The Gospel of Unitarian Universalism

[lilithu]

Don't know if I've said this before but I'm currently taking a class on UU history and yesterday we discussed the mid part of the 20th century.

A. Powell Davies was senior minister of my church, All Souls Church, Unitarian, in the 1940's - 50's. He oversaw a dramatic expansion of Unitarianism in the Washington DC metro area and contributed to a revitalization of Unitarianism and liberal religion in the nation over all, after we had suffered a period of decline.

Raised a Methodist, Davies was an evangelical at heart, and brought that spirit to Unitarianism, which he thought was the religion of the future. In talking about how it is that we present our faith to other people he said, "It is not difficult to write a plain definition; what is difficult is to turn it into a gospel!"

Gospel meaning "good news." I take his statement as a challenge to identify what it is about UU that makes us happy to be here. That makes us commit to UU as opposed to some other form of liberal religion, or nothing at all. Not just what we believe/are but what is special about what we believe/are.

Our assignment for next week is to write a two-page testimony of the gospel of UU. We're going to present them in class so I want mine to be good. And I was hoping that you guys could help me brainstorm about it.

 

[Kungfuzed]

I know your assignment is probably long past due, I hope the professor will still accept it. Considering I've only been to church twice so far, I'm not the least bit qualified to speak on it. I don't know if I could even name another liberal religion. But since no one else seems to have anything to say on it I'll give it a shot, at least from what I've learned so far.

I've been thinking about the time a long while ago when I questioned you on whether UU is really a religion or just a social activism organization. For the longest time I've been confused, especially when some congregations don't even refer to themselves as a church. Perhaps a lot of it has to do with the fact that I was raised in religions that require a specific belief but not much beyond that. It never occurred to me that a religion could be all about action and freedom. But the way we live is just as much a part of religion as what we believe. But UU doesn't really tell people how to live either. It doesn't outright dictate morality, just provides some basic principles. Perhaps as I get more involved I'll understand this on a deeper level, but it seems to me that when people gather together for a common cause they have much greater power than if they worked individually. When a group of people, even those with very different religious views, unite under one roof and worship, sing, pray, drink coffee, organize, and work together to make the community a better place, it becomes a religion. I was taught that freedom is the center of the church. Perhaps there are other heterodoxy churches that center on freedom, but I haven't come across them yet. For me, freedom sets this church apart from the others. I've never seen anything like it.

But what about nothing at all? I can't even remember the last time I went to church. I've been free all this time. No peer pressure from church members. No invisible man looking over my shoulder. Not having to listen to the same old sermons and sing the same old hymns every Sunday. What can UU offer me when I'm already free? I could just find some social activism or charity organization and call it good. It goes back to doing things in numbers again. Working together on a project will get it done better and faster. Studying, pondering, discussing, and debating together helps me learn alot better. I can have the dual benefit of having my ideas criticized as well as making my beliefs more meaningful by sharing them with others. I guess that's why I stick around this forum, in fact I don't see much of a difference so far between UUism and this forum. The forum rules aren't all that far from the UU principles. I'm still exploring the church, but I really like it so far.

 

[lilithu]

I know your assignment is probably long past due, I hope the professor will still accept it.

Yeah, the assignment is long past due and the class is long past over. But I remember listening to the answers given by my classmates, most of which were pretty good (coming from UU seminarians - people deeply immersed in UU), and yours is right up there with them. Really.

I do cringe just a little to hear that UU centers on freedom, even tho it's quite accurate. Because too often I hear people say that we can do whatever we want, believe whatever we want. I know you didn't say that but I hear it of UU all the time. They're wrong. With freedom comes responsibility. The two go hand in hand. You are absolutely right that there is more strength in numbers. I also think that we come together instead of being free individually because we recognize that we are responsible to each other. That is the reason for our social justice work too. With freedom comes responsibility.

 

[lilithu]

I guess that's why I stick around this forum, in fact I don't see much of a difference so far between UUism and this forum. The forum rules aren't all that far from the UU principles.

I used to feel that way about RF. Not any more. The governance structure of Unitarian Universalism is democratic, and the process of decision making is kept open and visible. When members of a UU community have an issue, they are allowed to speak openly about it so that other members can hear and decide whether agree or disagree. They are allowed to circulate petitions, etc. All of this makes us less "efficient" than we could be, but that's how we stay in right relationship with each other.