My fellow Americans, your government has allowed a group of citizens, acting as a duly convened jury, to sentence a man to death. The man did things that are terrible, and there is no doubt of his involvement, which makes this an excellent time to address capital punishment from a Unitarian Universalist perspective. It doesn’t […]
Each and every breath we get in life is a blessing. Each time we breathe in, we breathe in air that is millions, possibly billions, of years old. We breathe in atoms older than our Sun, and particles that were formed at the beginning of time and space. This air has been breathed by kings […]
James Luther Adams, in his foundational “5 Smooth Stones of Liberal Religion” said that, as religious liberals, We deny the immaculate conception of virtue and affirm the necessity of social incarnation. This is a statement echoed by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr when he wrote, Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it […]
It has been said that “tolerance” is a Unitarian Universalist value, but let’s not let this be true. Tolerance is being permissive. It is allowing other people to be themselves as long as it doesn’t interfere with your right to be yourself. It is more than some people seem capable of, but it is too […]
It can be disappointing for visitors to hear that we do not have answers, religion, or faith that can be taken home from a few short visits. We need to make sure that the love, the encouragement, and the hope that we do have to give away is always enough to sustain them as they […]
Every congregation talks about growth. There are Facebook groups, websites, blogs, and even offices in the UUA devoted to the topic. Growth is important to the health of a congregation and of a religious movement. If we aren’t growing, at least a little, then we will fade beyond obscurity and into irrelevance. The thing that […]
The I Am UU project is coming up on its 5th anniversary.So much has changed in that time, both for me personally and for the project. As it has grown, I have seen myself move from being just a blogger and passionate UU evangelist to more of a religious educator and community leader. I have […]
Unitarian Universalism has a reputation of being the rehabilitation clinic for people who are leaving religion. That is a sad statement on how we view faith. People don’t come to us because they want to leave religion; they come because they want a religion that speaks to a broader world view and inclusion. People aren’t […]
It is often said that ours is a free faith. Every adult sitting in a Unitarian Universalist church has come there of their own choosing. Even those born to UU parents grow up expected to examine their faith and the commitments that come with being part of a UU congregation. And there are commitments which […]
“So, there’s going to be a thing in your life that you love… The way you love that, and the way that you find other people who love it the way you do, is what makes being a nerd awesome… The defining characteristic that ties all together is that we love things.” ~ Wil Wheaton, […]