Between the first of November and the end of January, there are dozens of holidays and holy days, some major and some not, some with deep traditions and some that were created in the last century. None of them matters to everyone, and many of them matter a great deal to some. Some people might […]
It sometimes seems like Unitarian Universalism is chaotic; that we might actually be too diverse. Can it be that there are too many voices trying to be heard? Indeed, how we navigate that can be tricky, because we are blessed with many perspectives, all of them valuable. The I Am UU project holds that our […]
We are angry. With good reason, we are upset and hurt and angry. Anger can be an appropriate response to violence, to injustice, and to those peddling fear and bad information. Some people will tell you that anger is a negative emotion, but I don’t believe that. Anger is not bad. It is how we […]
As a religious professional and an aspiring religious educator (how far I am from that goal varies wildly depending on who is asked), I talk a lot about what Unitarian Universalism means to me and what it is at it’s best. And I get a LOT of disagreement. I get a lot of people who […]
I get a lot of… feedback when I point out that, despite a centuries-long legacy that got us to this point, Unitarian Universalism is less than 60 years old. The religion we teach today would be unrecognizable to John Adams, Clara Barton, and most of the other historical Unitarians and Universalists of whom we are […]
One of the common reasons people find themselves in a Unitarian Universalist church is “curiosity”. It might be curiosity about what goes on there, or about different ways to worship. Ultimately, I think a lot of us stay because we are curious about one another and who we view the divine. A healthy curiosity is […]
Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal religion. It is all about being in relationship with the community and the congregation. It is about making promises to one another about how we will act in the world. We are short on specifics, of course; there isn’t a formal list of “Shall Nots” to check actions against. Ours […]
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” It is an old saying. Put more simply, if we aren’t risking anything, we aren’t likely to see much in the way of results. You can’t be great at everything the first time you try; you have to be willing to risk failure. You learn from failure. You get better. A […]
I’ve seen a lot of new posts here at the end/start of the year about religion in America. People aren’t going to church. “Paganism” is on the rise. I’ve seen the word “cafeteria” more than a few times already. It seems that we do this every year, but this year has a different feel. I’ve […]
Every day can be a new beginning. Every day, you can choose to be your best self. In fact, that is the only way to be your best; you must choose repeatedly throughout each day. Whether you feel that you got it right yesterday or not, you can choose better each day, or even minute […]
Wearing a t-shirt or drinking from a mug with a flaming chalice on it is a very low-pressure way to invite questions and conversation about liberal religion.
