Ethics Is Our Religion
Events
| « | November 28, 2007 - March 27, 2008 | » |
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11 / 28
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11 / 29
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11 / 30
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12 / 1
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12 / 2
Start: 11:00 am
Humanist Approach to the Holidays with Fred Edwords. Fred Edwords is the Director of Communications for the American Humanist Association, and we're pleased that he's going to join us with another topic of interest. Start: 1:00 pm
End: 3:00 pm
John Dewey’s small 1934 book A Common Faith (only 87 pages) on humanity-centered religion has ideas that are still quite current today. We’ll discuss some of Dewey’s key ideas, including evolving definitions and experiences of religion, the place of science in faith, the place of the supernatural in faith, the place of social change in religion, and the future of naturalistic religion. Sunday, December 2, 1-3 p.m., at Green Hedges School | ||
12 / 3
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12 / 4
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12 / 5
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12 / 6
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12 / 7
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12 / 8
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12 / 9
Start: 11:00 am
"Is There a Humanist Jesus?" -- Jone Johnson Lewis, NoVES Leader There was a time in studies of "the historical Jesus" to find that Jesus had been, as a Sunday School teacher of my childhood said, "the greatest ethical teacher of all time." Distinguishing between the Jesus of history and the Jesus of belief and faith is difficult enough -- we also have to distinguish between a lot of different understandings of each of those Jesuses. Jone will bring to bear some of her Bible history studies and her interest in religion in modern culture to try to answer this platform's title question. | ||
12 / 10
Start: 7:00 pm
End: 9:00 pm
Monthly practice of connection-building communication. Held in Alexandria. Open to members of NoVES and others who've attended meetings at the Society. We're using the book Nonviolent Communication Workbook available on Sundays at the book table or at http://www.noves.org/nvc/ Please use the contact form to indicate interest if you'd like to join this group. Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved | ||
12 / 11
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12 / 12
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12 / 13
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12 / 14
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12 / 15
Start: 9:00 am
End: 12:30 pm
Regular board meeting of the Society. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone). | ||
12 / 16
Start: 11:00 am
Air travel is safer than it's ever been since before the Montgolfier Brothers soared over Paris in 1785 in a hot air balloon, but consumer confidence in airlines is lower than low. Delays, lost luggage, canceled flights all tempt us out of our ethical life style, but let's learn how to be ethical air travelers. | ||
12 / 17
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12 / 18
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12 / 19
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12 / 20
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12 / 21
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12 / 22
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12 / 23
Start: 11:00 am
Come join us, one and all, in Winter Festival! Winter festivals were major events in most prehistoric northern hemisphere cultures. These festivals were created to celebrate the Winter Solstice -- the day with the shortest amount of sunlight -- and to welcome the slow return of longer days. While long months of winter lay ahead, the participants knew that growth, warmth and light would return. Winter Festivals included singing, stories, feasting, and magical rites. These once pagan or secular activities were modified by Christianity and included in the litany of holy days, of holidays. Yet the ancient traditions still can be felt in today's songs and traditions NoVES celebrates the common themes found in winter festivals with an intergenerational program and shared feast. If you're seeking a secular but spirited celebration to welcome the holiday, join us in our celebration! | ||
12 / 24
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12 / 25
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12 / 26
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12 / 27
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12 / 28
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12 / 29
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12 / 30
Start: 11:00 am
NoVES will be closed for its regular platform meeting Watch for an announcement of a social event and celebration. | ||
12 / 31
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01 / 1
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01 / 2
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01 / 3
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01 / 4
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01 / 5
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01 / 6
Start: 11:00 am
"Change is a Given; Growth and Learning Are Optional" - Jone Johnson Lewis, Leader The world will change, our bodies will change, and we cannot escape change -- whether we choose to grow with the change and learn to adapt is up to us. In Ethical Culture, we take learning as a lifelong project, not something we're done with once we leave school! | ||
01 / 7
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01 / 8
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01 / 9
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01 / 10
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01 / 11
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01 / 12
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01 / 13
Start: 11:00 am
America is called the Consumer Society. Rarely, however, do we think about what this means to us, our society, and to the environment. Individuals across the world make-do, re-use, and recycle. Can we? Two NoVES members, Helene Shore and Jim Dieter, share their experiences from an entire year of buying nothing new. They will talk about breaking the buying habit, and what you can do to reduce mindless consumerism. Helene Shore is a first grade teacher at Mosby Woods Elementary who uses innovative methods to help her students excell. Jim Dieter is known for his contemplative and creative photography, which has been exhibited widely in the region. | ||
