Sea of Faith 32nd annual conference

Attending annual conference of the Sea of Faith Network UK. It’s their 32nd, but my first whole one. Conference topic: “Is That All There Is?” Keynote speaker this afternoon: Ernie Rea, host of BBC Radio 4’s Beyond Belief.

Forum session 1: “Past Perfect: Freedom From Perfection in Life and Faith” with Stephen Mitchell. “We seem to be obsessed with perfection. It permeates our conversations, language, advertising, films and religion and has roots deep in the beginning of our civilisation. Past Perfect unravels some of the confusion surrounding our use of the word and shapes an understanding of God that is free of this notion.” (Four other topics on offer).

Day 2, Keynote speaker in he morning: Stephen Williams, “Justice Through the Looking Glass”.

Forum session 2: “A Case for Solar Ethics” with Chris Smith and David Belcher. “Reality is a mystery about which we have no absolute knowledge. We can often find ourselves conflicted when our conscious, deliberate thoughts, based on the limited perceptions of our individual, physical senses come into conflict with unconscious, intuitive feelings. Is there a case for the spontaneity advocated by the concept of Solar Ethics?” (Four other topics on offer).

Day 2, Keynote speaker in the afternoon: Avril Robarts, “Spiritual Path in the Indian Traditions”.

Day 2, Discussion group in the early evening: David Hart, “Does a gay sensibility help us in appreciating a non-realist theology?”

Forum session 3: “Judging Religion: A Dialogue For Our Time” with John Holroyd. “Based on his forthcoming book of the same title, the speaker focuses on the character and validity of ethical evaluations of faiths as they are understood and misunderstood today. The speaker believes that our time offers remarkable opportunities for understanding each other’s religious snd non-religious quests in a plural world.” (Four other topics on offer this morning).

Conference closed with tributes to Revd David Paterson. David was one of the pioneers of inter faith dialogue in the UK and will rightly be remembered as the founding father of Loughborough Council of Faiths in 1995. I only got to know David near the end of his life when he was frail and infirm and made his way about by motorised wheelchair. Even then it was clear that he was held in great affection and esteem by a great many people. I’ve only come to realise, since his recent death, the kind of man he was. I’m sorry I didn’t have the opportunity to know this excellent fellow better in life.

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