Tuesday, January 31, 2012

"There is not a truth existing which I fear, or would wish unknown to the whole world."
Thomas Jefferson

My Life with the Unitarians

My interest in and experience with the Unitarian Universalist Church has been an ongoing and interesting one. While in seminary and pastoring a church one of my members asked me to join her in marriage to a Unitarian man, and to have his pastor share in the ceremony. I found the UU minister quite open and cooperative and cxame from that experience with a postitive felling about the denomination.
In about 2003 one of our PET volunteers, Lee Jones, told me of a forum group in which he participated at his UU church, and mentioned the kinds of speakers they had. I was particularly interested in one and Lee invited me to attend the gathering held each Sunday morning at 9 a.m. I became "hooked" on the Forum and have been there each Sunday since, dropping Barbara off at her church and returning there fo rthe 11 a.m. worship service.
In the seven years I have participated I have sat at the feet of a wide array of speakers from this university town. The presentations have challenged my thinking, enriched my mind, and deepened my spirit. The topics have enabled me to hear from those leading in the political, business, intellectual, spiritual and artistic interests of my town. I can honestly say that there has not been one program that was not well worth hearing. I trust that was also true for the several programs I ahve been askd to present.
The UU church has played a long and admirable place in our world's history, with its members including such as Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Susan B. Anthony, Dorothea Dix, P.T. Barnum, Abigail Adams, Whitney Young, Clara Barton, Beatrix Potter, Louisa May Alcott, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Alexander Graham Bell, Joseph Priestly, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frank Lloyd Wright and Adlai Stevenson.
Univeraslist churches were first formed around 1790 to counter the widespread belief that only a select few would be saved. Universalists believed in "univeral salvation" because they thought a merciful God would not condemn anyone to eternal punishment.
The UU Church has no creeds or dogma, but share seven basic principles:
  1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person
  2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations
  3. Acceptance of one another ad encouragement to spiritual gwoth in the congregation
  4. A free and resonsible search for truth and meaning
  5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within the congregation and society at large
  6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all
  7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part
A UU church bulletin contains this message: "If our principles relect your values, we invite you to consider becoming part of our church community."