|
THE RICHEST OF FARE:
Seeking Spiritual Security in the Sonoran Desert
Group Discussion Questions
Over the past 14 billion years, the universe has never been better--let the Desert tell you why!
But our brains are still evolving...so the best is yet to be.
This innovative volume won the 2005 Independent Publisher Award for the best New Age/Mind-Body-Spirit book. “The Richest of Fare” is appropriate for anyone regardless of religious beliefs, as the focus of the book is on spiritual wisdom.
For more information visit: www.desertspirituality.com
Preface
1. Albert Einstein once said that the most important question one can ask one’s self is, “Is the universe a friendly place?” How do you answer this question, and why?
2. What is the difference between religion and spirituality?
Prologue
1. How did the Sonoran Desert get her name?
2. What spiritual truth about our existence can the Desert help us to understand?
Chapter One: Cosmos
1. How old is the universe? How many stars does it contain?
2. Why is our universe bipolar?
3. What is a soul-ache? How has modern science proved the existence of the human soul?
4. What is spiritual relativity?
5. How are stars important in the Bible?
6. What is the divine dimension?
7. How does one determine whether the universe is a friendly place?
Chapter Two: Earth
1. What makes the Earth different from all other known planets?
2. What do rocks and the human body have in common?
3. What is climate change, and what is the most important lesson that people can learn it?
4. How did the Earth influence the development of human spirituality?
5. How did Jesus live close to the Earth?
6. How is the concept of the “Promised Land” different in the Old and New Testaments?
7. What does the Earth want?
Chapter Three: Life
1. How long ago and where did life first appear on Earth?
2. What role has climate change played in the evolution of life on Earth?
3. What are some common needs of all life forms on the Earth?
4. How has biodiversity fluctuated over the past 550 million years?
5. What is the “sixth extinction”?
6. What does the Bible reveal about the spiritual relationships between people, plants and animals?
7. How does the Old Testament find hope in the devastation of a mass extinction?
8. How do scientific evidence and ancient spiritual wisdom agree about life on Earth?
Chapter Four: Self
1. How old are the earliest human ancestors, and where did they first appear?
2. What is the role of technology in human evolution?
3. How is the human brain structured, and which area exerts the most influence in daily life?
4. What is the difference between emotions and feelings?
5. How is Adam portrayed differently than Eve?
6. How does Jesus’ view of God differ from the Old Testament’s view of God?
7. How does Jesus’ identity as the “son of man” fit into human evolution?
Chapter Five: Community
1. What is a community? How is civilization different than animal communities?
2. When and where did writing first appear? Why was writing so important in human evolution?
3. What aspects of human evolution contribute to civilizations’ tendency to collapse?
4. Why were the Ten Commandments significant in the history of world religion?
5. What role did the Desert play in the Exodus story?
6. How was Jesus’ approach to community revolutionary for his time?
7. How were Jesus’ relationships with women unusual for his time?
Chapter Six: Returning
1. What is a spiritual paradigm shift, and what types of events often trigger them?
2. What is the timeless spiritual truth at the heart of “A Christmas Carol”?
3. Why are the eighth century Hebrew prophets important in world history?
4. What is Isaiah’s vision of the world’s future? Why is he the most-quoted prophet in the New Testament?
5. What hidden advantage did Jesus use to resist temptation for 40 days in the Desert?
6. What was the original meaning of the term “repent” in the Gospels?
7. What special skill do wealthy people bring to today’s challenges?
Chapter Seven: Harmony
1. According to William James, what is the best way to determine whether God is real?
2. How is American religion distinctive, and what major contributions has it made to the world?
3. Where and when did Twelve Step programs get started?
4. What is the new and improved American Dream?
5. Why is Abraham revered as the first man of faith?
6. How did Jesus connect faith and healing in his teachings?
7. What 20th century leaders based their social justice movements on Jesus’ nonviolence teachings?
8. What is the secret to life that makes the universe a friendly place?
|