Presented by: Rebecca Harris
Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalist
July 1st, 2018
Unitarian Universalism has seven principles and six sources, which are listed
in Singing The Living Tradition just before the hymns. The Unitarians emerged
in Transylvania & Poland in the 2nd ½ of 16th century,
the Universalists in the United States in 1793. What did these Unitarians and Universalists
believe? Well, thanks to social media I was able to put out a call on FB asking
that very question, as I was searching for a concise phrase to explain their theology.
I got many thoughtful responses. Chris and Robin gave me exactly the phrase I was
looking for but was not able to recall. That is “Historically, Universalists believe
God is too good to send anyone to Hell, while Unitarians believe THEY are too good
to be sent thereâ€. My friend Rufus gave me the historical citation for this: Thomas
Starr King is credited with describing the difference between Universalists and
Unitarians: Universalists believe that God is too good to damn men; Unitarians believe
that man is too good to be damned [1].
The Unitarians and the Universalists were separate denominations until 1961,
when they merged [2]. Today there are 1,035
UU churches, societies, fellowships and congregations in the United States. Some
have one, or more full time called ministers, some have part time ministers, and
some are 100% lay led, like us. There are 199,850 Unitarian Universalist members,
which is less than 1/10 of 1% of the US population[3].Â
This is some textbook information about Unitarian Universalism. Within these
facts are our stories. Each of us has our own story, our own UU journey. Each story
includes why and how we came to be UU, why we stay, and what we believe. I am happy
to share with you, this morning, my story.
I am a Cradle Unitarian Universalist, that is a lifelong UU. I was born into
a UU family; in fact I am 4th generation on both sides. Because my Unitarian
Universalism is also my family, my parents / Dad, my grandparents and great grandparents,
I want to give you a forewarning that I may cry sometime in the next 20 minutes
because, well because… Unitarian Unidealism, my churchedness, is the thread that
stretches across every year of my life. It is the solid, strong, persistent string
of my heart and soul.
The church of my childhood was the Unitarian Universalist Society East in Manchester
Connecticut. My experiences there can be sorted into two parts. The first is religious
education and the second is ‘church’. Sunday school was great. We did crafts, learned
about peoples and the world, had great adult teachers who cared for us and for the
curriculum they taught. I learned about many gateways that open wide vistas
for exploration, about the world community, where sincere differences beautify the
pattern; my self-confidence was nurtured and my feeling of personal worth was enriched,
to echo the responsive reading by Sophia Lyon Fahs. I got to grow up in UUS:East,
from the age of 8 till I went to college. Over these years I learned about ‘church’.
What is a church, how does it work, who runs it? Our minister, Rev. Arnold Westwood,
was half time. He was with UUS:East all the years I was there and long after. But…
I learned that church is, what I now know, shared ministry. At the time I
just saw that the adults did everything, from speaking in the pulpit to making coffee,
everything that needed to be done to make the Society work. So for me, my norm,
was that “church†is a blend of the people and the minister (shared ministry).
I want to read from an article on the history of UUS:East [4]
. The society has a
… strong tradition of shared ministry, born out of both mission and need. In
the early years, we could not afford a full-time minister, and we worried that our
minister’s absence every other Sunday would make it impossible to continue with
services. Instead, Arnold gave us one of our greatest gifts. He enthusiastically
shared his pulpit, gathering members together in a Sunday Services committee to
guide us in creating lay-led Sunday morning services—services that nurtured our
identity as a liberal religious community.
We shared our stories. We listened to speakers who lived meaningful and purposeful
lives. We shared our talents and supported each other as we created uplifting Sunday
services. The shared pulpit epitomizes what many of us consider to be a unique strength
as a community.
Community – that is a real stand out across my UU experiences. Let me leave a
lot out and move onto the most profound experience, not just UU but overall, I had
as a young person, being a part of LRY – Liberal Religious Youth. There were many
aspects of these experiences that were exquisite. One was that I had found a community
of young people who were free, open and accepting. This was SO different from the
kids at high school. LRY was also so different from high school because it was completely
youth run. This youth group of the Unitarian Universalist Association was youth
autonomous. Kids ran the show, both at 25 Beacon Street and in every local LRY group
and at every LRY conference. I felt, no I was, valued as an individual even though
I was still a kid. My mind, my thoughts, my ambitions, my skills were totally valid
and valuable. I felt like a 100% person. We were in charge, as we thought we could
and should be. Independence, responsibility, and autonomy, wow! It was that same
shared ministry I saw at UUS:East, but now I was a participant! We/I planned
and organized everything we did. Embedded in this was the “free and responsible
search for truthâ€. We each had a voice and each voice was heard and valued.
This was done as we taught workshops, planned worship, had coffee house shows, and
talked all through the night.
When I was in High School I took a World Religions class. One of our assignments
was to write a research paper on a Christian denomination. I convinced my teacher,
Ms. Willard, to let me write my paper on LRY. I have that research paper here and
will read a few paragraphs written by my 16 year old self.
One, two, three. Their numbers grow. They came in groups, pairs or by themselves.
Some lived in town the, the others might live up to a few hundred miles away. Hitching,
driving or taking the bus they would all get there. The majority of them would arrive
in time for orientation. The others would arrive later that night or early the next
day. And so began another LRY conference; little sleep, much music, singing, games,
worship workshops and lots of living.
Who are these people who sometimes travel several hundreds of miles to get to
a three to seven day get together called a conference? Why do the come? What do
they get out of it?
