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  1. applewuud

    Am I a Unitarian Universalist?

    Bret2140, you might be a little disappointed in the humanistic/scientific slant of most UUs, especially in the South, in my experience. Yes, they'd accept you, but from your posts it seems like you're looking for an environment that's really interested in concepts like satan, scripture...
  2. applewuud

    Unitarian Universalism

    Well, you're lucky--your church is one of the best (and largest) in the denomination. Given the temperatures we're experiencing in the rest of the country, there are a lot of UUs who'd be glad to come to a San Diego service even if it were dry;) I love your outdoor patio. :yes: Smaller...
  3. applewuud

    Unitarian Universalism

    One of the things I DON'T like about Unitarian-Universalism is that as an organization, it is not international in the sense that Roman Catholicism is; it is American. We "affiliate" with organizations in other countries, but don't start UU churches outside the U.S. In fact, the Canadian UUs...
  4. applewuud

    Unitarian Universalism

    I'm not speaking from research, but I think that Unitarianism (as a name for liberal churches) is probably more common in Canada because there were more Unitarian churches in Britain, and as a Commonwealth country people brought it over. Universalism (as a separate church denomination)...
  5. applewuud

    The Source of Worth and Dignity

    Inherent, to me, means that it comes from itself. It's not bestowed by a divine being who can withhold it, or by a church or society that can do the same. The whole point is it comes from US! This is a collective faith statement that we believe as a principle, not an objective philosophical...
  6. applewuud

    Unitarian Universalism

    I'm glad to hear that! Sounds like they were acknowledging the Jewish holy days; our minister's sermon was about that, too. UUs are getting more spirited and less heady, thankfully. :D
  7. applewuud

    Unitarian Universalism

    Interesting thread...why do people, particularly atheists/agnostics, look for a church? What criterion do they use to decide if it's "for them"? The classical church-seeker was looking for "the truth", e.g., a teaching/learning/spiritual exercise program that would help transform oneself...
  8. applewuud

    UU & United Church of Christ

    I once visited a church in Deerfield, MA that carries a dual affiliation, but it wasn't very Unitarian-Universalist at all. I think it just meant that historically they didn't emphasize trinitarianism, to let everyone in town worship in the same place (instead of splitting into two as most New...
  9. applewuud

    What's the criterion for "an active" member of the congregation?

    Our church had a little debate last Sunday at the congregational meeting. Like most UU churches, people come and go over time, and that's OK with us...except there are some legal and financial issues to deal with. [For those non-UUs looking in on this DIR: Unitarian-Universalist churches...
  10. applewuud

    what keeps you a Unitarian Universalist?

    I'm active as a UU because by being in community, instead of "doing our own thing", I am challenged and engaged. It's too easy to be "spiritual, but not religious". As far as other spiritual centers, the Unitarian church is the one that isn't pushing ideas and concepts that I can't get...
  11. applewuud

    Roots Hold Me Close!

    I don't do a particular spiritual practice. I find doing practical work, especially outside (trimming trees, planting; fixing things) grounds me the most. So does reading and writing, and playing music. And, going to church once a week.
  12. applewuud

    Answering the Questions and Questioning the Answers

    It still seems early to me to consider becoming a minister of a religion until you've been a member of it for a few years. It can lead to disappointment on your part, and wasted time. If you were became a minister of a church, you'd be dealing with board members who may have been involved with...
  13. applewuud

    Answering the Questions and Questioning the Answers

    I guess we need to know more about your struggle, where the dissonances are. Pagans have a pretty strong presence in the denomination...my own church has a strong CUUPS chapter. What UUs are gaining from your faith tradition is a sense of the sacred and transcendent, which many of us lost when...
  14. applewuud

    I am worried about joining the UU

    Good question. A lot of people (200,000 if you believe the polls) call themselves UUs but aren't official members. Life in any religious organization has its demands, and many freethinkers don't like being part of an organization. They figure their faith is an individual matter, don't think...
  15. applewuud

    Christmas services... bah humbug!

    Christmas is an inherently syncretic holiday and perfectly appropriate for UUs to celebrate. Puritans in New England forbade celebrating it because of its pagan/solstice celebration roots. There's nothing in the Bible that says Jesus was born in December, and some scholarship that points to...
  16. applewuud

    Diversity of political opinions in a UU church

    There are several threads in this forum discussing about the lack of political diversity in many UU churches, that conservatives can be made to feel like heretics. Now that the election is over, we have a chance to take a deep breath and contemplate all the energy that was expended, largely...
  17. applewuud

    Rev. Martin Lavanhar's sermon about Mormonism

    Thanks for the correction! I shouldn't have relied on memory. :sorry1:
  18. applewuud

    Hurricane Sandy and the election

    Becoming fossil-fuel dependent is NOT being energy-independent. A "business friendly administration" that encourages more fossil fuel use instead of making a timely conversion to alternatives while we have the means and time condemns us to either a desperate last-decade attempt to turn things...
  19. applewuud

    Rev. Martin Lavanhar's sermon about Mormonism

    All Souls UU Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma has a good, active YouTube channel. Last Sunday's sermon by their minister was about Mormonism, and I think it's a good description of the similarities and differences between our religions, and an overview of basic Mormon history. Worth a look...
  20. applewuud

    Hurricane Sandy and the election

    If you didn't watch Mitt Romney's acceptance speech at the Republican Convention, you missed his use of sea level rise and global warming as a laugh line for his fellow Republicans: VgSIw3OBOx0 Romney Knocks Obama On Rising Oceans - YouTube "President Obama promised to begin to slow the...
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