The Future of Unitarian Universalism

I am a Unitarian Universalist, and I was reading an interesting article in UU World, one of the two major publications of my faith today. http://www.uuworld.org/ideas/articles/279318.shtml


While searching for some UU sites, I found some interesting viewpoints from ex-Unitarian Universalists. We must remember that an important aspect to growth is to be a place people won't want to leave. http://cabaretic.blogspot.com/2007/06/confessions-of-ex-unitarian.html and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/unitarian-universalists_n_887267.html have some important points on what struggles this religion faces, and have some very reasonable points. The point of people who are radical atheists who get offended when people talk about God is a very important point, and this needs to be suppressed in our movement. Just because a belief doesn't fit with one person's viewpoint doesn't mean that it shouldn't be discussed. This ties in deeply with being a place where people can find meaning with their own readings and experience, and people who do this aren't truly UUs because they are not following the 4th principle, free and responsible search for truth and meaning, and by making a congregation not follow this principle means it loses a lot of value. Those congregations need to think very hard about if they are truly Unitarian Universalist, or just atheists seeking revenge. There are atheist UUs, and they have an important role to play, but they don't have the right to enforce their dogma on everyone else, as some people have experienced. This might be our number one hurdle to growth in the near and distant future.

I have some ideas on how Unitarian Universalism can grow, and I hope that at an assembly soon this can be made clear on how we are going to grow and become more relevant in the near future and be a major force for justice and democracy in the world. In typical UU fashion, here it is in list form, to be an addition to our seven principles and six sources, consider this to be perhaps our seven responsibilities:

1. We welcome people of different backgrounds to our congregations who wish to celebrate the joy of life and meaning and be part of our community.
2. We help our communities through service projects to make our world a better place.
3. We offer a place of peace for people to share their beliefs and gain insight from each other. The ministry has a responsibility to be available to mediate conflicts so that people can be comfortable.
4. We offer a place of love for all people needing a place to grow a family in peace.
5. We honor and practice the Golden Rule towards all people as is taught by all great faiths.
6. We support all people who need support from oppression.
7. The pulpit will have the freedom to talk about any religion, and the pulpit will be available to all members for a reasonable amount of time.
8. We have a message that must be shared and it is our responsibility to share this message.

A very common concern people have is that by not limiting ourselves to a Christian message we can't be a true religion. I think this is narrow minded. I have many beliefs of my own and I have been challenged in every one of them, and by understanding different religious beliefs I have been able to gain a perspective that serves me very well. People who are Buddhist or Christian and explore both deeply will find many things about each that are very compatible, at least this is what I have found. The most common belief system in China is a combination of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Being American, this is not a viewpoint I probably would not have learned a lot about without being either interested in comparative religion or Unitarian Universalist. For people who don't fit any one box in belief, are genuinely interested in other points of view, and have the basic morals that UU has in the seven principles, Unitarian Universalism has a very important place in the world's religious landscape.

Religion is a very important institution. Among roles are charity throughout the world, charity for the local community, and support for its members and visitors. Religion offers a place where people can grow spiritually. I believe that people need to fed in three ways, physically through food and exercise, mentally through education and life-long learning, and spiritually through different means that make our beliefs and actions moral. Religion is one of the most effective ways that people around the world fulfil their spiritual needs, and become well-rounded individuals. The charity that religions give out cannot be understated, given the existence of military and prison chaplains, and movements for homelessness and defending the people who are not defended. Being able to pool your money to one trustworthy organization that provides a wide variety of roles is a very efficient way to donate money to charity and make a real difference in the world. Some people will say this is partisan, but many of the greatest Americans in history, Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King Jr. among others, were guided by their faith and patriotism, and many of them were Unitarian, Universalist, or Unitarian Universalist. For people who live in Western nations in particular who have difficulty with hell, the trinity, or other dogmas of Christianity, Unitarian Universalism has a very important role to play, and for people from around the world from any culture that find that not just one religion speaks to them and want to have a community that will allow them to grow spiritually, Unitarian Universalism's role becomes globally important in every country.

