ghostsofevolution | Ian Lawton Preaches "Inspiring Atheism" and Freethinking (July 2012) @ghostsofevolution | Uploaded August 2012 | Updated October 2024, 6 hours ago.
July 2012 Ian Lawton "came out" as an atheist to his congregation (in Grand Haven, Michigan), espousing an inspiring form of religious naturalism.
This YouTube version of his talk cuts about 7 minutes from the beginning of his sermon. The full sermon is posted on Vimeo, titled "It All Depends," and it can be watched here: vimeo.com/45968126#
His coming out occurs at 2:15 minutes, "I am an atheist."
Rev. Lawton (an Aussie who now lives in the USA) has long espoused the importance of "authenticity," as in his 2010 interview in the Evolving Faith podcast series, which is titled "Ian Lawton: Taking Down the Cross." Access the audio here: evolvingfaith.libsyn.com/webpage/3_ian_lawton_taking_down_the_cross
Lawton speaks boldly of a naturalistic form of faith, as well, in the 2010 "Evolutionary Christianity" audioseries. The title of that interview: "Inclusive Faith for the Spiritual-But-Not-Religious." Excerpts are available here: evolutionarychristianity.com/blog/ian-lawton-inclusive-faith-for-the-spiritual-but-not-religious
Ian Lawton's YouTube Channel is:
youtube.com/user/soulseedsvideo
Ian and Meg Lawton's website:
soulseeds.com
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Click to advance to key topics:
02:15 "I am an atheist."
05:32 "If I can provoke you to think in some new way, or to ask some new questions, then my job is done."
08:08 "Religion has played the role over centuries in protecting people from knowledge -- keeping people in the dark effectively. I don't feel any need to do that. You're all big enough to work things out for yourselves. So this morning I'm coming out."
08:53 "When people have an experience of what they call God: those are experiences that I have -- and that I love, that I cherish."
13:05 "So what does this mean for a community like ours? You don't have to become atheist. It means it's alright to be an atheist. It means if you've been a closeted atheist for a long time, it's alright to come out."
18:15 "The opportunity is that we can come together and take the best of both worlds -- without doing away with science, and without doing away with all the good that religion brings."
Note: The speaker, Ian Lawton, has authorized the Ghostsofevolution Youtube channel to excerpt and upload this video.
July 2012 Ian Lawton "came out" as an atheist to his congregation (in Grand Haven, Michigan), espousing an inspiring form of religious naturalism.
This YouTube version of his talk cuts about 7 minutes from the beginning of his sermon. The full sermon is posted on Vimeo, titled "It All Depends," and it can be watched here: vimeo.com/45968126#
His coming out occurs at 2:15 minutes, "I am an atheist."
Rev. Lawton (an Aussie who now lives in the USA) has long espoused the importance of "authenticity," as in his 2010 interview in the Evolving Faith podcast series, which is titled "Ian Lawton: Taking Down the Cross." Access the audio here: evolvingfaith.libsyn.com/webpage/3_ian_lawton_taking_down_the_cross
Lawton speaks boldly of a naturalistic form of faith, as well, in the 2010 "Evolutionary Christianity" audioseries. The title of that interview: "Inclusive Faith for the Spiritual-But-Not-Religious." Excerpts are available here: evolutionarychristianity.com/blog/ian-lawton-inclusive-faith-for-the-spiritual-but-not-religious
Ian Lawton's YouTube Channel is:
youtube.com/user/soulseedsvideo
Ian and Meg Lawton's website:
soulseeds.com
___
Click to advance to key topics:
02:15 "I am an atheist."
05:32 "If I can provoke you to think in some new way, or to ask some new questions, then my job is done."
08:08 "Religion has played the role over centuries in protecting people from knowledge -- keeping people in the dark effectively. I don't feel any need to do that. You're all big enough to work things out for yourselves. So this morning I'm coming out."
08:53 "When people have an experience of what they call God: those are experiences that I have -- and that I love, that I cherish."
13:05 "So what does this mean for a community like ours? You don't have to become atheist. It means it's alright to be an atheist. It means if you've been a closeted atheist for a long time, it's alright to come out."
18:15 "The opportunity is that we can come together and take the best of both worlds -- without doing away with science, and without doing away with all the good that religion brings."
Note: The speaker, Ian Lawton, has authorized the Ghostsofevolution Youtube channel to excerpt and upload this video.
