PlainSpeech Messages | Find YOUR way to GRACE.
I recently read a message I’d given in 1984 and felt a mixture of embarrassment and surprise. Embarrassed because it seems inadequate now, and surprised by how much my worldview has changed. Twenty-five years from now, I might read these messages and have a similar reaction. I offer no guarantee that my work or words will endure the eroding effects of time. I can only assure you these thoughts have been helpful to me, and perhaps a few others, today. With that qualification, I offer them to you.
~ Philip
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You Might Be a Humanist If… (6)
VIEW VIDEO We are citizens of the universe…– Paul Kurtz of Free Inquiry I’ve been thinking about our new grandson, Miles Henry Gulley, now 26 days old. If he had been born in China, he would be almost 10 months old, since infants born there are dated from the date of...
You Might Be a Humanist If… (5)
We deplore efforts to denigrate human intelligence. – Paul Kurtz Sometimes I’ll ask a child their favorite day of the year. Number one is always Christmas. Always. Number two is their birthday. And number three is almost always the last day of school. I feel so sorry...
You Might Be a Humanist If… (4)
VIEW VIDEO “We affirm humanism as a realistic alternative to theologies of despair and ideologies of violence and as a source of rich personal significance and genuine satisfaction in the service to others.” – Paul Kurtz of Free Inquiry Whenever we go to the farm, we...
You Might Be a Humanist If… (3)
VIEW VIDEO It is good to be back among you after my gallbladder surgery. I’m indebted to Mark for bringing last Sunday’s message, in which he urged us to ignore the Ten Commandments, at least that’s what I gathered from listening to his message on Zoom. Where was...
You Might Be a Humanist If…(2)
VIEW VIDEO The interesting thing about living in the same town you grew up in is the almost daily reminders not only of your best moments, but also your worst. Every street, sometimes every house, is a picture album, eliciting a memory, good or bad. In between our...
You Might Be a Humanist If…(1)
VIEW VIDEO Good morning, friends. It is good to be back after yearly meeting and Fifth Sunday. After speculating three Sundays ago that if Jesus were alive today, he’d be a humanist, I am announcing the beginning of a new series entitled, “You Might Be a Humanist...
Was Jesus a Humanist?
VIEW VIDEO I was thinking this week about how computers make everything so much easier, which is good and bad. Computers spare us from drudgery and make it possible to accomplish more work. Before we had computers, it used to take me 3-4 weeks to spend my paycheck,...
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual? (13)
VIEW VIDEO It is good to be back among Friends. We enjoyed our trip to Alaska, visiting our son and daughter-in-law, who are expecting their first child, so we anticipate more trips to Alaska, despite getting Covid while I was there. Being the deeply spiritual person...
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual? (12)
I have a friend who teaches in a Catholic school where the children are required to attend weekly Mass. I’m well acquainted with this custom since I grew up Catholic and my mother was the principal of a Catholic school. I remember once asking her if I could go to her...
What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual? (11)
VIEW VIDEO On August 17, 2021, the Taliban in Afghanistan, hoping to project an image of moderation, pledged to honor the rights of women, vowing to form an “inclusive Islamic government.” On May 8, 2022, a scant eight months later, the Taliban passed a law requiring...