Chaplaincy - Spirituality, Faith and Meaning
All students (off-campus and on-campus), together with staff, are part of the University community. To help bring the community together, and to fulfil the desires people have for a discussion forum about life issues, the chaplains facilitate two online discussions (Stop 42 and The Chapel) via DSO (Deakin Studies Online). Click any of the links below, log in and go to Student Tips and Discussion.. There you will find the discussions. Students and staff are also encouraged to communicate with the chaplains via e-mail or telephone.
Students and staff can access the conferences via the internet on DSO: http://www.deakin.edu.au/dso/
First, log into DSO, click on Student Tips and Discussion then go to discussions
Those of you who have read Douglas Adams’ Hitch Hikers’ Guide to the Galaxy will recognise 42 as the answer which the mega-computer, Deep Thought, discovered for the meaning of life, the universe and everything after a mere 7 million years of computation. This confused the recipients of the answer because it
didn’t make sense, but Deep Thought suggested that the problem was that the question was incorrect, and designed an even bigger computer (the earth) to compute the correct question. The Megatherians constructed the computer (which was commissioned by mice from another dimension) but seconds before the earth was to give it’s answer, it was destroyed by Vogon construction workers to make way for a new hyperspace bypass.
Stop #42 is the discussion area for things philosophical, mystical, theological and metaphysical. Anything goes. Although religion will find a place here, it is not only for the religious. Believer or non-believer, all of us are on a "spiritual" journey to discover who we are, why we are and where we are going. How do you make sense of life? If all this sounds too airy-fairy, Stop #42 is also a place for issues of the heart as well as the soul. Life can be a joy, and to share that joy is to re-live or even amplify it. Sometimes life sucks, and sharing the bad times can make them somewhat easier to bear.
Sometimes issues are personal. They are probably best left out of a public forum such as this, but you may like to talk it over with the chaplains, by phone, E-mail or on "Private Chat".
First, log into DSO, click on Student Tips and Discussion then go to discussions
This discussion area is for those who would like to pursue more overtly Christian issues. The Chapel is a response to those who have indicated a desire for a more Christian framework for discussion. Some of the things for which The Chapel may be useful are:
