For many of us, upon entering a Unitarian Universalist church for the first time
there was a feeling of being accepted as a person and of fitting in.
Perhaps, for the first time in our lives.
Some have expressed this feeling of freedom and acceptance as “I was a Unitarian
Universalist without knowing it”. They
may have always felt that their beliefs were legitimate, that they were as worthwhile
as anyone else, but the world seemed to disagree.
Discovering that here is a place of acceptance, a place of like minded people,
enables them to let down some of the defensiveness that they may have carried around
for years. They have discovered that it is
O.K.
not to accept the religion of their parents. What
a relief. They have arrived at their
religious home. They can now, in community
with others, distain confession and total emersion. They no longer are obligated
to sing hymns and recite the prayers and creeds and go to confession.
They can now poke fun at traditions and vestments and sacraments.
This experience is so common, in fact, that
UU minister
Ron Clark
, considered it the first stage of a four stage process in becoming a UU.
He called this stage “It’s OK not to be a Baptist”.
While this may been freeing and refreshing it often is not enough
for new UUs to understand their religious beliefs
in the negative. They begin asking
whether it is really true that being a Unitarian Universalist means that one can
believe anything they want? Believing
anything seems awfully similar to believing nothing.
Here they are asking the question of a second stage: "If it's
O.K.
not to be a Baptist, what the heck is a Unitarian Universalist?”
We know what we are not but what are we?
We have felt the relief of discovering people who think the way
we do, but what holds us together? “We know what we're against but what are we for?”
“Are the social justice causes that
UUs support enough to make it a religion?”
There are many things that we all seem to agree about but what holds us together?
“Is Unitarian Universalism really just
a particular kind of social club, political action committee, social justice movement
or a big tent that welcomes anyone in?” “Is
Unitarian Universalism just another name for the Peace Movement or working to protect
the Environment or the Democratic Party?” “Is
Unitarian Universalism just a place where pagans, feminists, theists, Humanists
and Vegetarians can comfortably sit alongside Christians and Jews and Buddhists?”
When people begin asking the question, “What is Unitarian Universalism?” they are
asking for the glue that holds together all of the divergent causes and issues and
spiritual perceptions that UUs support, advocate and put time and energy and money
into. “Is there something underlying
all of this?” The first thing that
we discover in an attempt to answer this question is that there is a list of Principles
and Purposes that we all embrace. This
is not a creed, it is not a faith statement, it is not a litmus test.
It is, rather, a list that provides us with grounding and perspective.
The Purposes and Principles were developed in order to help people answer some of
the questions that they come upon in this Second Stage of Unitarian Universalism. They were developed over a number of
years by UUs from congregations large and small to try to express in clear statements
what we are all about. They provide
a quick way to understand what underlies and binds together all of the divergent
elements of Unitarian Universalism.
But they are not the whole answer.
There is an additional question. It
is a question about roots. Before we
left the religion of our parents we had deep roots, roots which were unquestioningly
authentic and powerful. The religion that we grew up with may have been the religion
of our parents and grandparents and great grandparents for, perhaps, hundreds of
years. When we decided that those roots were constraining and strangling us we ripped
them, up, and often tried to burn the debris. We found ourselves literally uprooted.
Yet roots give us an order and a security, a confidence that we are in the right
place, that we belong. When we ask
the question "What Is a Unitarian Universalist?” we are asking not only for the
fresh air of verification that we belong, but also for water and fertilizer with
which to grow new roots. For me the question of how a liberal religious denomination
with a strong Humanist and even, for many, atheistic perspective developed from
a group of Calvinist fundamentalists needed to be answered.
When I first asked this question it was not only because I was curious or enjoy
learning about history, but more importantly, because I didn’t get it!
I felt comfortable enough being a Unitarian Universalist that I
had entered seminary to become a UU minister, but I still didn’t understand how
Unitarians, direct descendants of the Calvinist Pilgrims and Puritans
and Christian Universalists got to where they are today.
