Faith

Faith has an important role to play in connection to the movement towards a sustainable future on this planet. Many people believe that the world is in crisis, that our future is limited. It requires faith to believe in the possibility of change, faith to be able to act: you canÕt act unless you believe that you can make a difference. Faith equals the right to hope, which is why SoL sees it as a central part of our education programme.

Our way of seeing and understanding reality influences us on all levels: physical, emotional and spiritual. However we often overlook the possibility of choosing our view of reality, instead simply accepting without question the view we have learnt from our families, society and our limited experiences. Religion, philosophy and science influence our experience of what reality is, and at SoL we will explore the practical implications of these influences and their impact on our approach to the world and the environment as a whole.

Part of the programme will include a conventional study of comparative religion and philosophy with the aim of learning tolerance and understanding of other points of view. This will help us move away from dogma to the point where we can understand that often both sides in a dispute are right, but have different views, and that society needs to find a way forward to accommodate both points of view.

We will also look at the connections between religion, philosophy and science, exploring the role of science in our understanding of reality. Nowadays faith in science is more common than religious faith; in lieu of religion, we have turned to science to explain the world. But scientific paradigms are changing and even laws that we thought we understood are subject to change. Truth is not the immutable thing it was once considered to be: what was true a hundred years ago is no longer true today, and what is true today may very well not be true in another hundred years. We have some knowledge to explain the universe, but we still lack information and need to continue looking for new ways to view reality. For example quantum physicists, experts in their field, canÕt agree about whether neutrons are particles, or waves, or both, because their behaviour seems to depend on the beliefs and expectations of the scientist observing them. Our world view influences our belief system, and our belief system influences our experience, which in turn influences our world view. It is interesting that recent scientific theories, such as the holographic universe, unite religious and scientific explanations of how the world works.

In our modern society everything tends to be segregated and we live in the culture of the expert: belief has nothing to do with science, politics has nothing to do with religion. Although we recognise that research in separate areas is important, we believe that all things are interconnected. This is clear from one of the issues raised by the importance of science in explaining reality: that of ethics in modern science. The advances in the fields of cloning, genetic research, genetic manipulation, experimentation on embryos, etc have raised many questions. Who decides whatÕs right and wrong in a world of myriad possibilities? At SoL we will stimulate our students to explore and discuss such issues, to decide for themselves what they think.

Psychology also offers insight into our understanding of reality. Questions such as where the mind resides and what a religious experience is, and an exploration of different levels of consciousness will help students to come to their own explanation of reality.

In SoLÕs teaching programme we will cover different models to explain reality, from religious to humanistic, scientific and psychological models. Then we will explore our own consciousness to decide which view of reality is valid for us personally. We do not propose to teach that there is any one truth or encourage a choice of a particular religion or faith. We intend to help our students explore and understand their beliefs, to be conscious of their faith and have respect, tolerance and understanding of the validity of other models. And we will explore possibilities for change too, asking the important question: is our list of beliefs carved in stone or is it a list that we can revise and update?

As well as the courses that we will offer to our year round students and the workshops open to the public (e.g. comparative religion, the history of religion, philosophy and philosophers, situation ethics, quantum physics and the holographic universe, altered states of consciousness, shamanism etc), we will also initiate practical spiritual exploration and discussions based on current issues in a problematic world. We will hold conferences on topical issues, and open our centre for discussions of issues affecting the local community and we will offer workshops to school children (e.g. story telling workshops based on the origin myths of different cultures, Native American beliefs and their influences on the environment, etc).

Ceremonies and rituals have an important role in our faith. The simple act of doing things together helps us to connect. But even such basic rituals as eating together are being lost by modern society because we all work, have different schedules and have the TV on all the time. In a world where modern housing is being built with no kitchens, how will we connect with each other? Recognising this as an important part of living, we will build opportunities for connection at SoL. For example the daily meditation session will be open to all members of staff as well as students, we will initiate discussion sessions for pupils and staff, eating together will be central to the day, and we will encourage students and staff to discover and share their own rituals and ceremonies.