Acceptance, community and strong bonds of love are the basic religious factors
of LRY. These beliefs are religion because LRYers have a strong role in the conferences,
influencing activities there and setting the mood. The LRYers who accept these ideas
as their ‘doctrine’ incorporate them into their daily lives just as other people
incorporate their religious doctrine into their lives.
With their faith in people, community, love and the future and their belief in
LRY made stronger, a conference comes to an end. The LRYers are exhausted form the
intense living and extreme lack of sleep, but do have enough energy for good-bye
hugs, kisses and a few tear Addresses are exchanged among new found friends. One
by one the LRYers leave. Some begin their journey home by walking down the road
hoping for a ride. Many others pile into cars, some to get a ride to the bus station,
others to get a ride home. The conference center is now empty, the LRY spirit echoes
on.
Fast forward through the years, I joined a Universalist church in Syracuse, NY
and learned of the great benefits of a gifted professional full time minister. This
full time minister, Rev. David Blanchard, introduced me to a whole new way of “churchâ€,
and expanded my UU spirituality. Though the language of Jesus and the Bible were
not used, the vocabulary sacred, divine, and holy were. These terms were given in
the deepest of Unitarian Universalist (humanist) ways, to hold up the divine in
each of us, the sacred in the world around us, the holy that envelopes all. David’s
vocabulary, sermons and stories deepened my UU spirituality.
It is quite easy to be a “good UU†in a “good UU churchâ€, surrounded by others
who hold the same views and value the same principles. It is another thing to be
a good UU in a sea of people who hold very different views and values, and to put
is quite bluntly, hold views and vales that are hurtful, hateful and in fact target
me as being less than. This was my experience in South Carolina for many years.
My experience is just that, my experience, which reflects my background and what
I knew at the time. I did not want to be angry in response to this hate. And I did
not want to withdraw. At the time my boys were in elementary school and they needed
to be an integral part of the community so withdrawal or retreat would be their
loss of a social and community network. My strategy, then, was to use the UU principle
“the inherent worth & dignity of all people†as a guide post for navigating
this complex locale. I felt, as a UU, I had to believe this, but how? My notion
of the net of humanity had to be cast wider than my limited inclusion of only people
like me so as to include these who believed quite differently than I. I had to be
more accepting of those with vastly different viewpoints. I had to embrace the idea
that at their core, these people were good people living their deepest values, as
I was mine It is not a perfect operationalizing of the principle, I can find many
holes in it. But I had to get to a place where I did not fill with hate and anger,
a place that allowed for a peaceful coexistence. This was a test of my Unitarian
Universalism.
Moving on to Virginia. A few years ago I walked through the doors of HUU, and
as you can now understand, I felt “at home†(really, I never felt as ‘at home’ as
I did at that moment). HUU embodies these three tenants of my Unitarian Universalism
– shared ministry, the “free and responsible search for truthâ€, and
“the inherent worth & dignity of all peopleâ€. Our open pulpit is a sacred
gift to the members seated out there and to the members who speak from here. It
is a way & place – as facilitator or speaker – to share our voices and our “search
for truthâ€. As speaker or facilitator we lead, as attendees we are challenged and
embraced. It is a significant manifestation of our shared ministry. And I
really like that we make real the inherent worth and dignity of every speaker,
of every facilitator, each with her of his own personality, voice, style, and indeed
quirks. Each is a part of our “us’ and we grant all great value and appreciation,
listening to their voice, words and story. For this hour we are together we choose
to be here, to engage in speaking and listening as we share this journey in our
sacred or holy Unitarian Universalist “free and responsible search for truthâ€.
But, now, before the summer is over I will be beginning a new chapter in my life
which regrettably will be 300 miles from here. Can I leave you with a few comments
about HUU? Number one; continue to be kind to each other. This kindness is authentic,
genuine, and strong. Second; claim and embrace your Unitarian Universalism. Be explicitly
UU, explore, define and deepen YOUR Unitarian Universalist theology. Either with
a called full time or part time minster OR amongst yourselves. Either way it is
shared ministry. Each one of you can speak on UU principles, UU history,
your UU journey, and the UU issues of today.
I want to extend an appreciation to Merle for inviting – nay insisting – that
I share my UU journey. This self-refection has been insightful and valuable for
me. At this point in my journey, with the myriad of Unitarian Universalist experiences
I have had, I now have a much better understanding of MY Unitarian Universalism.
- Â shared ministry – a responsibility for the place, the programming and
for each other to help create and sustain the space where we can be our better selves - Â free and responsible search for truth – The blessed humanism that emphasizes
the intellectual quest to understanding - Â and the inherent worth & dignity of all people – knowing each individual
has authentic value
Are these the same or different as someone who came to Unitarian Universalism
later in life? Maybe or maybe not. For me, I am grateful that these have been my
forever.
[1] Unitarians took a stand against Calvin’s
doctrine of Original Sin by declaring that God had created humanity with inherent
goodness. But it was the Universalists who took a stand against the Calvinist doctrine
of predestination that said a loving, benevolent God could never create beings who
are predestined to eternal suffering.
[2] The American Unitarian Association, established
in 1825, and the Universalist Church of America, established in 1793.
[3] UUA membership growth, 2001–2011https://www.uuworld.org/articles/membership-growth-2001-2011
[4] Strong Growth from Valued Roots,
https://www.uua.org/growth/membership/sharing-ministry/120516.shtml