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Saturday, April 28, 2018
Monday, April 16, 2018
Monday, April 09, 2018
New Religious Movements
Pejoratively called “cults” by some, there are by some estimates more than 300 New Religious Movements in the United States and tens of thousands worldwide. These include offshoots of established religions, congregations with unique scriptures, and “New Age” churches that claim celestial origins. Some of these groups last less than a decade, whereas others span generations.
W. Michael Ashcraft, the Philosophy and Religion Department Chair of Truman State University, has been studying New Religious Movements for most of his professional life. The author of the recently published book, A Historical Introduction to the Study of New Religious Movements, Ashcraft here discusses the anticult movement that flourished in the ‘60s and '70s, why some groups survive and others don’t, and the similarities between New Religious Movements of the nineteenth century and those of the present day. He also draws distinctions between those groups with negative cult-like tendencies and those that are more benign.
In addition to his most recent book, Ashcraft is the co-author with Eugene V. Gallagher of the five-volume set, Introduction to New and Alternative Religions n in America.
Links:
A Historical Study of New Religious Movements (most recent book)
Ashcraft’s Academia.edu page
Diversity and Spirituality Network
Diversity and Spirituality Network Facebook Group
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Thursday, March 22, 2018
From Near-Death Survivor to Legend in Diversity
Although he grew up with privilege and an unconscious sense that he was better than others, a near-death experience caused Lewis Brown Griggs to see things differently. While hovering between life and death, he was “told” that he needed to come back and to “do his work.” This meant overcoming what he saw as his principal weakness: learning to bridge the gaps between himself and other people. He’s been helping others do this through diversity and inclusion work for more than 25 years.
Since surviving his near-death experience, Griggs has worked with companies all over the world, written three books and a host of multimedia projects, and been formally recognized as a “legend of diversity” from the International Society of Diversity and Inclusion Professionals.
But he’s more that simply a diversity trainer and entrepreneur. He’s also is a co-active leadership coach, a relationship coach and a facilitator of Spiritual Consciousness gained form Near Death Experiences and Recovery.
In this podcast, Griggs talks about his near-death experiences and how they motivated him to cross-cultural work, how the diversity movement has evolved in the past 25 years, and the importance of coming to terms with death for both valuing diversity and growing spiritually.
Links:
The Gift of Near Death (Ted Talk)
Beyond Our Sight (documentary about near-death experiences)
Diversity and Spirituality Network
Diversity and Spirituality Network Facebook Group
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Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Wednesday, March 07, 2018
Gay Spirituality: A Primer
Two male gay priests talk about the distinctive nature of gay spirituality, institutional Christianity’s attitudes towards LGBT people, and why there are high numbers of gays in the clergy. They also share how they realized their spiritual calling despite growing up within a hostile religious environment, the advice they would give to a young gay person who sees him or herself as religious and spiritual, and their belief that the on-the-ground acceptance of gay people is often at variance with doctrinal non-acceptance.
Interviewees include Michael Ruk, the pastor of the Episcopal St. Philips Church in New Hope, Pa, and John Stasio, a “post Roman” Catholic priest and founding director of Easton Mountain, a retreat center near Albany New York.
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Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Thursday, February 15, 2018
The Personal, The Political and the Spiritual
Author and advocate Jim Brown believes that restoring civility will go along way towards reversing the nation’s political dysfunction. And that striving to do so is as much an internal process as it is an external one. In this increasingly polarized climate, Brown says, the way to political recovery and spiritual renewal begins with a practice that is at the heart of the world’s great religions: love your enemy.
In this podcast, Brown describes the process that led him to write his book, Ending Our Uncivil War: A Path to Political Recovery and Spiritual Renewal. He explains how working with the homeless transformed him, how he practices what-he-calls agape while working as a professional advocate, and why he believes a commitment to selfless love is essential to political recovery and spiritual renewal.
Brown is the Tennessee State Director for the National Federation of independent Business.
Links:
Center for Action and Contemplation
Diversity and Spirituality Network
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Sunday, February 11, 2018
My answer to What are some good habits to follow? https://buff.ly/2GSTCFr
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Wednesday, February 07, 2018
Travel, Religion and Spirituality
Psychotherapist, author and world traveler Greesh Sharma talks about the transformative aspects of travel; how to trek without being a tourist; and how religion influences national culture. He shares stories from his visits to some 150 countries that illustrate the diversity of human experience, how religious practice differs from place to place, and how spending time abroad has expanded his sense of self.
Sharma sees travel as a form of spiritual practice and one that paradoxically provides a vehicle for inner exploration. It’s helped him become more open to others, sharpened his decision making skills, and generally broadened his view as to what it means to be human.
He experience of traveling to countries with and without national religions had shaped his opinions on the differences between religions, the relationship between religion and spirituality, and the roots of interfaith conflict.
“Travel to me is so transformative that I think even before people pay lots of money to pay a a psychologist for therapy, I think they should travel,” Sharma says. “They will grow much faster and it will be much cheaper."
Links:
Greesh Sharma’s Website
Sharma’s Amazon author page
The Diversity and Spirituality Network
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Sunday, February 04, 2018
In the unlikely event, I join the 1 (or even 10)%, this will be my new rod!
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Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Monday, January 15, 2018
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
From Theist to Atheist
Sociologist Douglas E. Cowan talks about New Religious Movements, the cult wars of the 1970s and the influence of the internet on religion. He also traces his own personal journey from mainstream Protestant believer through agnosticism to atheism. Regardless of what you believe, he says, “atheism matters."
Links:
Doug Cowan’s Amazon page
New Religious Movements (Hartford Institute for Religion Research)
Diversity and Spirituality Network
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Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Entrepreneurship, Social Activism, and Spiritual Practice
Paul Zelizer sees his mission as nurturing a community of socially conscious and spiritually aware entrepreneurs. His mission is embodied in the Awarepreneurs, a global community he founded in which business-minded people explore how their ventures might better contribute to a just and sustainable world. Awarepreneur members focus on integrating social activism into their business practices, while cultivating their personal sense of spiritual awareness. At one time, the community had more than 2,700 Facebook members.
In this podcast, Zelizer traces the path that led him to form this community: from his childhood in a progressive Jewish household, through his early career as a social worker in New Mexico, through his role as Director of Social Media for Wisdom 2.0, one of the premier mindfulness brands in the world. In 2013, he left Wisdom 2.0 because he saw the need to gather a tribe that’s more focused on social enterprise and social justice. He agreed, he said, with the feedback he kept hearing, “Most of the conscious business brands out there are too much about privilege and feel too corporate for me.”
Links:
Paul Zelizer’s business site
Diversity and Spirituality Network
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Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Building Bridges in Difficult Times
Conflict resolution specialist David Campt talks about the art of peace building, using dialogue to create common ground, and how whites can be effective allies for people of color in the fight against racism.
Campt is an authority on inclusion and equity, stakeholder engagement, and conflict resolution and dialogue. The author of Read the Room for Real and co-author (with Lisa Schirch) of The Little Book of Dialogue for Difficult Subjects, he’s served as Senior Policy Adviser to President Clinton’s Initiative on Race, organized forums for members of Congress, and provided facilitation expertise for Fortune 500 companies, foundations, and national and international non-profit organizations.
In addition to providing practical suggestions for aspiring and experienced peace builders, Campt here reveals his personal strategies for self-care and what led him to pursue a career in conflict resolution.
Links:
Diversity and Spirituality Network site
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