Discussion Groups come to an end

​by John-Peter Gernaat

Two Tuesday evening discussion groups that started in August 2023 have come to an end. These were the discussion of the Theology expressed in our Sacraments, and in particular the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Act of Consecration of Man, and the Spiritual well-being discussion group. The focus of these two discussion groups was very different.

The first wished to speak to the core membership of our congregation to expound the theology that is carried in our sacraments. This understanding would provide us with tools to enter into conversations with people not connected to our path and ensure that we have robust answers to questions we receive about our Movement and what our core tenets are. This discussion group began with an in-depth traverse through the opening words of the Act of Consecration of Man. We looked at seasonal epistles and embolisms (inserted prayers) and took a few interesting side tracks into our theology. We ended with a study of the Communion part of the Act of Consecration of Man.

The second discussion group aimed to speak to the chaos that people experience in the world and how the experiences of soul can be soothed through the spirit through an understanding of what brings our spirit into well-being. It was intended to be an opportunity to share this with friends and acquaintances and to bring a new audience to our Movement where there would be no theology, and the discussions would be open to all beliefs. We ended with a study of the life of Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, known as Akbar the Great, third Mughal Emperor. He was influenced by Sufism and built in his city a House of Worship into which he invited all religions so that he could learn from each. As a result he developed a new religion he called Faith of the Divine that drew from all the world’s religions. He showed a level of dialogue and tolerance that did not exist in Europe at that time and that we are still struggling to achieve today.