Co-hosted by psychologist Dr. John Cottone, along with Dafna Soltes Stein — Jewish family educator and instructor of Judaics & religion — and Dr. David E. McClean — Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Rutgers and ordained interfaith minister — The Gesher Sessions explores the mysteries of existence, as well as the beliefs that people have about those mysteries.
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In the third and final foundational episode, John summarizes the book "How to Know God: The Soul's Journey Into the Mystery of Mysteries" by Dr. Deepak Chopra and discusses how Chopra's 7-stage theory of spiritual development dovetails with other developmental theories in psychology, including those by Kohlberg and Piaget. David and Dafna offer perspectives on Chopra's model from different religions, and a hypothesis about quantum spirituality is offered.
In this second foundational episode, David presents the book — "Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief " by Huston Smith — and how it forms the basis of his approach to exploring life's mysteries, as well as its wonders and devastation. Dafna and John discuss the role of various world religions across different cultures and eras of history, along with their personal experiences with religion.
In the first of three foundational episodes, Dafna presents a book — "Why Faith Matters" by Rabbi David J. Wolpe — that provides the core tenets of her approach to existential and religious issues. John and David offer supporting thoughts, alternative perspectives and personal anecdotes. Also discussed are the similarities and differences between those with a faith orientation and those with a scientific one, as well as how science secretly depends on faith.
In this episode, John, Dafna and David introduce themselves, with comparisons and contrasts of their respective backgrounds. Also discussed is the meaning and origin of the word "Gesher" and how John, Dafna and David see this word as epitomizing the podcast's mission: to build bridges across various religious, philosophical and cultural divides.