Unitarian Universalism however, is not Mormonism or Jehovah's Witnesses. We don't have a set doctrine on God or the afterlife, which is a very important aspect of who we are. We are seekers, and we seek guidance around the world, from the Bible to the Tao Te Ching, from the Koran to the Bhagavad Gita, even from more modern non-religious writings like The Lord of the Rings or even The Lorax, we look for and usually find meaning in everything. Because we are seekers and don't expect people to necessarily come out with one belief or another converting people to Unitarian Universalism in the Mormon fashion won't work very well... a better way to have higher retention for us would be to retain people who visit our congregations and make certain people have access to on-line resources and can join groups like Church of the Larger Fellowship if going to church on Sunday isn't a realistic option. The best way is to have open churches that allow people to come in and are very inviting but not pushy for conversion and have people be treated both as members, but with information on how to begin. When people visit us and we don't see them for a while we should check in with them to see how they are doing, so they know we care about them.

Charity. One important function a good religious organization has is the community that develops around the shared principles. In the two UU groups I am part of, the local congregation and campus ministry, I have made many friends who I expect will last a lifetime, or at least for a very long time. Having a single place where I know I can gather with people who share my optimism, values, and beliefs once or twice a week is a very uplifting experience. It is possible to find this in the secular world, but more difficult to build a large family that is self-supporting that exists for a purpose like religion can. The community I am part of is global and gives me connections to people around the world.

Friendship. Another function of good religious organizations is support. When someone is part of a fully functional religious organization the person knows the minister is there to help him/her. This is an important role that happens in the secular world, but usually not with the level of training religious organizations have.

Discovery. Finally the third function of religion for me is to open my eyes to new wonderful things. I hear beautiful music, and stimulating sermons that get me thinking about the world and my place in it. Having a highly educated minister in religion gives me the opportunity to get a perspective that takes a long time to assemble alone. The world is big and having a guide is useful in learning about the world.

These are a few reasons why I believe religion has an important role in the future.

I hope that Unitarian Universalism can grow soon. We have a wonderful message, wonderful people, and all we need is to get our message out. Historically important Unitarians Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Mott built the  feminist movement, and many leading Transcendalists were also UUs. Not just that, but President Obama's mother was also Unitarian Universalist, we are standing right now on the brink of growth, all we need is the first little push to make us climb the mountaintop.

We have a lot to offer the world, and we have a lot to do to expand to people who are not part of our dominant demographic. We need to reach out so we can grow and be one of the largest forces for good in the world. If more people discover us we can continue to change the world and show people there is a way to make the world a better place in beloved community. I truly love my church, it gives so much to everyone around it. It is our duty to share our mission with the world.

(Most of this was written a year ago, but I think this must be shared, so I'm publishing it now with a few additions)

What an interesting world...

I'm talking to an old friend today, and refreshing why we aren't still together.

I am reading my notes about Mormonism, it's history, culture, what I personally observed, what it's leaders say, and comparing to my own beliefs. Now there is a massive chasm (by the way, just to get it out, I am Unitarian Universalist, check us out at www.uua.org)

I was thinking about how sad religion can sometimes be. Religions who say that they are the only right path to heaven, otherwise prepare for hell, like Catholicism, Mormonism, some sects of Islam, are considered "normal" "orthodox". My personal experience with this type of idea is it tears families apart. People who don't subscribe to the particular set of dogmas are outcast, and if they aren't related by blood can experience alienation. This is a very common pattern. This belief breeds violence against people who aren't part of the group, whether it is the Crusades, Terrorism, or Mountain Meadows Massacre. These religions (in my personal experience) tend to focus on musts, and ritual, and absolute conformity otherwise watch out. Sects grow out of these religions from people who disagree with the leader, and the system of polity is almost always hierarchical. (even though I have yet to find a religion like that this that doesn't have a hierarchical polity I am giving myself some leeway since there are so many different types of religions.) These types of religions breed atheism, or at least agnosticism, (not that they are bad) as people look at groups with absolute authority and wonder if a God would do that to people. They are self-defeating to people who dig past the surface. By this I mean that in my personal exploration of the world, these types of religions do not survive an investigation into where their beliefs are from and are almost always exposed to be fraudulant at some level. I am not alone in this. There is a sense of control in these types of churches that everyone must agree on a long list of beliefs, that are specifically selected out of the most contradictory book I have ever read (the Bible) while ignoring other laws that are sometimes more or less extreme.In all of these religions, there is some level of fear, maybe it is something relatively small like the fear of going to hell if you don't believe in God, or something that is even worse, that if you leave your family might stop talking to you and you will lose all of your friends from your old church, which would scare me far more than eternal damnation because it would extend eternal damnation into this life. This is not a healthy relationship in my opinion.

