Unitarian Universalism

Those that read this blog regularly know of my religious beliefs or, more accurately, my lack of them. For many years I avoided setting foot in churches--even entering one as a tourist, like in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, gave me the willies. But about thirteen years ago I was turned on to the Unitarian Universalist faith.

I was inspired, by all people, by John Updike, who wrote in his memoirs about how the Unitarians were as exotic to him as Bantus. Intrigued, I looked in the Yellow Pages and saw that their was a congregation in Princeton. I attended for a year or so, and then for reasons that elude me now, I got out of the habit. A friend of mine who is very religious prayed for me last year to get a job. She said that if I did, I should accept God. Well, I did get a job, and figured the least I could do was go back to the Unitarian Church. It's not a complete quid pro quo, for I still don't believe in God, but I am willing to explore spiritual growth.

The Unitarians and Universalists merged in 1961 to form the current religious organization. They both a basis in Christianity--the word Unitarian comes from "one God," a deviation from the faiths that believe in the Trinity. But the modern church has no creed. The congregation, as best as I can tell, is made up of a diverse group of people, and accepts everyone--Jews, Buddhists, Pagans, Hindus, regular old Christians, and even atheists like me. It also identifies itself as a "liberal" religion. I'm not sure how closely that ties in with the political meaning of the word, but I'm guessing that when I attend Sunday services there aren't too many registered Republicans in the ranks. A recent sermon was on the immigration policy of the country, and was solidly for the DREAM act, which had gone unpassed in Congress. The religion is tolerant of all sorts of rights, from women to homosexual, and there's a kind of sixties vibe to the proceedings.

I've been attending again now for little over a month. I got a voicemail from the pastor, a marvelous woman who is only serving in an interim capacity--she's moving on soon and making way for a new guy starting next month. She wondered about me joining the church, which I think is a little premature. I'm not a very social animal, and I always think of that Groucho Marx joke: "I would never want to join any club that would have someone like me for a member." But the people are so friendly that I might be convinced to do so.

For those who are left aghast at most organized religions, and have doubts about the supernatural hocus pocus espoused in many Christian faiths, I recommend you check out Unitarian Universalists. It's not only a collection of leftover hippies, there have been some serious thinkers who have been followers, including three of the first six presidents (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and John Quincy Adams), plus Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Dickens, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Susan B. Anthony. The sermons are like lectures from interesting college professors, and the word Jesus is hardly ever mentioned. When God is mentioned, it is always in the context of "God as you understand it to be."

The religion has seven principles, which I list here:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

There's nothing there I can't agree with.