Topic Presentations

The following is an archive of older presentations used in earlier iterations of SA discussion topics.  Presentations for each topic is provided below in both PDF and PPSX (PowerPoint Show) formats.  Presentations used for our “Peeling the Cosmic Onion – A Journey of Spiritual Transformation” Series will be available in Spring of 2020.

Topic 1 – Does God Exist?
  1. “Does God Exist?” – The Framing Question
    • Five Major Areas of Inquiry
  2. Arguments for the Existence of God
    • The Teleological Argument
    • The Moral Argument
    • The Cosmological Argument
    • The Kalam Cosmological Argument
  3. A Beginning of the Universe?
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
Topic 2 – Origins, Part 1
  1. A Beginning of the Universe? (Review)
  2. A Crash Course in Spacetime
  3. Meet Dr. Gerald Schroeder
    • Jewish Background
  4. Adopting a Universal Perspective
    • Implications of Relativity
    • Implications of the CMBR
  5. The Math
    • 6 Days = 15 Billion Years
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
Topic 3 – Origins, Part 2
  1. So What About Adam?
    • A Formula for Humanity
  2. What’s So Special About H. Sapiens?
  3. Rabbinic Literature References
  4. Designed to Evolve?
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
Topic 4 – Age of the Earth
  1. Geological Time
    • Age of Rocks
  2. Fossils
    • Dating Methods
    • Transitional Forms (or lack thereof)
  3. Mythological Roots of a Global Flood
    • Flood accounts in many different cultures
    • Genesis account vs. Epic of Gilgamesh
  4. Counter-Arguments
    • “Young Earth” Creationist Rhetoric
 PDF PPSX
Topic 6 – Revealed Religions, Part 1 (Judaism, Islam & Early Christianity)
  1. Qur’an/Torah Parallels
  2. Jewish History
    • The Torah
    • The Talmud & Rabbinic Tradition
  3. Early Christianity
    • Manuscript Discrepancies
  4. Abrahamic Religions Worldwide
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
Topic 7 – Revealed Religions, Part 2 (Mysticism & Mystic Traditions)
  1. Mysticism – Overview
  2. Kabbalah
    • Early Jewish Mysticism
    • Origins of Kabbalah
    • Beliefs, Writings & Practices
  3. Gnosticism – Origins, Beliefs & Writings
  4. Theosophy – Origins, Beliefs & Theosophical Society
  5. The Desert Fathers & Christian Monasticism
  6. Sufism – Honorable Mention
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
Topic 8 – Revealed Religions, Part 3 (Canonization of Scripture)
  1. Canonizing the New Testament
    • Non-Canonical New Testament Books
  2. Canonizing the Old Testament
  3. Other Non-Canonical Writings
    • Pseudoepigrapha
    • Books of Enoch & Jubilees
    • The Life of Adam & Eve
    • The Cave of Treasures
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
Topic 9 – The Nature of Reality, Part 1 (Philosophical Perspective)
  1. The Mystic’s Journey
  2. What is Reality? – The Matrix
  3. Simulation Theory
  4. The Allegory of Plato’s Cave
  5. The Problem of Universals
    • Realism
    • Nominalism
    • Idealism
  6. TED Talk Video – Interface Theory
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
Topic 10 – The Nature of Reality, Part 2 (Physical Perspective)
  1. Overview – The Fabric of Reality
  2. “Flatland” & Extradimensionality
  3. Demonstration – “What’s Going On Here?”
  4. Thesis Statement
  5. Crash Course in Quantum Physics
    • Wave/Particle Duality
    • Uncertainty & Schroedinger’s Cat
    • Quantum Entanglement
  6. Quantum Field Theory & The Higgs Boson
  7. Spiritual Implications
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
Topic 11 – The Mystery of Consciousness
  1. “What” is Consciousness?
    • Three General Theories
    • Video – Deepak & Stu, Part 1
  2. “Where” is Consciousness?
  3. “How” is Consciousness?
    • Video – Deepak & Stu, Part 2
  4. “When” is Consciousness
  5. Spiritual Interpretation
  6. Persistence of Consciousness
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
Topic 12 – Personal “Relationship”?
  1. Define “Personal Relationship”
    • Video – Curiosity Collective, exploreGod.com
  2. Different Views of God
  3. “Experiencing” God
    • Mystical Experiences
    • Community
    • Spiritual Practice
 pdf_iconPDF ppsx_iconPPSX
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