Any Unitarian Universalists here?

[KikiFan]

No. I mean that the people there feel that they are wiser than any God, or that they are too smart to believe in a supreme being.

People in real churches may feel better about themselves because they are searching for God and trying to serve Him. That's a little different attitude.

I guess I should clarify myself. For those of you who feel comfortable in the UU church, that's fine. But, for those of you looking for a church to attend and are considering a UU church, it really isn't the same as traditional churches. If you are looking for a church which teaches redemption by Jesus Christ, or even by serving God, I don't think you would find that is what is taught in a UU church. It is more of a "searching for self" type of thing. And I do feel that most people who attend that kind of church do not consider that they NEED any kind of salvation or that sort of thing. I hope that makes sense.

Some people do not believe in a version of god sitting on some throne above whom we have to serve and beg salvation. Some people feel that as children of God we are already saved, and we are here to co-create in partnership with God. I don't have to "search" for God, he's with and within me at all times. Just because you don't agree doesn't make my church any less "real" That's a pretty insulting comment btw.

I don't attend a UU church, but another New Thought church. There is a lot of similarity and I like listening to their sermons. For anyone that's interested this is a link for a UU church's pod casts I enjoy listening to them.

 

[Carl]

Just because you don't agree doesn't make my church any less "real" That's a pretty insulting comment btw.

OK. Instead of the word "real" let me substitute the word "traditional." I'm sure that you agree that the UU is not a traditional church. Traditional churches usually have a ceremony of worship and praise. Don't think UU's have that element.

 

[bicker]

Hmmm, Carl, I think you need to do so research. I mean, I do too (well, I am doing research, since I'm looking into UU) and indeed, my impression is that they have Sunday services, with a ceremony of "worship and praise" appropriate to the applicable beliefs. (No, gosh, they won't "worship and praise" Jesus -- UU isn't Christianity.) My wife and I are Pantheist, so in our case, we worship and praise God, as we understand God.

(Many) Quakers meet in silence. Is that "traditional"?

Some Jews worship with men and women in different rooms (technically). Is that "traditional"?​

I think "traditional" is sometimes a code-word for "what I'm used to" and therefore not generally useful.

Better to simply not judge, not try to denigrate or separate others from a classification they subscribe to. UU says that it is a caring, open-minded religion. That's how you should refer to it.

 

[shortbun]

We go to our local UU every once in a while and like it. I've met folks of all religions there looking for a tolerant and loving group to celebrate a common belief that any belief system is ok. I love how my son learned about so many religions in their children's group. It's a facinating church and place to worship as I see fit.

 

[JodyLynC]

Here is a link on the various types of philosophies taught and discussed within New Thought: http://findthechurch.org/

I attend a church that focuses on Relgious Science and I absolutely love it! I was brought up a Christian, but never allowed to find my own path to God. I was taught that I had to believe in a certain way no matter what my heart said. I grew up believing that God was an angry being ready to smite me should I make the slightest error in judgement.

My new church teaches that God is a loving Consciousness that doesn't judge, but accepts us as who we are. We are already connected to this higher Consciousness. We don't need to be led to God. We are part of God. By knowing ourselves, we know God.

I have never felt more loved, more accepted, more at peace than I have since finding this church. I no longer have a sense of isolation. I now have a sense of community and connection. I am so very grateful to have found such a wonderful place.

 

[JodyLynC]

Hmmm, Carl, I think you need to do so research. I mean, I do too (well, I am doing research, since I'm looking into UU) and indeed, my impression is that they have Sunday services, with a ceremony of "worship and praise" appropriate to the applicable beliefs. (No, gosh, they won't "worship and praise" Jesus -- UU isn't Christianity.) My wife and I are Pantheist, so in our case, we worship and praise God, as we understand God.

(Many) Quakers meet in silence. Is that "traditional"?

Some Jews worship with men and women in different rooms (technically). Is that "traditional"?​

I think "traditional" is sometimes a code-word for "what I'm used to" and therefore not generally useful.

Better to simply not judge, not try to denigrate or separate others from a classification they subscribe to. UU says that it is a caring, open-minded religion. That's how you should refer to it.

Beautifully stated.

 

[Reflection]

OK. Instead of the word "real" let me substitute the word "traditional." I'm sure that you agree that the UU is not a traditional church. Traditional churches usually have a ceremony of worship and praise. Don't think UU's have that element.

I really question your information sources. The Unitarian Universalist church I attend most defintely has a service of worship and praise. We also sing hymns.

