I've attended several UU fellowships over the past few years due to moving (we try all the ones in an area out), and it has been my experience that UU is very congregational. I have been to UUFs that emphasize the Christian aspect, those that emphasize the secular humanist view, those that...
I'm sort of a fan of trying to flesh out a checklist and approaching the whole thing from the viewpoint that (big-P) Paganism is a polythetic definition (meaning that there are many shared characteristics, but they are not necessarily *all* shared).
Suffering exists because survival is not certain and does not come without a cost. You have to eat to live (both physically/literally and spiritually/metaphorically), and everyone can't be a fruitatarian at the table of the world. Nature is red in tooth and claw, and (like it or not) humanity...
I think that it depends on how you view the gods. If you see the gods as actual begins with distinct personalities that are likely to clash or have their own opinion about what you do, how you do it, and who they share their space with...then it might matter to them.
But...I've been at this...
I can't really say that I'm "new", but I didn't really stick around and post (I *think* work blocked most religious sites around that time, and then I lost track (and links) to most of the forums I was interested in)...so some introductions are in order.
I'm Unitarian Universalist...
Well...there is Sedna (Inuit), Thalassa (Greek), La Sirene (Voudoun), Yemaya (Yoruba), Tethys (Greek), Amphitrite (Greek), Oceanids--the sea nymphs (Greek), Vete-ema/Ved-ava (Finnish), Asherah (Semitic)...
The only ones that I have more than a passing familiarity with are Sedna, Thalassa, and...
just flooding...everything was closed...power was out all over the place, some trees knocked down and such, I think a few people had some window/roof/storm surge damage that lived more beach side, but we weathered it ok
all in all not too bad, but I grew up on the Mississippi in the midwest...
so, I do have my own bible...
not that I call it that...
and it is definately non-authoritative, though I would like to think it has some good guidelines...it is also reflective and inspirational and filled with poems, quotes, stories, spiritually releveant information, and a complete copy...
...mmmm...
I always hate doing the intro thing...reminds me of the first day of school when the teacher makes everyone do the little speech in front of the class....
*sigh* ok, deep breath...here goes...
So, I have a twisted sense of humor, I abhor hypocracy, I adore $2 words and I have...