I choose not to associate with any religion like that, as I said at the top, I am Unitarian Universalist, I am agnostic, I believe in the golden rule and I believe things are usually better than they seem. I don't believe in hell, and am agnostic about the afterlife. Being able to explore any religious tradition I choose and understand different religions and cultures without being put down if I say that another belief fits better than that of the majority of my church (with only one exception, the golden rule) if there is a majority opinion on anything (except the golden rule) is freedom and I know that the people who also identify as UUs will love me no matter what belief I profess. I know that the people who also identify as UUs will love me just as much no matter if I date another UU, an Episcopalian, a Buddhist, or even a Mormon (as I have). This is freeing in my experience.

So, those are my opinions (or biases) in terms of what type of religion I choose to follow. I've read many different types of religious texts from many types, including the Tao te Ching, parts of the Book of Mormon, I've listened to the entire Quran as an audiobook, different books talking about the Bible and God by various people, various deuterocanonical texts, am working on the Bible which I will hopefully finish by December 31st. Basically, for my age I have read a lot of different types of religious texts.

But as a proud religious liberal, I find it disturbing that most people don't know a lot about what it is like to be part of a close religious tradition that has a variety of beliefs. This is due to a lot of religious liberals being closed about their beliefs, and so the amount of religious liberals in the world doesn't grow with population growth. Also having the belief that there is merit in all religious traditions, while an admirable and defining quality about being religiously liberal, can hurt the spreading of a message of love to all people. There are religions in this world that act as traps, where if you leave you leave everything you have ever known, and religions which go so far as to say that the best way to honor God is to kill yourself. http://brainz.org/10-most-notorious-suicide-cults-history/ This is something which liberal religion offers an escape, and I believe it is important to make the offer of a better life to these people.

Which comes to the crux that I am still dealing with, how do you tell people in a bad position that there is a better life, that there are important things they are not being told about their religion's history, that there is a place where all people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, racial stereotypes, or other discriminatory forms of hate do not play a role in the congregation and all people are truly equal? I have in the past come down too hard and is something I need to work on. When I was dating my only ex who is a Mormon to be more patient and kind when explaining to her why I couldn't convert. I came down too fast, too hard, on my best friend who has never seen life outside LDS. I hurt our relationship, and both of our lives by being too forward with my discoveries. I regret it as I write this months later. It was clearly the wrong way. A better way might be to ask questions and explore the persons faith together with them if you are in such a different religion so that it isn't fast but gradual and there can be self-discovery as opposed to yet another anti-fill-in-the-blank sermon. It is tempting after reading a lot about a religion that you know someone in to tell them absolutely everything you have learned. I have learned the hardest way possible that this is the wrong approach. I have paid dearly, literally.

When talking to people from cultish religions it is important to be absolutely 100% honest about what you believe. It will shock them! People from cults aren't used to be told the truth. Stick to your guns and when they come to you and ask for a good conversation, give them a respectful conversation. Make sure you respect their beliefs as much as possible and practice that most holy virtue, loving kindness. If you have questions about their religion, ask them. If they don't know the answer maybe depending on the person you should try to make a proposal for finding the answer with them. Explore with them. Find the answers together, especially if you are close. Don't be a superior pastor, be an equal friend starting with the same knowledge rediscovering the world as if with the eyes of a child. We owe it to them as their friends and neighbors if they are willing to listen. A lot of people don't know what it is like to have an anything goes approach to questions.

I rightfully am scared as most religious liberals are about full-on missions. But I do think we need to grow with the times. People are looking and we have good things to share with them. If the conversation turns to religion share your values.

We left Europe to practice our religion in freedom.We are the people who founded the United States with a bill of rights. We are the people that fought for abolitionism. We are the people who fought for universal suffrage. We are the people who fought the civil rights movement. We are the people who are currently fighting so that everyone regardless of their loved one's gender can marry the person they love most. We have a tradition to uphold, and have a great record to boot. We always get the last word in.

We are also considered the radicals. We are considered to be the crazy ones, yet the world follows us reliably. We are the ones who always win in the end. We should take the term radical differently than it is meant. We should take it as being ahead of the curve, daring, willing to question assumed notions. We are the people who change before everyone else does. We always get the commandments before everyone else, as I list above. We are the champions, and we should be proud. We should share our faith. We are the people who have a gift to share and people should be able to find us and join religions where the golden rule is supreme. Religion is still a valuable commodity in such a diverse world with so much that needs focusing and values.

It may be my first religious post, but as many pastors close: So may it be. I love you. Amen.