 

[MushyMushy]

(bump)

We've been considering looking into UU again, in light of recent circumstances. I want to think that UU serves an important role, providing a sense of community that is all-too-often missing in our lives these days. I think it needs to be considered a "religion" because that's what our society expects; too many in our society are incapable of fathoming a righteous person unaffiliated with a "religion", so I suspect UU serves a valuable purpose in that regard as well.

I hope you find what you're looking for. There are no UU churches near me or I would give one a try for the same reasons. Although I have long considered myself an atheist, I do have *some* spirituality lurking beneath all that skepticism.

Your family is Jewish, is that correct? My experience this past week with the death in our family with Christian relatives has been pretty overwhelming with the "come to Jesus" talks. I'm wondering if it was the same with your family members and how they respond to your being a Pantheist.

 

[bicker]

Your family is Jewish, is that correct?

I was raised Jewish, and my brothers both are; my older brother quite a bit so. My wife was born Presbyterian, and was Mormon for a while. However, both my wife and I are, firmly, Pantheists, and have been for longer than we knew what the word meant.

My experience this past week with the death in our family with Christian relatives has been pretty overwhelming with the "come to Jesus" talks.

My focus has been on making my mother's husband and my brothers comfortable, so I have participated within a certain limit. I did, quite frankly, start getting a bit self-conscious during the minyan the night of the funeral. It was at that time that it hit me that I've been retaining a bit of my Jewish identity for my mother's sake, and that she'd now not be surprised -- she'd expect -- me to now live more fully true to myself (i.e., Pantheist). I said the Mourners' Kaddish that night, as best as my decades-old memory of Hebrew would allow, as tribute to my mother. I'll probably say it one more time, at the unveiling, again, as a sign of respect for my mother. And then I'll shed the last vestiges of that aspect of my life.

I'm wondering if it was the same with your family members and how they respond to your being a Pantheist.

There hasn't been any specific push for (at?) me to "come back". My brothers respect my beliefs as much as I respect theirs (and my mother's). I truly live the ethic that reasonable people can disagree about these things, and they all (including my mother) rightfully trust that I will work vigorously to protect my mother's interest in all the necessarily Jewish aspects of her passing-on, despite not sharing those beliefs, myself.

 

[kristilew]

I'm not a UU, but wanted to post that I recently read Here If You Need Me, by a UU minister. I picked it up at Target as one of their suggested books. It was really a sweet and touching memoir.

 

[Poppinsme]

I am a Unitarian.
Raised a Unitarian. 52 years now.
Not a Unitarian Universalist.
In the 1500s Unitarianism was born in Hungary. Francis David was the founder.
The American Unitarian Association was formed in 1825 because of the growth of Unitarianism.
The AUA was disbanded in 1961 and merged with the Universalists to form the Unitarian Universalists. I think this was a mistake as we have gotten away from our roots and lost many worshipers.
In 2000 the American Unitarian Conference was formed to go back to the "Real" Unitarian roots and grow from that. I believe in Unitarianism as the way it was before Universalism came.

Unitarian Christianity is:

1. The belief that human nature in its present condition is neither inherently corrupt nor depraved, but exactly as God created it and intended it to be from the beginning, capable of both good and evil.
2. The conviction that no religion has a monopoly on holy spirit or theological truth.
3. The belief that the bible, while inspired by God, is written by humans and therefore subject to human error.
4. The rejection of traditional doctrines that malign God's character or veil the true nature and mission of Jesus, such as the doctrines of predestination, eternal damnation, the Trinity, and the vicarious sacrifice or satisfaction theory of the Atonement.

Other belief systems may hold to one or more of these views, but Unitarian Christianity is unique in upholding all of them. It is the rejection of the Trinity doctrine that gave rise to the name "Unitarian", although disavowal of the Trinity teaching is hardly the emphasis of Unitarianism.
Unitarians have great respect for all forms of Christianity, but are convinced that their Christianity best reflects Jesus own vision.

"We believe in:
The Fatherhood of God;
The Brotherhood of Man;
The Leadership of Jesus;
Salvation by Character;
The Progress of Mankind onward and upward forever."

Some famous Unitarians:

Frank Lloyd Wright
Linus Pauling
Peete Seeger
N.C. Wyeth
e.e. Cumminigs
Adlai Stevenson
Thomas Jefferson
Emily Greene Balch
Bela Bartók
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Susan B. Anthony
Florence Nightingale
Charles Dickens

My great uncle was Frank Holmes a Unitarian minister that had a church in Boston. He got his Doctorate of Divinity from Harvard.

 

[Poppinsme]

OK. Instead of the word "real" let me substitute the word "traditional." I'm sure that you agree that the UU is not a traditional church. Traditional churches usually have a ceremony of worship and praise. Don't think UU's have that element.