01 / 14
Start: 7:00 pm
End: 9:00 pm
Monthly practice of connection-building communication. Held in Alexandria. Open to members of NoVES and others who've attended meetings at the Society. We're using the book Nonviolent Communication Workbook available on Sundays at the book table or at http://www.noves.org/nvc/ Please use the contact form to indicate interest if you'd like to join this group. Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved | ||
01 / 15
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01 / 16
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01 / 17
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01 / 18
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01 / 19
Start: 9:00 am
End: 12:30 pm
Regular board meeting of the Society. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone). | ||
01 / 20
Start: 11:00 am
"Martin, Malcolm, and America" - Jone Johnson Lewis, Leader Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, and Martin Luther King, jr., in 1968. The world has changed a lot since then, but racial equality is far from fully achieved. Martin and Malcolm had different visions for how racial justice could be achieved, based in many ways on their different experiences of racial injustice. At the end of their lives, they were coming to more similar views. What does this say for our task today of working for a more just and peaceful world? | ||
01 / 21
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01 / 22
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01 / 23
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01 / 24
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01 / 25
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01 / 26
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01 / 27
Start: 10:00 am
Melissa Sinclair, NoVES member, was inspired by an article from mothering.com by Teresa Pitman that addressed stay-at-home moms who feel isolated and worn down from working at home alone while caring for kids. But, Melissa notes, the subject touches upon a bigger problem not just for stay-at-home moms, but for most Americans. Americans have become so isolated from family and friends, and even neighbors -- intentional and unintentionally -- that their souls are starved for companionship and they are forced to work in isolation. Without the help of friends and family, there is no time to do the things required, much less desired. Melissa, a full-time mom with experience in university administration, will talk about the ways we have become isolated, and present an interesting idea on how to feed our soul while not neglecting the duties we need to do in life too. | ||
01 / 28
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01 / 29
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01 / 30
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01 / 31
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02 / 1
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02 / 2
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02 / 3
Start: 11:00 am
NoVES members Ralph Hammelbacher and Faith Halter recently returned from a 3-plus year sojourn in Birmingham, Alabama, where they moved temporarily for Ralph’s work. Their initial reservations about living in the Deep South lifted when they decided to approach it like any other move to a different culture: as a chance to explore and to learn. It was a transformative experience in many ways. Ralph and Faith will share some of their insights about this region of our country and about themselves. | ||
02 / 4
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02 / 5
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02 / 6
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02 / 7
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02 / 8
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02 / 9
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02 / 10
Start: 11:00 am
"The Evolution of Creationism" - Jone Johnson Lewis, NoVES Leader Each time creationism is defeated in its attempts to keep young students from learning about evolution, creationists figure out a new way of presenting or advocating for their position. In honor of Darwin Day, Jone will take us on a quick tour of creationist thinking and how it has evolved. We tend to think of the disagreement as between a new theory (evolution) and the age-old, Biblically-grounded theory of special creation -- yet the later theory continues to grow and evolve, and its advocates adopt tactics in response to the successes of science. | ||
02 / 11
Start: 7:00 pm
End: 9:00 pm
Monthly practice of connection-building communication. Held in Alexandria. Open to members of NoVES and others who've attended meetings at the Society. We're using the book Nonviolent Communication Workbook available on Sundays at the book table or at http://www.noves.org/nvc/ Please use the contact form to indicate interest if you'd like to join this group. Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved Copyright © 2007 Jone Johnson LewisAll Rights Reserved | ||
02 / 12
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02 / 13
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02 / 14
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02 / 15
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02 / 16
Start: 9:00 am
End: 12:30 pm
Regular board meeting of the Society. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone). | ||
02 / 17
Start: 11:00 am
Reflecting on the first photograph of the earth taken from beyond the moon, Archibald MacLeish wrote in the New York Times that it was an image with whose help "man may discover what he really is". It reveals a truth that we ignore at our own peril: "To see the earth as we now see it, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the unending night--brothers who see now they are truly brothers." | ||
02 / 18
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02 / 19
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02 / 20
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02 / 21
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02 / 22
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02 / 23
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02 / 24
Start: 11:00 am
In recent years, several bestselling books have pushed the standard for direct public criticism of religious faith. Their authors (Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens) have earned higher visibility for openly atheistic views, as well as provoked sharp reactions, sometimes from surprising sources. Sven Sinclair will discuss the main ideas espoused by those "New Atheists" and their place in the context of the current American public sphere. Sven Sinclair is a NoVES member and an economist.
