Deep Conversations

This is a weekly recurring, casual event that will contain the following:

1. Open topic conversation - All members welcome! We can discuss anything and everything.

2. New Member Meet & Greet - Newer members are encouraged to attend these events so we can get a little acquainted. Video or at least voice will be required so that I can at least verify that you are real. I can also answer any questions about myself and this group.

3. Icebreaker Game - I will have a set of icebreaker prompts on display that can either be fun conversation starters, or we can ignore and discuss anything else.

For people I am not familiar with I may reach out and ask to attend one of these before they can attend any other events. This is a formality to ensure security within our group and prevent fake/malicious accounts, and to give peace of mind so we can get the most out of our events moving forward.

Looking forward to meeting & chatting with you!

This should be an opportunity for believers and non-believers to discuss contentious claims in the bible and examine how we come to our different conclusions. The goal should be to learn and understand from one another. Ask good faith questions to those you disagree with and try to give good faith answers to questions directed at you.

This is a respectful environment that welcomes all views and opinions. You will hear ideas that you will not like or outright hate, and that is ok. We’re all human so long as we try our best to keep disagreements civil.

There are many stories in the bible that are supernatural and implausible. Do these stories cause you to dismiss religion as fairy tales and myths? Do you continue to believe with unwavering faith but still wonder about certain claims? Is there any chance there’s a natural explanation to some of these claims, but what is written sounds more extraordinary than the actual events?

What is the most outrageous claim in the bible, and how do you reconcile it? (I am thinking specifically of claims that seem physically impossible, and not moral claims that challenge God’s character)

Here are some claims that come to mind and questions to ask about them:

- Was there really a global flood?
- Did Noah really get 2 of every animal on the ark?
- Did Moses part the waters? (Related question: Is their historical evidence of Jewish slaves living in Egypt? Did they escape Egypt? How did they escape?)
- How big was Goliath?
- Did a whale swallow Jonah?
- Did Jesus walk on water?
- Was Jesus a real person?
- Did Jesus turn water into wine?
- Did Jesus heal people and raise some from the dead?
- Did Jesus’ body truly vanish without a trace of his tomb being raided?

What other stories or claims come to mind? Hope you can join us and engage in a fun discussion!

Rule Of Etiquette: The goal is to have a productive free-flowing discussion, while also giving everyone a fair chance to participate accordingly. If you have any trouble getting a word in, please use the "Raise Hand" feature. We have a loosely enforced 3 minute timer but please be mindful of your time and the number of people waiting, and know that you can always put yourself back in the rotation for additional talking points. It is also encouraged to engage with others on your turn so that we can have more of a free-slowing dialog, rather than each of us just taking turns on our soap boxes.

Hope you can join us!

This is a cross-post of The Thinker's Club group that meets on Mondays with specific topics. To see their designated topic of the week, check out their meetup page directly:
https://www.meetup.com/the-thinkers-club/

**While Rick is listed as the host of this event, the actual host is Randy and his team from TTC**

The Thinkers’ Club is a discussion group intended to provide a fun, non-judgmental forum to share and debate intellectual and philosophical ideas with other critical thinkers. Come prepared to share concepts from history, philosophy, politics, religion, sociology, psychology, etc. that have influenced your thinking.

Members of all creeds, backgrounds, and walks of life are encouraged to attend. At The Thinkers' Club, we believe that intellectual discourse is best when we can explore - not dictate - views. On that note, bring an open mind and a friendly tolerance/respect for others' ideas.

This is a Cross-Posted event from South Bay Positive Psychology Salon. Feel free to visit their group or simply attend from this cross-posting:
https://www.meetup.com/south-bay-positive-psychology-salon/

Group Rules:

1. Please be sensitive, kind, and compassionate with other group members. We are a positive psychology group and intend for this meetup to be supportive of each others' well-being.
2. Please keep your responses to 2 minutes or less.
3. Please raise your hand and avoid interrupting other members.
4. Please reserve conversation unrelated to the meetup topic for after-meeting conversation.

I would like to invite all members to help us keep this meetup safe and comfortable for everyone. In order to accomplish this, if you feel any of the rules are not being followed please let Juliette or Anthony know by private message in the chat. Sometimes we might get too immersed in the conversation to notice potential issues and we appreciate your help in making sure we are all happy with the shape of our meetup.

Every week we meet to discuss a topic related to positive psychology and how to best achieve optimal well-being.