YOU know nothing of Unitarians.

 

[bicker]

To be fair to Carl, he was referring (in his misguided statement) to Unitarian Universalists, not Unitarian Christians.

 

[Poppinsme]

To be fair to Carl, he was referring (in his misguided statement) to Unitarian Universalists, not Unitarian Christians.

UU have quite an interesting and thoughtful service also.

 

[Topper]

OK. Instead of the word "real" let me substitute the word "traditional." I'm sure that you agree that the UU is not a traditional church. Traditional churches usually have a ceremony of worship and praise. Don't think UU's have that element.

Carl,

You could try and swirl some of the UU's traditions/beliefs into your own. You know, mix it up. You might even like it.

 

[chris1gill]

OK. Instead of the word "real" let me substitute the word "traditional." I'm sure that you agree that the UU is not a traditional church. Traditional churches usually have a ceremony of worship and praise. Don't think UU's have that element.

Look our UU has a large church and with a steeple and everything! Isn't that amazing? A real building, with real people who go, and a real philosophy as holding everyone equal, with a real emphasis on community and what it means. And an emphasis on our place in the world.... But, it's not your church so I guess it doesn't count.

http://www.uusociety.org/

 

[swandiverpatt]

Very interesting discussion!

But, Topper, man -- I gotta say -- I'm loving your freak flag there!

 

[bicker]

(bumping)

We attended our first UU service this morning; trying to get a feel for whether UU was right for us, and specifically whether the UU congregation in Bedford was the right UU congregation for us. The jury is still out, AFAIC, on the latter issue. Quite frankly, I felt a little more confident that my beliefs were consistent with UU than I perceived the minister felt that. Does that make sense? Next week we'll visit the UU congregation in Reading, about 300 yards closer to our home, but in the other direction, and see how we feel after that. We just learned that an old friend, who we've not had contact with in many years, is actually quite active in UU Reading.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I am a Unitarian.
Raised a Unitarian. 52 years now.
Not a Unitarian Universalist.
In the 1500s Unitarianism was born in Hungary. Francis David was the founder.
The American Unitarian Association was formed in 1825 because of the growth of Unitarianism.
The AUA was disbanded in 1961 and merged with the Universalists to form the Unitarian Universalists. I think this was a mistake as we have gotten away from our roots and lost many worshipers.
In 2000 the American Unitarian Conference was formed to go back to the "Real" Unitarian roots and grow from that. I believe in Unitarianism as the way it was before Universalism came.

Unitarian Christianity is:

1. The belief that human nature in its present condition is neither inherently corrupt nor depraved, but exactly as God created it and intended it to be from the beginning, capable of both good and evil.
2. The conviction that no religion has a monopoly on holy spirit or theological truth.
3. The belief that the bible, while inspired by God, is written by humans and therefore subject to human error.
4. The rejection of traditional doctrines that malign God's character or veil the true nature and mission of Jesus, such as the doctrines of predestination, eternal damnation, the Trinity, and the vicarious sacrifice or satisfaction theory of the Atonement.

Other belief systems may hold to one or more of these views, but Unitarian Christianity is unique in upholding all of them. It is the rejection of the Trinity doctrine that gave rise to the name "Unitarian", although disavowal of the Trinity teaching is hardly the emphasis of Unitarianism.
Unitarians have great respect for all forms of Christianity, but are convinced that their Christianity best reflects Jesus own vision.

"We believe in:
The Fatherhood of God;
The Brotherhood of Man;
The Leadership of Jesus;
Salvation by Character;
The Progress of Mankind onward and upward forever."

Some famous Unitarians:

Frank Lloyd Wright
Linus Pauling
Peete Seeger
N.C. Wyeth
e.e. Cumminigs
Adlai Stevenson
Thomas Jefferson
Emily Greene Balch
Bela Bartók
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Susan B. Anthony
Florence Nightingale
Charles Dickens

My great uncle was Frank Holmes a Unitarian minister that had a church in Boston. He got his Doctorate of Divinity from Harvard.

Thank you so much for posting that. It sounds exactly like the kind of church I've been searching for.

I've recently been researching my genealogy and apparently one of my greats was a big leader in the Unitarian movement (Nathanial Eells).

 

[wishspirit]

I was raised Jewish, and my brothers both are; my older brother quite a bit so. My wife was born Presbyterian, and was Mormon for a while. However, both my wife and I are, firmly, Pantheists, and have been for longer than we knew what the word meant.

Ok, just searched Pantheists in Wikipedia (the source of all knowledge) and i didn't know that was the word for my beliefs! I read some Spinoza last year in history, and it connected with me.

I am going to look into it more, thank you.