poems
If weather permits we shall hold this meeting in the garden of our host Martin Redfern . We shall hear the srround sound playback of this work which was conceived at the SMN Beyond the Brain Conference in 2007 and received it's European premier in Winchester Cathedral in 2009. It is scored for four string quartets and Tibetan prayer bowl.There are four movements in the work representing the stages of consciousness of waking state, sleep with dreams, deep sleep and Turiya or blissful consciousness.
Martin will introduce the work and its composition and a series of poems on a theme of silence which were recorded in Salisbury Cathedral last year.
Martin needs little introduction , on the SMN board and responsible for conference records, he is a science producer for the BBC ., |
Group: | Kent Group |
| Date: |
29. June 2012 19:30 till 29.06.2012 10:30 |
| in: |
Shorne, Near Gravesend, Kent |
| Speaker: | Host Martin Redfern |
| Costs: | £5.00 SMN members £7.00 non members |
| Info: | contact yvonne.louis@bluefingroup.co.uk or tel. 01634 813560 for details |
Science’s First Mistake: Delusions in Pursuit of Theory
Different Sights or Different Eyes: Perception in Physics and in Yoga
Bernard Carr - Time
Date to be confirmed, - mid September, midweek
| Group: | Guildford Group |
| Date: |
15. September 2012 |
| in: |
Kings Arms GU7 1EZ Godalming High Street 26 |
| Subject: | Time, cosmos, quantum physics |
| Speaker: | Bernard Carr |
| Costs: | £5.00 Non members, £4.00 members |
| Info: | info@godalmingcounselling. com |
Time
Insights from the battle of the archetypes in the Genesis creation stories
THE SCIENCE DELUSION: Freeing the Spirit of Inquiry