Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation

This homily will look at thinking and findings about the relative virtues of atheism or a more “religious” belief system for protecting our mental health.

Attention all Visitors, Members and Friends! Please come for ‘coffee’ and conversation in the alcove at James Bay Coffee and Books at 143 Menzies St. The coffee and topic are as you like it.

Nobody knows when Jesus was born so why do we celebrate on December 25th?　The truth lies in lore of the Roman Empire and the religion of Mithras.　 Peter Scales will describe how the unnoticed birth of a builder’s son named Yeshua ben-Youssef became the link between the Hebrew prophets, Emperor Constantine, and Canada today.

Attention all Visitors, Members and Friends! Please come for ‘coffee’ and conversation in the alcove at James Bay Coffee and Books at 143 Menzies St. The coffee and topic are as you like it.

In this talk I examine a common stereotype of the philosophical inquirer, according to which the philosopher is someone whose motivations are impersonal, dispassionate, objective, and directed at the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, rather than for any personal sake. I suggest that such a stereotype, which in fact assumes several guises, runs counter to the very essence of the subject.”

David Scott is a Canadian & UK trained philosophy professor at the University of Victoria, specializing in the history of metaphysics and in theory of knowledge.

Attention all Visitors, Members and Friends! Please come for ‘coffee’ and conversation in the alcove at James Bay Coffee and Books at 143 Menzies St. The coffee and topic are as you like it.

Midwinter is a time to appreciate and celebrate light.　 Let’s celebrate our own UU tradition of a flaming chalice, and sing some seasonal songs!

Attention all Visitors, Members and Friends! Please come for ‘coffee’ and conversation in the alcove at James Bay Coffee and Books at 143 Menzies St. The coffee and topic are as you like it.

Kurt Vonnegut’s novel “Cat’s Cradle” gives us a number of interesting messages. 　Sometimes there is more truth in fiction than in fact.

Attention all Visitors, Members and Friends! Please come for ‘coffee’ and conversation in the alcove at James Bay Coffee and Books at 143 Menzies St. The coffee and topic are as you like it.

The phrase “The Disappeared Ones” comes from Central and South America. It was originally used to describe the people who were abducted for real or perceived offences against the various military governments and juntas of the Americas, and whose status was never determined. Presumed dead, but never known, they became the martyrs of people striving, usually peacefully, for a more democratic society and transparent government. But the term, in its broadest sense, is applicable in Canada and in the US. There are disappeared among us, even in our own cities and communities, people who are allowed to be invisible among us. Borrowing the phrase Los Desaparecidos, internationally renowned performer, songwriter and lay preacher Joe Jencks will lead a New Year’s service in music and story, inviting re-commitment to Unitarian and Universalist principles, and focusing on how we can take specific action to prevent people from being disappeared in our own societies. Considering homelessness, addiction, mental illness, disability, racism, and justice for veterans, you are invited to come join together in a spirit of renewed commitment to our liberal religious movement, and to each other.