Medley

Philosopher Barry Lam, now a professor at the University of California, endorses only one rule, and that is, “we should have fewer rules.” Even as a teenager he had defiant disposition, with an urge to do just the opposite of what he was asked to do. For instance, he studied philosophy when his family pushed him to study computer science or medicine.

Antti Savinainen - Finland

photo credit: NEEDPIX.COM

Introduction

Bart D. Ehrman (b. 1955) is a respected New Testament scholar who describes himself as an agnostic or atheist. He is a professor at the University of North Carolina. Ehrman is the author of a fascinating book on how contemporary Christianity’s concept of heaven and hell came to be (Heaven and hell. A History of the Afterlife, Simon & Schuster, 2020). It might be better to speak of the plural concept of heaven and hell, since there are differences, sometimes quite large, in the teachings of Christian denominations. The most common understanding, however, is that there are only two possible destinations for a human being: eternal heaven or damnation, which in the interpretation of some denominations may mean eternal suffering in hell. What are these beliefs based on? Did Jesus himself, or perhaps the Apostle Paul, teach this? These are the questions Ehrman seeks the best reasoned historical answers to in his book. I will present Ehrman’s perspectives and examine the subject from a theosophical perspective.

Bart Ehrman

Psychotic-like experiences resemble symptoms of psychosis, but are milder, less frequent and much more common than psychotic disorders. While these symptoms do not constitute a disorder diagnosed as psychosis, they can still be disruptive, distressing or detrimental to functional capacity. Typical psychotic-like experiences include perceptual distortions and hallucinations, suspicious paranoid thinking, delusions and bizarre, unusual thoughts.

Sally and James Colbert -- USA

James and Sally Colbert with your editor at Olcott, Wheaton during ITC 2012

NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles intended to help Theosophical students or their families deal with some of the major traumas visiting so many of us.  Included will be alcoholism, marijuana addiction, Alzheimer’s, mental illness, suicide, abortion, physical disability, and effects of psychic practices. Some of the common treatment options are  seen as at odds with Theosophical ideas and teachings. It has been asked how Theosophy can offer direction for encountering these circumstances. The series of articles will give direct focus to these areas while drawing from the teachings and placing them in a modern context for practical use. The writers have been contacted by Theosophists over a number of years regarding these concerns related to their connection to the teachings and their background in clinical psychology.

Jan Nicolaas Kind – Brazil

Giordano Bruno

When we look at today’s world we cannot but come to the conclusion that religion, or rather, that what one refers to as ‘religion’, has caused, and is still causing immense tragedies, disgraceful behavior and confusion. Unfortunately, humans, labeled as ‘the thinkers’, most definitely have the greatest difficulties in thinking and therefore in understanding themselves, their fellow-thinkers, and the most elementary concepts that are needed to live a true religious life.

Out-of-body experiences, such as near-death experiences, can have a "transformative" effect on people's ability to experience empathy and connect with others, a scientific paper from University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers explains.

Andrew Rooke – Australia

Over 200,000 people died today and 200,000 will die tomorrow. (1) Sooner or later, we will be amongst them. Spirituality teaches us that death is not to be feared. It is a great teacher from whom we can learn much about the secrets of life. Many spiritual traditions recommend that we can learn a lot by actively contemplating the inevitability of death. This is a challenging but rewarding spiritual practice. It forces us to go beyond any superficial ideas we may have about spirituality, which are inadequate before the enormity of death, and to find something real.