GATHERING ON THE VILLAGE GREEN
Contemplative Action in Religious Life.
This series of programs explores the relationship between spiritual practice and
societal engagement.
Programs focus upon religiously-rooted ritual, and how these might be
experienced as spiritual practice that can inform a social vision, motivate
spiritual practitioners to engage in social issues, and sustain individuals and
groups in their efforts to improve society.
Questions looked at may include:
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Is there a relationship between religious devotional teachings, focused on the
internal spiritual life of individual human beings, and the social teachings of
religious traditions?
Does personal religious practice affect an individual's state of mind, which
then affects the society that individual is helping to create?
Does the society we live in affect an individual's state of mind, which then
returns to affect the society we live in?
If so, how might religious practice affect this interaction?
Programs may be in the form of retreats, presentations, discussions, workshops
or observances. Specific programs focus on the teachings of particular
traditions, possibly including Buddhist, Quaker, Catholic, Taize, Iona, Jewish,
Sufi, Pentacostal and others. We will look to collaborate with other existing
spiritual life centers of various traditions.