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02 / 25
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02 / 26
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02 / 27
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02 / 28
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02 / 29
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03 / 1
Start: 10:00 am
End: 4:00 pm
Basic skills in caring and respectful communication -- for beginners or for review. Join the Northern Virginia Ethical Society for a public workshop on March 1, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., at Green Hedges School (Arts Building) led by Jone Johnson Lewis. The workshop will focus on the basics of caring and respectful communication (based on the Nonviolent Communication process taught by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg). Members of NoVES are, of course, more than welcome, as are others in the wider community. Please invite your friends and others. Suggested donation: $5-$15. Books on Nonviolent Communication will be available at the workshop or are available online at http://www.noves.org/nvc | ||
03 / 2
Start: 11:00 am
"Feminist Ethics" -- Jone Johnson Lewis Drawing on the work of such thinkers as Nel Noddings and Sharon Welch, we'll consider how feminist thought has influenced thinking about ethics in the last quarter-century. What insights has feminism brought to ethical thinking that can be useful on our ethical quest for the "good life"? | ||
03 / 3
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03 / 4
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03 / 5
Start: 7:00 pm
End: 9:00 pm
In 1908, Felix Adler, founder of the Ethical movement, published Essentials of Spirituality, one of his less-known books. Whatever one what one might assume from the title, it is Adler’s attempt to describe what the basic “spiritual practices” of a humanistic and ethical religion would be: how we would act if we were to ascribe worth to others, including in difficult situations. The book is dated in some ways, and quite relevant to modern life in others. It’s a good way to get a taste of our historical roots and see how we can take those ideas and make them relevant to our lives today. Copies of the book will be available for download to those who register for the class. Read the first chapter for the first class. Place: Green Hedges School, Arts Building Time: 7 - 9 p.m. Dates: March 5, 19, 26 Suggested donation: $15/class (covers all 3 sessions) | ||
03 / 6
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03 / 7
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03 / 8
Start: 9:00 am
End: 3:00 pm
Learn and practice a creative method for handling anger and communicating for connection -- for beginners or for review. Join the Northern Virginia Ethical Society for a public workshop on March 8, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., at Green Hedges School (Arts Building) led by Jone Johnson Lewis. The workshop will focus on the basics of handling anger, in the context of caring and respectful communication (based on the Nonviolent Communication process taught by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg). Members of NoVES are, of course, more than welcome, as are others in the wider community. Please invite your friends and others. Suggested donation: $5-$15. Books on Nonviolent Communication will be available at the workshop or are available online at http://www.noves.org/nvc Start: 5:30 pm
End: 9:30 pm
The NoVES Spaghetti Dinner will be held on March 8, 2008 at the Common House of the Blueberry Hill Cohousing community. The doors will open at 5:30 with dinner served at 6:00. (Those who've volunteered to help, please arrive at 4:00.) The dinner costs $8.00 per person with $24.00 maximum per family. Come for some great food and even better conversation! | ||
03 / 9
Start: 11:00 am
Julius Coles, the President of Africare, will discuss programs that are addressing the critical needs of that continent's population. News reports about event Africa are often disconcerting -- wars, ethnic conflict, environmental degradation and economic dislocation. But Africans, with the help of individuals who understand local needs, are making a difference. For instance, since 1987, Africare has supported both national and local initiatives in Africa to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Africare's HIV/AIDS Initiative includes programs in: HIV prevention and voluntary counseling and testing; care and support for people already infected with HIV or suffering from AIDS; and assistance to orphans. NoVES proudly supports this effort. | ||
03 / 10
Start: 7:00 pm
End: 9:00 pm
Monthly practice of connection-building communication. Held in Alexandria. Open to members of NoVES and others who've attended meetings at the Society. We're using the book Nonviolent Communication Workbook available on Sundays at the book table or at http://www.noves.org/nvc/ Please use the contact form to indicate interest if you'd like to join this group. | ||
03 / 11
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03 / 12
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03 / 13
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03 / 14
Start: 7:00 pm
End: 9:00 pm
Six sessions An introduction to ethical theories and ethical thinking. Literature and philosophy have both been instruments of challenge to established systems of morality, and ways to explore the implications of ethical ideas in human life. In each session, participants will discuss selected readings drawn from literature and philosophy. All readings are from out-of-copyright sources and will be distributed to registered students. The focus of each session will be: 1. What's ethics? 2. What is good, what is evil? And, is everything relative? 3. Utilitarianism: the greatest good for the greatest number: pros and cons 4. Deontological ethics: Kant and his heirs and critics 5. Virtue-based ethics 6. Pragmatic ethics (Jane Addams, John Dewey, Felix Adler) Location: Green Hedges School, Art Building | ||
03 / 15
Start: 9:00 am
End: 12:30 pm
Regular board meeting of the Society. Members of the Society are welcome to attend or to make proposals. Please email the President to propose an item for the agenda or to indicate you'll attend (we would like to make sure there are enough seats for everyone). | ||
03 / 16
Start: 11:00 am
In times of tragedy and misfortune, those who maintain a strong, traditional faith, can turn to God with the assurance that all things will turn out for the best in the end. This assurance can be a source of hope which enables people to rally energies to carry on in the moment. But, asks Dr. Joseph Chuman, for those who do not affirm a belief in a divine custodian who ensures that everything will turn out for the best in the end, where are the sources hope that enable us to carry on in the midst of life's setbacks and misfortunes? | ||
03 / 17
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03 / 18
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03 / 19
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03 / 20
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03 / 21
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03 / 22
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03 / 23
Start: 11:00 am
NoVES will have no platform meeting this Sunday. | ||
03 / 24
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03 / 25
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03 / 26
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03 / 27
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