UU Children’s Religious Education: Passport to the World of Faith
Julie Caran
5/26/13
Good morning. I want to start by addressing the title of this service. “UU Children’s Religious Education: Passport to the World of Faith.†In a way, saying that UU RE provides a passport to the world of faith implies that we are not part of that world. Is Unitarian Universalism a faith? I had difficulty answering that question until I became immersed in UU religious education.
When I began attending a UU church as a young adult in 1999, I, like many of you, had the experience of discovering a faith and a community that echoed my personal theology – my ideas about God – as well as my principles – the behaviors I saw as right and true. As with any new discovery, this one was exciting! I shared my interest with a protestant coworker and friend. Brian had a strong Christian faith, was very smart and had strong convictions, and was willing to agree to disagree when necessary. I enjoyed engaging in conversations with him about theology, faith, and religious institutions, but he simply could not wrap his mind around Unitarian Universalism.
“How can it be a church,†he asked me, “if you’re not all worshipping God together? Isn’t that the definition of church? A place of worship?â€
I was stumped at the time. With Methodist, Jewish, Catholic, and Episcopal institutions in my background, I had been immersed in many religious communities, and they all had one common quality – the people gathered together to worship with those who shared their faith in God.
What is a church? Isn’t it a gathering of people of faith? The refrain of a song I learned in Sunday School circled through my brain: “I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together. All who follow Jesus all around the world – yes, we’re the church together!†My definition of church no longer seemed to fit, since I knew Jesus was not the primary focal point of my new faith community. In fact, neither was God.
Yet I did see TJMC, my new UU church, as a faith community. I recognized this immediately, but without a background in UU religious education, I lacked the vocabulary to explain this. [Read more…]