John Edwards – A retired Minister
speaks of the concepts of beliefs and looking at
the power and mystery of silence and more...
Silence
Awareness
God
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Silence is about awareness of the present
Returning to the present
Breathing
Mystery of Awareness
Bacteria 400 billion years
Trees fungi have awareness
Trees fungi have awareness
Rise of Human awareness
The early one from Africa
Modern humans 100,000 years ago
Caves
Footprints
Experienced fire, seasons, etc
Somewhere along, awareness of the spirits
But they did not seperate it from nature
Could talk to it
Spirit of that place
Spirit of that tribe
As agriculture developed,
develops as religion
Ruler as divine
Did god create us
Or did we create god
Friend Ken story
in Hospice
I was the last person to talk to him.
Quakerly guidance
Divine inspiration
Sheer luck
Coincidence
Divine guidance
Skeptics
Feuerbach
Divine qualities are our best qualities
Garnish
Popular HinduGod
Buddhist interests me these days
The early buddhists are very much like quakers
But Quite deliberately non theistic
Human spirit
Atheistic
Delusion of separateness
But we are all interconnected
Nothing permanent
Self empty
Middle way
Sense of
Suffering
Hanging on
Letting go of attachment
Very close to quakers
How we interprete those experiences?
As god?
Does it matter?
Why do you continue being a quaker?
How do we approach silence
So consummed of Entitlement
Afraid of silence
How we talk about
I confess i do not have an answer
How we answer to ourselves
—
Comments from the audience:
Our best approach is to listen
Whatever form of divine presence
To other people
Socrates is a model
Cloud unknowing
Inate suspicion of certainty
Belief is Personal
