One of the biggest questions that I think Unitarian Universalism needs to answer in the coming years is whether or not it is a way in and of itself, or whether it is an eclectic collection of various way-followers. This isn't exactly earth-shattering. People have been mulling over this problem for a while. But I've recently been thinking about my own path as a Christian, and where I run into the most friction with other UUs.
Let's leave the "should be's" and "could be's" aside and first assess the current environment. Are we an eclectic group of religious people marching on our own paths? Or are we a group of agnostics who want to make a difference in the world?
All judgment aside (I'll leave that for the next post...) I'm curious about what you all, my readers, think the current state of Unitarian Universalism is in terms of spiritual enrichment.
This is a perceptive question to ask. Stated differently: what happened in 1961? Did we consolidate two Christian traditions, or did we sever ties with our past and create a new tradition (seemingly ex nihilo)?
ReplyDeleteMany in our denomination, I surmise, would tend towards the latter explanation. At its worst, this of course degenerates into an inter-religious dialogue between individuals who frequently lack deep commitment to any one tradition. We catch truth where we can grab it. At its best, though, this method reminds us that the Holy lurks everywhere.
Personally, I have found great sustenance in the dynamic between our Unitarian and Universalist roots. In this regard, I am convinced that Unitarian Universalism does offer a unique way of doing and living religion. My gloss reads: we are all of One Source and destined to One Salvation. This is message, on my view, that can encourage pluralism while providing guidance and direction.
If you're interested in a more robust explanation, you might enjoy watching a sermon I preached to this effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQyzrNEbvag
I welcome your thoughts.
We are an eclectic group of religious people marching on our own paths, but I think that describes a lot of religions. UU helps us along our paths. We aspire to embody the principles, and we are guided by the sources. That is the tradition I hope all UU's can commit to.
ReplyDeleteYou ask three questions:
ReplyDelete(1) "Are we an eclectic group of religious people marching on our own paths?"
I would say it depends on what you mean by a path.
If by path you mean specific metaphysical beliefs about the nature of ultimate reality, or specific beliefs about the best way to perceive that reality, the answer is Yes. I don't think that we necessarily have the same specific beliefs about what some consider to be the ultimate theological questions. In that sense, UUs are on many different paths.
But a path can be a commitment to a certain set of common principles for how to best live well together. These could include focusing on how we live in this world rather than some next world; recognizing the wisdom of the Golden Rule; valuing questions and dialogue with others as important to an enriched life; believing that a good character depends more on compassion and love towards others than on material wealth; welcoming others who are different.These are more "process principles" that suggest how we can approach certain issues of living, then they are specific rules of how to live (e.g., it is a matter of considerable difficulty in interpretation what exactly it means to live by the Golden Rule, to be fully engaged in dialogue, or to be welcoming and have compassion.) And these process principles can have a wide variety of metaphysical bases. If process principles constitute a path, then I believe many UUs share the same path, which differs greatly from many religious paths.
(2) "are we a group of agnostics who want to make a difference in the world?"
No, I don't think so, because I have met many UUs who are not agnostics, either being theists of one sort or another, or being atheists.
(3) "[W]hat [do] you all, my readers, think the current state of Unitarian Universalism is in terms of spiritual enrichment?"
I think our current state is mixed for two reasons:
(1) Despite our endless talk and intellectualism, we don't do a good enough job of explaining to our own members, let alone the world, how the "process principles" that unite us constitute a demanding religious path that is worth striving for.
(2) Our church services too often lack sufficient emotional content to be engaging.
Almost by definition Unitarian Universalism is not “a way” among other ways. It affirms the free and responsible search for truth and meaning; it is a liberal or free religion. The sources invite us into the experience of the historical tradition as well as the human experience more generally. They range from Jewish and Christian forbears to the humanism and science that question religious authority. Unitarian Universalism calls us to seek and find meaning in the full range of human wisdom, to be honest with ourselves and each other, and to love one another as we journey through life together.
ReplyDeleteUnitarian Universalism could only become another “way” among the ways if someone were to dig up some golden plates in a hillside. Now we don’t expect that to happen, do we?
Besides Tim's last 2 points, I'm hearing a lot of should be's and could be's. What's the current state? What paths are my readers on? What paths to you most commonly witness others on in your congregations?
ReplyDeleteAs Thandeka says in the new Tapestry of Faith curriculum, "What Moves Us", "We love beyond belief". We gather to create an ethos of compassion and care, to love one another and open our hearts to one another, even as our open minds may be pursuing completely different thoughts and paradigms for our understanding of spiritual matters.
ReplyDeleteThat is my experience, working for my congregation. We love beyond belief. Our mission and vision for a better world bring us together, yes, but we also love each other in such a way as to help everyone along their path (to bring your metaphor back in here).
I think the principles and sources are very commonly shared among people in our congregation. I think they are considered, discussed and acted upon on a day to day basis. This is a valid path and I think a lot of UU's are currently on it.
