It does sound like a significant step up from many...

2008-08-19T18:21:00.000-05:00

It does sound like a significant step up from many of the churches you've visited. If I felt any need whatsoever to attend a church, I think I might like this one.

As a former UU (and still a UU at heart), I'm glad...

2008-08-18T14:10:00.000-05:00

As a former UU (and still a UU at heart), I'm glad you chose to visit this congregation. The UUs I know care deeply about the "mysteries" of human existence, suffering, etc. It's just that they see no need to sermonize on it. They tend to see those questions as being highly personal and to be discussed with those who want to share ideas. The service to me always seemed to be more of a reinforcement of community which, as you know, is very important to many people. I found a lot of love and strength at my local Tupelo UU congregation and it's my hope that one day soon I'll be able to go back.

Good job, as always. I figured this one would sit...

2008-08-18T13:42:00.000-05:00

Good job, as always. I figured this one would sit best with you. It's not for me, but I'm sure they UU folks would agree with me that that's cool anyway. Good on them for doing the whole peace thing and keeping it to themselves.

Oliver,Thanks for your comments on UU. I escaped ...

2008-08-18T06:10:00.000-05:00

Oliver,

Thanks for your comments on UU. I escaped from Christianity (and later, from all God delusion) within the past 6 years and joined the local UU church in late 2006. It's transformed my life in very concrete, reality-based ways.

It's hard to explain how a group of people who don't necessarily believe the same things can all join together and form a congregation, but it works. I imagine you picked up literature during your visit and became aware of the 7 principles of Unitarian Universalism:

The inherent worth & 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 use of the democratic process in our congregations, in our ethical and spiritual life, and in society at large

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

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

--
The thing is, if you went into the average mainstream church and somehow managed to dose everyone with truth serum before asking "What do you believe in and what are your guiding principles?" you'd probably get very similar answers to the UUs from a lot of the people you met. Many self-described Christians don't even believe in the trinity, or the existence of God -- they just say they do because they know they'll upset people if they say what they really think.

The UU church works for people who:
-Come from a mixed marriage (parents 2 different religions, or one believer, one non)
-Are in a mixed marriage where one partner or the other is lukewarm about the faith they were brought up in, and are looking for common ground
-People who never had any religious upbringing
-People who had religious upbringing but it didn't "take," or they had a terrible experience with it
-People who are "spiritual but not religious"
-People who are not spiritual at all but who like the idea of a community for celebration, fellowship and outreach

As for me, I just happen to fall into ALL of those categories -- except I'm not really spiritual.

Every UU congregation is a little different, it all depends on the mixture of the congregants and the minister. There are also some UU congregations out there that are not part of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The UUA is quite liberal and over the last 50 years has gone distinctly in a humanist direction. Other UU congregations retain a Christian core.

Basically, UU is about behavior, not belief. Our minister is quite emphatic about that -- when people say "You can believe anything you want," he says that's true up to a point. If a Nazi skinhead walks in and says "Let me tell you what I believe," he won't be welcomed. But if a person who looks like a Nazi skinhead comes in and says "I was brought up to hate everybody but that isn't working for me," then people will talk to him and he may well find community with us.

When David Adkisson shot up the UU church in Knoxville, our congregation had a lot of soul-searching to do. We had to talk about issues of security (guards, alarms, screening people, etc.) and how that fit in with UU philosophy. We prefer ("we" meaning the congregation as a whole, not every person therein -- there are some dissenters) to stand on the side of love, not fear, and continue welcoming everyone.

Thanks for a good post; I've added you to my blog list.

Comments on Mississippi Atheists: A Non-Believer in Church: Unitarian Universalist i...

It does sound like a significant step up from many...

As a former UU (and still a UU at heart), I'm glad...

Good job, as always. I figured this one would sit...

Oliver,Thanks for your comments on UU. I escaped ...