I spent a great deal of time studying Unitarian Universalist history and discovered
that UUs have authentic, historical Unitarian and Universalist ancestors. In fact,
our denomination can legitimately claim a larger share of illustrious men and women
than we are rightfully entitled: Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, Olive Wendell
Holmes, Sr. and Jr.; John Adams, Abigail Adams and John Quincy Adams; Charles Dickens
and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Theodore Parker; Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David
Thoreau; Margaret Fuller, Walt Whitman, Clara Barton, Susan B. Anthony and Dorothea
Dix, Frank Lloyd Wright and Adli Stevenson.
But I, also, discovered that the roots provided are different from the ones that
were ripped out.
Earl Morris Wilbur
, in his two volume history of Unitarianism sought to find a common thread running
through the ideas and ideals of people like these.
He discovered that, throughout Unitarian history, the religion always held
high the ideals of Freedom of Religion, the liberal use of Reason rather than Faith
and a generous feeling of Tolerance toward those who disagree.
After suggesting that Freedom, Reason and Tolerance were primary underlying
values of Unitarians throughout history, he cautioned:
Freedom, reason and tolerance . . . are not the
final goals to be aimed at in religion, but only conditions under which the true
ends may best be attained. The ultimate ends proper to a religious movement are
two, personal and social: the elevation
of personal character, and the perfecting of the social organism, and the success
of a religious body may best be judged by the degree to which it attains these ends.
Only if the Unitarian movement, true to its principles of freedom, reason, and tolerance,
goes on through them and finds its fulfillment in helping [us] to live worthily
. . .and to make their institution worthy of the
Kingdom of Heaven
, will its mission be accomplished.
Just when one begins to feel comfortable with having discovered what a Unitarian
Universalist is they often begin asking new questions
such as “How does all of this
make Unitarian Universalism a religion?”
"What is religion?” “Is there something
positive, after all, in the thing that we had rejected?” This leads to a desire
to investigate the ways that other people have found to be religious. By this third stage we have probably
come to terms with our earlier need to throw out all aspects of religion. We have become intrigued with religious
practices and ideas that are very different from those that we grew up with. We may seek some understanding of what
Buddhism is all about or Native American religious ideas.
We may begin by taking Yoga for exercise and discovering that there is a
spiritual dimension to the practice of Yoga.
A significant difference between Unitarian Universalism and other religions is that
we are a searching, seeking religion, accepting of other people’s ways of being
religious.
These discoveries into what others understand of their place in the world, how they
worship and what they value often leads to the questions “How do my spiritual, social
justice and environmental commitments fit into Unitarian Universalism?”
“What does it mean, for me, as a Unitarian Universalist, to worship?” We may now question “What is Spirituality
all about?” “What is worship all about?”
With these questions one is now entering another stage.
In this stage there is a desire to investigate what worship is, not just
for others, but for us as Unitarian Universalists.
“What, after all, is worthy of worship?” “Why and what is worship all about?”
At this fourth stage many of the negative, scary words that we no longer needed
to deal with take on new meanings and new value. Although
we may still not believe in a literal or personal deity, we may no longer be quite
as phobic about the use of the words “church”, “hymn”, “worship, and, even, “God”. We may be able to sing a Hymn all the
way through now, without looking at the words first to make sure that we believe
everything in the hymn before we can sing it.
Perhaps a slice of apple used in a “apple communion” can symbolize something
other than the body of
Christ
. This stage, “How can I worship as
a UU”, in it’s own way, can be as freeing as when we first entered a Unitarian Universalist
church.
Ron Clark
identified what he termed four stages
of Unitarian Universalism:
(1) “It’s OK not to be a Baptist”,
(2) “What is a Unitarian Universalist?”,
(3) “How do others understand religion
and worship?’ and
(4) “How can I authentically worship
as a UU?”
For me, the journey is not quite complete, however.
I believe that there are at least two additional stages.
The fifth stage I would call “How has Unitarian Universalism changed me?”
We will have now come to some conclusions about what we believe and about
some of the religious questions that face human beings.
We may have come to terms with death; we may have a good idea about how we
feel about God; we may have enjoyed the investigation of Eastern or Native American
religions; we may have become committed to one or more social justice imperatives.