ReplyDeleteMy impression or intuition is that there is a UU "way", implicitly, if not explicitly. I certainly have an internal sense of whether I'm being "a good UU" or not. I think our unwillingness to precisely articulate what that way is or should be is a humble acknowledgment of the imprecision and uncertainty that can and should attend moral judgments.
ReplyDeleteEmerson said, "It is a beautiful but monitory thought that not an hour of our waking time after we have learned to distinguish good & evil--that not an hour of the longest life but may be signalized by a virtuous action, by some sacrifice tho' small & unknown to another's wish or of our own inclination to our duty, and as it is the consequence of all goodness to increase the power of him that has it, that one of us, my brethren, by a rigid study of himself may every hour become a richer & mightier moral agent; may tomorrow be happier than today; may rake together with each flying moment the bright atoms of knowledge & goodness until he ceases to count his days by the wretched marks of passing time by his returning pleasures of the of the table by his periodical augmentations of property or yet by the furrows of his brow but numbers them on the golden dial of his own soul by the acquisitions he has made & the good deeds he has done."
I think Unitarian Universalism has a way to it, and it is a profoundly individualistic and conscientious approach to life, in which we acknowledge that we cannot know the moral condition of another, but that we can attend to our own moral condition.
The liberation that comes with trying to decipher what it means for each of us to be a moral agent--this is, I think, part of what is the UU way. Our seven principles are kind of like a Venn diagram of what our various journeys have settled on as consistent findings in our attempt to be good, or sacred, or at peace, or just, or respectful of our place in the world.
"March your own path" is as much a way as any other way. It's like the seven-up of religions: the un-way.
Ditto on Tim's comment about spiritual engagement. It can be tough to talk to such a broad audience, but I think striving for stark admissions of personal commitment, and counting on people to forge the connection, is more likely to give people the spiritual bread they need. Not everybody likes Thai food, and not every likes Southern cooking, but better to offer up something flavorful every week and count on our adventurous palates to make up the difference than to have nothing but multivitamins and wheat germ every time.
Anyhow, I've prattled long enough. One man's opinion, and I'm glad to have a spiritual home where I can follow it.
I like Jason’s coinage: “the un-path.” That’s the main current in my congregation—people are striving to be the best, most loving people they can be.
ReplyDeleteAbout 40% of the members are Jewish, and there are sensitivities about Christian elements in Unitarian Universalism. I also see deep ambivalence concerning God and God-talk in our community life.
As to its general state I think Unitarian Universalism is projecting mixed messages. At times it is presented as “a faith” but then takes no position on questions of faith.
I had a Christian upbringing but I lost that faith. Over the past 2 years I have moved from a general agnosticism to a more atheistic position. Both in my congregation and Unitarian Universalism at large the strategy is to avoid these issues. So I’m coming to the conclusion that it may not have much to offer me any more.
For me, the decision to affirm and promote the seven principles is an act of faith. Faith in the sense of treating unproven propositions as if they were true.
ReplyDeleteTo my ear, the challenge of living according to the principles is a project as spiritually rewarding as that offered by other religions.
Thank you, Walter, for your considered statements. If I heard your simple yet profound approach clearly and consistently, I might not have my current problems.
ReplyDeleteAs Thandeka says in the new Tapestry of Faith curriculum, "What Moves Us", "We love beyond belief". We gather to create an ethos of compassion and care, to love one another and open our hearts to one another, even as our open minds may be pursuing completely different thoughts and paradigms for our understanding of spiritual matters.
ReplyDeleteThat is my experience, working for my congregation. We love beyond belief. Our mission and vision for a better world bring us together, yes, but we also love each other in such a way as to help everyone along their path (to bring your metaphor back in here).
Besides Tim's last 2 points, I'm hearing a lot of should be's and could be's. What's the current state? What paths are my readers on? What paths to you most commonly witness others on in your congregations?
ReplyDeleteThis is a perceptive question to ask. Stated differently: what happened in 1961? Did we consolidate two Christian traditions, or did we sever ties with our past and create a new tradition (seemingly ex nihilo)?
ReplyDeleteMany in our denomination, I surmise, would tend towards the latter explanation. At its worst, this of course degenerates into an inter-religious dialogue between individuals who frequently lack deep commitment to any one tradition. We catch truth where we can grab it. At its best, though, this method reminds us that the Holy lurks everywhere.
Personally, I have found great sustenance in the dynamic between our Unitarian and Universalist roots. In this regard, I am convinced that Unitarian Universalism does offer a unique way of doing and living religion. My gloss reads: we are all of One Source and destined to One Salvation. This is message, on my view, that can encourage pluralism while providing guidance and direction.
If you're interested in a more robust explanation, you might enjoy watching a sermon I preached to this effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQyzrNEbvag
I welcome your thoughts.