Jesus in India? Part II, Dialogue

First Universalists again join the Harvard Pluralism Project-recognized "transbelief reasoning dialogue" group, Secular Bible Study, to explore the influence of belief and non-belief on human history and society! Our 1stU-SBS Joint Meetups for June:

"Jesus in India?"

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Tuesdays, June 12 and June 26, 2012,

7:00-8:45 PM, Cummins Room

First Universalist Church, 3400 Dupont Ave S, Minneapolis, MN

This is everything the Bible has to say about the Founder of Christianity from the age of 12 to 30: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and Man." (Luke 2:52)

Compassion for the Poor. Love of one's Enemy. A Kingdom Within. Was the philosophy and teaching attributed to Jesus a reflection of a journey undiscussed in the Christian Bible? Was the Founder of Christianity touched by the hand of Buddha across hundreds of years, before his great mission ever commenced?

Frank Burton, Joint 1stU-SBS Co-organizer and philosopher & scientist at the U of M, will join us in exploring the historical coincidences, reports and speculations about Jesus in the land of India:

Last week, in Week 1 (June 12, 7:00-8:45 PM), we'll have viewed the 97-minute Sundance documentary film by Paul Davids, "Jesus in India." Discussing the Indian legends of Jesus and filmed across 4000 miles of the Indian subcontinent, the film is interspersed with appearances by the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist and Hindu leaders and religious scholars, and is based on the Edward T. Martin book, "King of Travelers: Jesus' Lost Years in India."

This week, in Week 2 (June 26, 7:00-8:45 PM), we'll hold a reasoning dialogue between our diverse religious and non-religious attendees, to critically discuss: 1) The facts supporting or refuting the film's claim of Jesus' spiritual and physical journey in India during his "missing years"; 2) Our views of the influence of Hinduism & Buddhism on ancient and modern Christianity and Jesus' attributed teachings.

What did the supposed carpenter's son go through in his formative years to later create a philosophy of loving one's persecutor? Did he indeed once sit with Buddhists at the feet of the Bodhi tree, and stare at its heart-shaped leaves, to create his philosophy of the Heart?

Don't miss 1stU and SBS's Joint Conversation, Jesus in India! RSVP "YES" today!

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