In fact, although we might have only begun attending a UU congregation to get our
children into a liberal Sunday school or because our spouse wanted to attend, somehow,
we became involved ourselves, learned something about the origin and values of Unitarian
Universalism, attended adult education classes, investigated other religions, listened
to sermons (some good and some boring), worked on creating authentic UU worship
ourselves, and eventually found ourselves here: at Stage Five: “How has Unitarian
Universalism changed me?” We may have
discovered that, without any real effort on our part, without trying to do anything,
that we have been transformed. We may
have discovered spiritual disciplines that changed the way we live our life, who
we are, how and what we believe. These
areas may have undergone subtle or even profound changes since we first entered
a UU church. The Unitarian Universalist church has become not only an important
social and political and intellectual place but also, an important spiritual place
for us.
A UU church is a rich community that is able to make room for and serve the needs
of a vast variety of people at all stages and with all kinds of backgrounds. Unitarian
Universalism attempts to help us each find our own unique mold.
Being a member of a Unitarian Universalist church is being part of a journey
of discovery.
We need to all be learners and experimenters. And we need to all be teachers. No one has all the answers but everyone
has some answers for him or her self that may be of assistance to others.
We need to learn from each other as we seek to find, not only community here,
not only a place where we can put our political and social justice concerns into
practice, not only a group of pacifists or environmentalists or feminists, but fulfillment,
meaning and value in our lives. This
is a good place to discover what each of us uniquely needs to discover.
Like the Buddha, who in order to show others the way, resisted achieving
his own fulfillment, the sixth stage might be the one at which we seek to build
a church that can be a beacon to others who need what we have found, even if it
requires some sacrifice on our part.
I have named this stage “How can I assist others on their religious journey?”
The UUA has this in mind in celebrating this as Association Sunday.
The remainder of this sermon is taken directly from the packet that was distributed
to assist in celebrating Association Sunday:
There are many people in the wider community
who crave the freeing and invigorating atmosphere of a UU congregation, who
feel a need to translate their values into action and who are seeking the unique
religion that we possess to find meaning and fulfillment in their lives.
UUA President Sinkford
insists that:
“Now is the time
for us to live up to the promise of our liberal religion, to let the world know
we are here, and to welcome those who seek our community of peace, justice and love.
Now is the time for our congregations to grow stronger and more effective because
our religious values are sorely needed to help heal a wounded world.”
To do this effectively, we
need to connect, to affirm our common bonds and purposes, and to combine our resources.
We are better together. We need to have faith in one another.
When we remain hidden, people who are desperately searching for something
like us come up dry. They simply have to do without, sometimes for years, never
knowing the treasure within minutes of home. It is said and I believe that there
are millions of people who would jump at the chance to become UUs, but have never
heard of us. How many times have you spoken to someone, who has lived in town for
years – perhaps a lifetime – but knows nothing of the UU church?
So throughout the country today
we are being asked to contribute generously to a special collection that will follow
the closing hymn. We are being asked to try to give an average of $50.00.
It is hoped that we can raise one million dollars from hundreds of
UU congregations across the country, to be used to be used for new growth
outreach projects, such as the full page advertisement in Time magazine that appeared
this week and will continue throughout the year. $500,000
has already been raised and is being used as a challenge grant so for every $50.00
that we contribute the UUA will receive $100.00.
For many people, the traditional
answers from traditional religions are adequate to the task, and that’s good. But
for others those answers ring hollow. These people need to question. These people
need to find their own way, and need support in that journey. If only they had a
religious community that was as open to questioning as it was to care, think about
how much better their lives would be. Remember how much better your life became
when you discovered or rediscovered Unitarian Universalism.
What a tragedy if people in real need were to live and die never
knowing that all along they too could have been part of such a religion. It is for
these, more than any others, that we ought to make our presence known.
We can do it in many ways,
but we can’t do it effectively without some effort. We can’t sit with our web pages
and phone listings and expect that the people will come. We have to be intentional.
There are people in each of our lives that have been waiting for our good news for
years and years.
And we have the good
news!
We have the good
news of a faith that embraces our questions and who we are.
We have the good
news of a faith that stands for justice and compassion and equity.
We have the good
news of a faith in the inherent dignity of every human being, no matter who you
are – and we live that faith.
We have the good
news of a faith of the free,
of seekers,
of people of substance
and of depth
and of feeling
and of openness
and of diversity
and of acceptance
and of celebration.
We have good news!
It is our faith to live and to share! We have good news, and long may we grow!