Michael Hurley, Professor of Literature and Theology at the University of Cambridge

Uncategorized

There is a crisis in child mental health, possibly caused by social media and mobile phones. They inhabit an unreal, online world.

The solution is to read T.S Eliot, go to Little Gidding, sit in the church, pray to the Invisible Magic Friend, and engage with reality.

https://mega.nz/file/kq1wGbCQ#kaxn4fbjuANLS18iHmBJNa-8VmkSh0dgyJPIx3nTtPY

Published by peterhearty8361

Published

3 thoughts on “Michael Hurley, Professor of Literature and Theology at the University of Cambridge”

  1. Hello children, let’s think for a little this morning about what reality really really is.
    Is it the fictional stories of Peppa Pig and the rest of her family which help young children to understand the world better? Is it the fabled world of Aesop with his heroes and villains in a fantasy world explaining courage, sadness, gratitude and love? Is it the story of Father Christmas watching over you all year and only bringing gifts if you have been good? Is it the fictional world of Lyra Silvertongue, a young girl who inhabits a universe parallel to our own who is destined to bring about the end  of destiny?

    No of course not; it is the incredible but true story of Jesus, his father and another bit of their trio called the Holy Spirit. If you believe in them it will magically happen that when you die you will live forever and ever, amen in paradise. That’s the best reality to believe in children, and don’t let that Rabbi, Guru or Imam tell you otherwise. 

    Like

    Reply

    1. Paul, is that an oblique comment on the sort of literature a Professor of Literature and Theology can be expected to specialise in? The mention of “reality” as a component of Christian doctrine certainly brings a smile to the face.

      Little Gidding Church is indeed a beautiful and peaceful place, judging by the photos on its website. It has only a part-time chaplain, who does Holy Communion every other Friday, and on the fifth Sunday in the month, if there are five. Apart from that it seems to have three services a year. No wonder it’s peaceful.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Apparently Hurley’s work “[draws] on philosophy and theology to explore the connections between the way books and poems make us feel….Above all, his research is directed towards ultimate questions and questions of value.” I thought it would be fun to imagine him talking to a year 3 class about how you can tell what is reality and what is fiction. I think he would struggle to be truly honest about reality if he is a Christian, as would all those of a religious persuasion.

        Like

Leave a comment