'Atheist' Minister to speak at Sea of Faith Conference

‘Atheist’ Minister from Canada to speak at Sea of Faith Conference

The Rev. Gretta Vosper is the minister of the West Hill United Church in Toronto and has for years made no bones about her beliefs, which include rejecting the notion of an interventionist, supernatural being on which much church doctrine is based. Things came to a head after she wrote an open letter to the church’s spiritual leader following the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris (on 7 January 2015) pointing out that belief in God can motivate bad things.

For her, God is instead a metaphor for goodness and a life lived with compassion and justice.

While her congregation consistently expresses loyalty to Vosper, church authorities are seeking her removal from office.

The Sea of Faith Network in New Zealand is a non-dogmatic forum for discussing options about the direction in which the ailing religious life of New Zealand might go in the light of revolutionary statements by innovators. One such is Gretta Vosper who will be a keynote speaker at this year’s Conference in Silverstream, near Wellington, from October 7 to 9.

Vosper (and the three other Conference speakers – Sir Lloyd Geering, Michael Benedikt, author of ‘God is the Good We Do’ and Geoff Troughton, from Victoria University of Wellington) will advance ideas about “Community in a Post-Theistic Age”.

Gretta Vosper will speak also at St Luke’s, Remuera, at 7pm on October 6th and at St Andrew’s on The Terrace, Wellington, at 12:15pm on October 11th.

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